{"id":59758,"date":"2024-01-31T15:39:11","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T20:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/?p=59758"},"modified":"2024-01-31T15:46:35","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T20:46:35","slug":"paul-simons-genius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/paul-simons-genius\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Simon&#8217;s Genius"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"produ-2737112249\" class=\"produ-leaderboard-placement produ-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;margin-bottom: 30px!important;\"><script async=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\/tag\/js\/gpt.js\"><\/script>\n<script> var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || [];<\/script>\n<div id=\"gpt-ad-5231417891258-0\">\n  <script>\n\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() {\n\t\t\t\tgoogletag.defineSlot( '\/21927241144\/728x90-Leaderboard', [728,90], 'gpt-ad-5231417891258-0' )\n\t\t.addService(googletag.pubads());\n\t\t\t\twindow.advadsGamEmptySlotsTimers = window.advadsGamEmptySlotsTimers || {};\n\t\tconst timers                     = window.advadsGamEmptySlotsTimers;\n\n\t\ttimers['gpt-ad-5231417891258-0'] = setTimeout( function () {\n\t\t\tconst id = 'gpt-ad-5231417891258-0';\n\t\t\tdocument.dispatchEvent( new CustomEvent( 'aagam_empty_slot', {detail: id} ) );\n\t\t\tdelete ( timers[id] );\n\t\t}, 1000 );\n\n\t\tif ( typeof window.advadsGamHasEmptySlotListener === 'undefined' ) {\n\t\t\tgoogletag.pubads().addEventListener( 'slotRequested', function ( ev ) {\n\t\t\t\tconst id = ev.slot.getSlotElementId();\n\t\t\t\tif ( typeof timers[id] === 'undefined' ) {\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tclearTimeout( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\ttimers[id] = setTimeout( function () {\n\t\t\t\t\tdocument.dispatchEvent( new CustomEvent( 'aagam_empty_slot', {detail: id} ) );\n\t\t\t\t\tdelete ( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\t}, 2500 );\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t\tgoogletag.pubads().addEventListener( 'slotResponseReceived', function ( ev ) {\n\t\t\t\tconst id = ev.slot.getSlotElementId();\n\t\t\t\tif ( typeof timers[id] !== 'undefined' ) {\n\t\t\t\t\tclearTimeout( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\t\tdelete ( timers[id] );\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\tif ( ! ev.slot.getResponseInformation() ) {\n\t\t\t\t\tdocument.dispatchEvent( new CustomEvent( 'aagam_empty_slot', {detail: id} ) );\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t} );\n\t\t\twindow.advadsGamHasEmptySlotListener = true;\n\t\t}\n\n\t\tgoogletag.enableServices();\n\t\tgoogletag.display( 'gpt-ad-5231417891258-0' );\n\t} );\n  <\/script>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K43_Tn0sHTU&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul Simon is one of the greatest American song writers of all time. During a recording career that spans an epic 66 years so far, and that has yielded five Simon &amp; Garfunkel studio albums and fifteen solo albums, Simon has written countless classic songs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon has been called \u201cAmerica\u2019s Most Intelligent Songwriter,\u201d and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has not only given the world many great songs, he\u2019s also an outstanding singer, guitarist, arranger, producer, and musical innovator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon was a pioneer of the American folk scene that emerged in the early sixties, and with Garfunkel he was among the first to use electric instruments and studio effects in the initially entirely acoustic genre.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the seventies, Simon was an early innovator when he blended folk, reggae, rock, jazz, gospel, soul and other genres, and his most famous and popular album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mixes European and American music styles with African music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All this led to Simon winning an amazing sixteen Grammy Awards, including three Album of the Year awards, for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bridge Over Troubled Water <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1970), <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still Crazy After All These Years <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1975), <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and Graceland <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(1986).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon also has received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and inducted twice into the Rock \u2018n Roll Hall of Fame, in 1990 as part of Simon &amp; Garfunkel, and in 2001 for his solo career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2006, Time Magazine declared Simon one of the \u201c100 People Who Shaped The World.\u201d In this blog we\u2019ll have a look at what makes him so great, and why and how he changed music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>BEGINNINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul Frederic Simon was born on October 13<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 1941, in Newark, New Jersey, but grew up in Queens, New York City. He was interested in the jazz his father was playing, but also in folk, doo wop and soul. He met Art Garfunkel when he was 11, and the two began singing together. Garfunkel had a tape recorder, which they used to record and develop their harmony singing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1954, Simon heard Elvis Presley for the first time, and began to play the guitar as a result, because he wanted to become\u00a0 a rock \u2018n roll star. Garfunkel was equally inspired by the new rock \u2018n roll music. Now using two tape recorders, and also inspired by The Everly Brothers, the teenagers continued to work on their singing and harmonies<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A year later, Simon and Garfunkel took on the name Tom and Jerry, and in 1957, they recorded a song written by Simon called \u201cHey, Schoolgirl,\u201d which was released on Big Records. It sold 100.000 copies and went to number 49 on the Billboard chart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further releases flopped, and Simon and Garfunkel each went on their own way. Simon worked hard on writing songs and on recording demos, and released a number of solo singles under various pseudonyms, including Paul Kane, True Taylor, and Jerry Landis. They all sank without trace, apart from \u201cThe Lone Teen Ranger,\u201d which reached to number 97 in 1962.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1963, Simon became involved in the burgeoning folk scene in Greenwich Village. He auditioned for Columbia producer Tom Wilson, who had worked with Bob Dylan. When Wilson suggested that the tracks Simon played would work better in a small group, Simon reached out to Art Garfunkel, and Wilson signed them as a duo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>GOING TO NUMBER ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now operating under the name Simon &amp; Garfunkel, the duo\u2019s debut album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wednesday Morning, 3.A.M., <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was recorded at Columbia Studios in March 1964. Tom Wilson was the producer, and Columbia staff engineer Roy Halee engineered. One of Simon\u2019s songs, \u201cThe Sound of Silence,\u201d would go on to become one of the most famous songs of all time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wednesday Morning, 3.A.M. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sold badly, and the commercial failure led Garfunkel to return to university, while Simon moved to England in 1965. Simon built a following performing in folk clubs around the country, and CBS asked him to record a solo album. All songs were recorded with just one microphone for Simon\u2019s vocals and acoustic guitar. \u201cThe Sound of Silence\u201d was again included.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Paul Simon Songbook <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in August 1965 to general disinterest, and with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wednesday 3 A.M. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also having bombed, Simon career appeared to be going nowhere. However, around the same time, DJ\u2019s of radio stations in Boston and in Florida had noticed the world-class quality of the song \u201cThe Sound of Silence\u201d and began playing it, to enthusiastic reactions from radio listeners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new folk-rock version of the song was released on September 12, and started to climb up the Billboard singles chart. By the end of the year, it had gone to number one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Columbia asked Simon &amp; Garfunkel to quickly record a second album.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The resulting album was called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sounds of Silence, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and hurriedly released on January 17<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 1966. In addition to \u201cThe Sound of Silence,\u201d it contained several songs that have become classics, including \u201cI Am A Rock,\u201d and \u201cKathy\u2019s Song.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sounds of Silence <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reached to number 21, and a song Simon had co-written for The Seekers, \u201cRed Rubber Ball,\u201d also became a big hit in the US, going to number 2 in the Billboard singles chart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The duo started work on a third album in the beginning of 1966. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in October 1966. It contains several tracks that have since become classics, most notably the English traditional song \u201cScarborough Fair,\u201d and \u201cHomeward Bound.\u201d The album was a commercial success, reaching to number four in the US and number 13 in the UK, and went three times platinum in the US.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1967, film director Mike Nichols asked the duo to write songs for a film he was shooting, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Graduate. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon\u2019s song \u201cMrs Robinson,\u201d became closely associated with the movie. Released in January 1968, the soundtrack album went to number one in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>ON TOP OF THE WORLD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon &amp; Garfunkel were now one of the biggest acts in the world, and kept their momentum going with their fourth album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bookends, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which was released just a few months after <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Graduate <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">soundtrack, in April 1968.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bookends <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">became Simon &amp; Garfunkel\u2019s first American and British number one album. A complete version of \u201cMrs. Robinson\u201d was released as a single from the album, and became their first number one single.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the Grammy Awards of 1969, Simon and Garfunkel were nominated for five Grammy Awards, and won three: Record of the Year and Best Contemporary Pop Performance for \u201cMrs Robinson,\u201d and Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special for the soundtrack of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Graduate.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The duo managed to surpass <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bookends <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with their next and final studio album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bridge Over Troubled Water, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which ended up becoming one of the most lauded albums of all time. Released in January 1970, it went to number 1 in dozens of countries around the world, and 8 times platinum in the US and 11 times platinum in the UK. The album ended up winning six Grammy Awards, and has to date sold 25 million copies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon and Garfunkel decided to go their own ways soon after the album\u2019s release. They never reformed formally, but have since sporadically recorded together in the studio, and performed a number of Simon &amp; Garfunkel reunion concerts, including the famous <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Concert in Central Park <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in 1981.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CREATIVE PEAK<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 1970 Simon\u2019s main focus has been on developing a solo career. He travelled extensively, and visited Jamaica. At Dynamic Sound studio in Kingston he recorded a song called \u201cMother and Child Reunion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMother and Child Renion\u201d was released in January 1972 as the lead single of his forthcoming self-titled solo album. It became a top 10 hit in many countries, including the US and the UK, and preceded other international reggae hits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Latin-influenced song \u201cMe and Julio Down by the Schoolyard\u201d was engineered by Phil Ramone, who was on his way to become one of the great legends of the American music world. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paul Simon <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in January 1972, and went to number one in the UK and number four in the US.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For his next album,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon tried out several new co-producers, with Roy Halee only playing a part in two songs. Phil Ramone co-produced four songs, and Paul Samwell-Smith one. Released in May 1973, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There Goes Rhymin\u2019 Simon <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was awarded with two Grammy Nominations, including for Album of the Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon hit the first creative and commercial peak of his solo career with his next album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still Crazy After All These Years, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0was released in October 1975, and enormously successful. It was Simon\u2019s first American number one solo album, and won him two Grammy Awards, one for Album of the Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>STUNNING TRIUMPH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon\u2019s next step was to write a film script. He also acted in the movie, which was called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One Trick Pony, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and he released a solo album of the same name in August 1980. It was again co-produced with Phil Ramone. After the punk wave and an absence of five years, Paul Simon was regarded as less relevant than before. As a result, the album sold far less than its predecessor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After this, Simon worked with producer Russ Titelman on a new solo album. The result, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearts and Bones, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in November 1983, and despite several great songs, the album also failed to find commercial success. It only reached to number 35 in the Billboard charts and number 34 in the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, rather than semi-retire and rest on laurels, Simon came up with the most successful, ground-breaking and influential album of his career, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The seed was sown when singer Heidi Berg gave him a cassette tape called \u201cAccordion Jive Vol. II,\u201d which contained mbaqanga, also called township jive, aka black street music from Soweto in Johannesburg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea formed in Simon\u2019s head to go to South Africa and work with the musicians that played on the tapes. Going to South Africa was morally and practically dubious at the time. There was a cultural boycott by the United Nations because of the nation\u2019s racist apartheid policy, which Simon would have to violate, and it could be physically dangerous for him to go into the black townships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon and Roy Hallee travelled to Johannesburg in February 1985, where they set up in Ovation Studios. The creative process of writing over backing tracks was a new one for Simon, whose process until then was, as he remarked, \u201cto sit with a guitar and write a song.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon called the sessions \u201ceuphoric.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After two weeks of sessions, Simon and Halee returned to New York, to take stock of what they had and edit it, and for Simon to write his top lines. The first single of the album, \u201cYou Can Call Me Al,\u201d was recorded entirely at the Hit Factory, with a blend of American and South African musicians.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in August 1986, and it was clear that Simon had managed to pull off one of the most remarkable artistic and political triumphs of the 20<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century. The amazingly fresh and vibrant sound of the album, the great songs and the stunning South African sounds, were instrumental in convincing almost everyone that the album was not exploitative, but instead a perfect vehicle for bringing South African music and musicians to the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and Simon were seemingly everywhere in 1986 and 87, and the album went to number one in many countries, including the UK. It sold more than 16 million copies worldwide and has become part of popular culture. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, while the title song received a Grammy for Record of the Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>SURPRISE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The enormous artistic and commercial success of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was not easy to repeat. Simon tried it in 1989 with the album <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Rhythm of the Saints,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which was largely recorded in Rio de Janeiro, and explored Brazilian music in the same way as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was based on South African music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Released in October 1990, the album was a commercial success, though far less so <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graceland, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and it received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. However, the general feeling was that the whole of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Rhythm of the Saints<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> did not exceed the sum of the excellent parts in the same way as its predecessor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon\u2019s next album did not appear until 1997. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Songs from The Capeman, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in November 1997, and a commercial and critical failure. Simon tried to revive his stalling career with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019re The One, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which was released in October 2000. The album was a moderate commercial and critical success, earning Simon a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It took six years for Simon\u2019s next album to appear. Called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surprise<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it was a collaboration with the legendary Brian Eno, known for his work with Roxy Music, U2 and Talking Heads. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surprise <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0was released in May 2006, and earned Simon another Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon reunited with Phil Ramone for his twelfth solo album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So Beautiful or So What<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It marked the first time since <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearts and Bones <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in 1983 that Simon wrote songs again just him singing with an acoustic guitar. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So Beautiful or So What <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released in April 2011, and was Simon\u2019s most commercially successful album since <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Rhythm of the Saints <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21 years previously, reaching to number 4 in the Billboard album charts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon reunited with Roy Halee for his thirteenth solo album, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stranger to Stranger, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which was released in June 2016, and well-received critically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>AFTERTHOUGHT\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2018, at the age of 76, Simon announced his retirement from touring. He has since then occasionally appeared on stage for guest performances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simon and Halee again collaborated on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In The Blue Light <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(2018), an album of reinterpretations of song from Simon\u2019s back catalogue that Simon felt did not get the attention they deserved at the time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Five years and a pandemic later, in June of this year, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven Psalms <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was released. The album is entirely acoustic, with the seven psalms segued into a single 33-minute long piece. Kyle Crusham engineered and coproduced <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven Psalms.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven Psalms <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">album comes across like an afterthought to an already incredibly long and rich career. With Simon now 81, and in recent interviews explaining that he has lost most hearing in one ear, it<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is very likely to be his last release.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If so, it will conclude a remarkable career. For 66 year we have been able to enjoy not so much the sound of silence, but the sound of Paul Simon, one of the best songwriters who ever lived, who has created some of the most enduring songs of all time, and albums that changed music forever. It are achievements that few people can better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a9 2024, Paul Tingen.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K43_Tn0sHTU&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Paul Simon is one of the greatest American song writers of all time. During a recording career that spans an epic 66 years so far, and that has yielded five Simon &amp; Garfunkel studio albums and fifteen solo albums, Simon has written countless classic songs.\u00a0 Simon has been called \u201cAmerica\u2019s Most Intelligent Songwriter,\u201d and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":59763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-engineering"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Paul Simon&#039;s Genius - Produce Like A Pro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/producelikeapro.com\/blog\/paul-simons-genius\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paul Simon&#039;s Genius - Produce Like A Pro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K43_Tn0sHTU&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Paul Simon is one of the greatest American song writers of all time. 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