One of the things about music services like Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube (and if you don’t think of YouTube as a music archive, you’re missing a bet) is how you can look up songs and find covers you never knew existed. Take “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Aretha Franklin – goes right back to her gospel roots. After a quick Aretha and choir intro, we get a two minute piano and Hammond organ duet, followed by Aretha and choir returning, with a building set of accompaniment.

Johnny Cash – this is late Cash. Spare, raspy, you can almost see the whisky and cigs nearby. Fiona Apple comes in about verse two, and does harmonies. Not displeasing — they work — but even I was surprised by the choices she made. (Ask Ulrika about that one.)

Elvis Presley – in an eerie parallel to his career, the first verse is a real surprise. Sparse, clean, clear, restrained. Then, with each succeeding verse, the accompaniment becomes more overbearing, complete with a soprano of the school of what Stan Freberg called “vapor girl.”

Roberta Flack – just a woman and her piano. A drum set comes in later.

As you listen to them all, you get to appreciate Art Garfunkel’s original clarity. Sure, his tone is an acquired taste, but everyone else has enunciation problems by comparison. You can always understand Art’s words.

EDIT: It’s spooky to hear the cast of Glee’s version, which is a note-for-note copy of Aretha’s. Instrumentation, arrangement, vocal flourishes, the lot. Oh, ok, they cut back on the piano and Hammond thing, but it’s TV — time constraints. But everything else.