“I started the song with Paul and Artie in New York, but then we flew back to LA to finish it up. Money was no object to Simon & Garfunkel at that point, so whatever they wanted to do, the label was fine with.

“We had our ‘golden trio’ on this number: me on drums, Larry Knechtal on piano and Joe Osborn on bass. Larry got a Grammy for the song because of that beautiful introduction he played. The song wouldn’t be the same without that piano intro.

“We did the basic track in a few hours. The overdubs took some time. I got off the kit and tried an experiment. The ending of the song made me think of a man on a chain gang – it had that epic kind of feel that needed the right effect. So I got these big snow chains from my car and went back into this cement room in the studio and started banging them on the floor.

“On the 2 and 4 count, I’d slam them down, and on the 1 and 3 I’d drag them across the floor. ‘Sliiiide-BANG!-sliiiide-BANG!’ I was kneeling the entire time I did this. Luckily, they got a pillow for me so I didn’t kill my knees.”

Listen: Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)