ON THE RECORD: JIM CARROLLon music

It comes down to talent. Forget about spending your time advocating for radio quotas for Irish bands, agitating against Spotify’s royalty rates and giving out about not getting support gigs. Those things are important, but not as important as having the talent to write a song that gets everyone singing.

Simon and Garfunkel: The Harmony Game, Jennifer Lebeau's excellent documentary on the writing and recording of the duo's Bridge over Troubled Water, which was broadcast on BBC1 during the week, provided a masterclass in what talent is.

Paul Simon may have written the timeless title track, but it was Art Garfunkel’s voice that made the song soar. The song didn’t just appear overnight in Simon’s imagination. It took time to fashion that tune from a raw demo and rough idea into a recording that label boss Clive Davis knew on first listen was a once-in-a-decade tune.

Bridge over Troubled Waterdidn't sound like anything else on radio at the time. When it was played, it stood out from what came before and after. While many acts and labels would baulk at the idea of releasing such a strange tune as a single, Simon and Garfunkel took a leap of faith and the rest is history.

For acts, there are plenty of lessons in this, but many will ignore them. After all, grumbling about not getting played on daytime radio is easier to do than writing a brilliant song.

After all, if Simon and Garfunkel had been only concerned about radio play, they'd probably never have arrived at Brid ge over Troubled Waterin the first place.

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