Paul Simon is undisputedly one of the greatest folk musicians of all time. He is beloved by many and his spotlight continues to shine bright decades after his debut. As such, his fans have racked up quite a bit of knowledge on him over the years. If you don’t feel up to date on your Simon knowledge, check out the three tidbits about him, below. Did you know these things about Simon?
Videos by American Songwriter
1. Chuck Berry was a source of inspiration
Simon was likely inspired by many musicians. No one creates in a vacuum and everyone has their shortlist of favorite artists. According to Simon, Chuck Berry was on the top of that list. Like many artists, Simon credits Berry for inspiring his lyricism.
“No songwriter influenced my generation to a greater degree than him,” he once said of the rock trailblazer.
2. He prefers the studio to the writer’s room
Everyone has their favorite slice of the creative process. Some people like the writer’s room–finely tuning their lyrics. Simon, however, preferred the studio. Instead of mulling over lyrics, he like to mull over arrangements.
“I spend more time writing music than writing words,” Simon once said. “The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It’s like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying.”
[RELATED: Here’s Why Paul Simon Thought Bruce Springsteen Was a Mix of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison]
3. Bob Dylan rejected a duet with Simon
Many people have compared Bob Dylan and Simon over the years. They are both beloved folk singers with an expert knack for lyricism. Simon wanted to pool their strengths together at one point, but Dylan wasn’t into the idea–or at least didn’t try very hard to make it happen.
“The first word I got back was that he liked it and he wanted to do it, but then I never heard anything more,” Simon once said. “I had a deadline, and I needed to get the album finished. I figured maybe Bob was burnt out from touring, or maybe he had more dates to do. It was no big deal.”
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.