‘There’s a Bitterness There’: Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’

Simon & Garfunkel, ca. 1965–1970. Bernard Gotfryd, Library of Congress

“A Hazy Shade of Winter” was written by Paul Simon while living in the UK in 1965. Simon & Garfunkel released the song as a single in 1966; it later appeared on 1968’s Bookends. Simon uses lyrics like “Look around, leaves are brown, there’s a patch of snow on the ground” to illustrate the transition of time from fall to winter.