Paul Simon

American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Paul Simon is an iconic American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and collaborations with Art Garfunkel. Together, they formed the legendary folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, producing timeless hits like “The Sound of Silence” and “Mrs. Robinson.” As a solo artist, Paul Simon has explored various genres, creating critically acclaimed albums and hit songs throughout his illustrious career.

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Family Info

Siblings

Eddie Simon

Spouses

Children

Harper Simon

Adrian Edward Simon

Lulu Simon

Gabriel Elijah Simon

About the Paul Simon

Paul Frederic Simonis an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and his school friend Garfunkel, whom he met in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. Their blend of folk and rock, including hits such as “The Sound of Silence”, “Mrs. Robinson”, “America” and “The Boxer”, served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their final album, Bridge Over Troubled Waterkept him in the public eye and drew acclaim, producing the hits “Mother and Child Reunion”, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”, and “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”. Simon reunited with Garfunkel for several tours and the 1981 Concert in Central Park.

In 1986, Simon released his most successful and acclaimed album, Graceland, incorporating South African influences. “You Can Call Me Al” became one of Simon’s most successful singles. Graceland was followed by The Rhythm of the Saintsand Stranger to Stranger (2016), introduced him to new generations. Simon retired from touring in 2018, but continued to record music. An album, Seven Psalms, was released in May 2023.

Simon is among the world’s best-selling music artists. He has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, were inducted into the National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress voted him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children’s Health Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care to children.

Frequently Asked Questions

Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and collaborations with Art Garfunkel as the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.

Some of Simon & Garfunkel’s biggest hits include ,The Sound of Silence,, ,Mrs. Robinson,, ,America,, and ,The Boxer,.

As a solo artist, Paul Simon has explored genres including gospel, reggae, and soul, creating critically acclaimed albums such as ,Paul Simon,, ,There Goes Rhymin’ Simon,, and ,Still Crazy After All These Years,.

Paul Simon’s most successful and acclaimed solo album is ,Graceland,, released in 1986, which incorporated South African influences and produced the hit single ,You Can Call Me Al,.

Paul Simon has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year.

The Children’s Health Fund is a nonprofit organization that Paul Simon co-founded, which provides medical care to children in need.

Paul Simon retired from touring in 2018, but he continued to record music, including the album ,Seven Psalms, released in May 2023.

60 Quotes by Paul Simon

  1. 1.

    I’m more interested in what I discover than what I invent.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  2. 2.

    Listen to the sound of silence.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  3. 3.

    When I began making my own albums, the songs became funkier. They were more about the streets.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  4. 4.

    I always get very calm with baseball.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  5. 5.

    Anybody can do bad work, but not everybody does good work.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  6. 6.

    We had many more points of agreement than we had points of difference, but we did differ, and the bigger we got, the more insistent we got that each one of us should have his way.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  7. 7.

    As long as you have capital punishment there is no guarantee that innocent people won’t be put to death.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  8. 8.

    Not every song I write is ecstasy. And it can happen only one time. After that, when you sing the same melody and words, it’s pleasure, but you don’t get wiped out.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  9. 9.

    Faith is an island in the setting sun, But proof is the bottom line for everyone.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  10. 10.

    When we came into the studio I became more and more me, making the tracks and choosing the musicians, partly because a great deal of the time during Bridge, Artie wasn’t there.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  11. 11.

    All lies and jests, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  12. 12.

    We got on American Bandstand, where kids would dance to a record and then rate it. We called ourselves Tom and Jerry. I was Jerry.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  13. 13.

    You want to be a writer, don’t know how or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  14. 14.

    The record company stay out of my way. Whenever the record is finished, they take it.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  15. 15.

    I don’t feel any pressure from fans. But I’m always in some kind of state of emotional turmoil. I would not describe myself as happy-go-lucky. That’s not to say that I’m not happy.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  16. 16.

    Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  17. 17.

    There’s something about the sound of a train that’s very romantic and nostalgic and hopeful.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  18. 18.

    I think I have a superior brain and an inferior stature, if you really want to get brutal about it.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  19. 19.

    I don’t consider myself to be a major talent, so the only solace I can take is to hope I’m growing.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  20. 20.

    I don’t very often think I’ve done a good job. I don’t like the majority of what I do. I shouldn’t say I don’t like it, but I’m not satisfied with almost everything that I do.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  21. 21.

    My life so common it disappears and sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  22. 22.

    I rate each album as better than the last one. That’s how I see it.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  23. 23.

    A man sees what he wants to see, And disregards the rest.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  24. 24.

    My whole artistic life has always been about change, change, change, move on, move on. It’s the only thing I find interesting.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  25. 25.

    Who am I to blow against the wind?

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  26. 26.

    Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  27. 27.

    Artie travels all the time. The rehearsals were just miserable. Artie and I fought all the time. He didn’t want to do the show with my band; he just wanted me on acoustic guitar.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  28. 28.

    Without Arthur’s voice, I never would have enjoyed that success.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  29. 29.

    One of the things that upset me was some of the criticism leveled at Simon and Garfunkel. I always took exception to it, but actually I agree with a lot of it.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  30. 30.

    I question what emotion Manilow touches. People are entertained by him. But are they emotionally moved? I don’t believe anything that Barry Manilow sings.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  31. 31.

    I’m not in it for the money. I like music. I love to write music. I can’t imagine myself not playing or singing or writing. It would just drive me crazy if I didn’t.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  32. 32.

    Artie is a singer, and I’m a writer and player and a singer. We didn’t work together on a creative level and prepare the songs. I did that.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  33. 33.

    I was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown. There was a dish called Mother and Child Reunion. It’s chicken and eggs. And I said, I gotta use that one.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  34. 34.

    Being an artist doesn’t mean that you’re a good artist. That was the bargain I first made with myself: I’d say, I’m an artist, but I’m not really very good.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  35. 35.

    Having a track record to live up to and the history of successes had become a hindrance. It becomes harder to break out of what people expect you to do.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  36. 36.

    Why am I so soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  37. 37.

    I would be willing to do almost anything to make Art happy. I care about our friendship. The only thing I won’t do is change the essence of my work.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  38. 38.

    I don’t believe what the papers are saying They’re just out to capture my dime, Exaggerating this, exaggerating that.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  39. 39.

    We’ve survived by believing our life is going to get better.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  40. 40.

    Facts can be turned into art if one is artful enough.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  41. 41.

    Mrs. Robinson is a little dated now, but it has nothing to do with Joe DiMaggio.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  42. 42.

    People often called us perfectionists, but we were not looking for perfection. We were looking for some kind of magic in the music.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  43. 43.

    I don’t think that Simon and Garfunkel as a live act compares to Simon and Garfunkel as a studio act.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  44. 44.

    The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  45. 45.

    My voice is my improvisational instrument, the melody instrument. The guitar is harmonic structure. I’m not a good enough guitarist to improvise on it.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  46. 46.

    I suppose an artist takes the elements of his life and rearranges them and then has them perceived by others as though they were the elements of their lives.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  47. 47.

    The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  48. 48.

    There must be 50 ways to leave your lover.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  49. 49.

    We just did what we’d done when we were an act in the ’60s. But I found it impossible to hold a dialogue with 500,000 people. In a certain sense, it was numbing.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  50. 50.

    It’s a big error to think that because you like somebody’s work, you’re going to like him.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  51. 51.

    When I was 15, I made a solo record. It made Artie very unhappy. He looked upon it as something of a betrayal.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  52. 52.

    We were always able to sing and blend well together; that’s our gift. But aside from that, we’re really two different guys.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  53. 53.

    How much can you do with two voices? You can sing thirds or you can sing fifths or you can do a background harmony.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  54. 54.

    I don’t like fashion. It’s very heartless.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  55. 55.

    Someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  56. 56.

    I think Bridge Over Troubled Water was a very good song. Artie sang it beautifully. The Boxer was a really nice record. But I don’t think I’ve written any great songs.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  57. 57.

    If you can get humor and seriousness at the same time, you’ve created a special little thing, and that’s what I’m looking for, because if you get pompous, you lose everything.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  58. 58.

    I try to open up my heart as much as I can and keep a real keen eye out that I don’t get sentimental. I think we’re all afraid to reveal our hearts. It’s not at all in fashion.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  59. 59.

    It’s pointless to be critical of your stuff once it’s done. I don’t spend a lot of time agonising over it. It’s of no importance once it’s finished.

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)

  60. 60.

    I lived in an attached house. My father used to drive into the wrong driveway all the time. He’d say, Damn it, how do you tell one of these houses from another?

    Paul Simon

    American singer-songwriter (born 1941)