1968 No. 1 Hit, Featured in a Beloved Movie, Gets Named the Best Song of the Summer from the '60s

Since the release of their first album, 1964's Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., the beloved folk-rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, better known as Simon & Garfunkel, took the '60s by storm. Despite disbanding in 1970, Simon & Garfunkel are still being recognized for their impact as musicians and within pop culture.

For instance, the publication Far Out magazine recently named Simon & Garfunkel's beloved tune "Mrs. Robinson" the "best song of the summer from the 1960s." Other '60s songs featured in the publication's June 2026 ranking included Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" from 1963, 1964's "‘I Get Around" by The Beach Boys, and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops, released in 1965.

According to Far Out magazine, "Mrs. Robinson" reached the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 spot in June of 1968 after it appeared in the 1967 movie, The Graduate, starring Anne Bancroft, who played Mrs. Robinson, andDustin Hoffman, who played Benjamin Braddock.

Paul Simon Shared Information About Writing 'Mrs. Robinson' During a 1970 Interview

In a 1970 interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Simon shared how he and Garfunkel ended up recording "Mrs. Robinson" for The Graduate. He explained that late director Mike Nichols approached him and Garfunkel during the production of the film and sent them Charles Webb's 1963 novella, which the movie is based on. Simon said that Nichols initially wanted the duo to make "mostly original music" for the film. However, The Graduate's score eventually was comprised of Simon & Garfunkel's hits from their past albums, like 1966's "Scarborough Fair / Canticle" and 1964's "The Sound of Silence."

Simon clarified that "'Mrs. Robinson' was made up on the spot" while working on the film's score. He explained that he "had been fooling around with a song" that included the famous lyrics "and here's to you, Mrs. Robinson." He also originally had a line about Mrs. Roosevelt, in reference to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, which was cut.

During the Dick Cavett Show interview, Simon also shared that director Mel Brooks, who was married to Bancroft for over 40 years until her 2005 death, jokingly told him he took issue with the song. According to Simon, Brooks told him that fans of The Graduate would often sing "Mrs. Robinson" to Bancroft while the couple was out in public.

"I ran into Mel Brooks the other day. I had no idea how miserable that song had made his life," quipped the musician, now 84.

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