Paul Simon is 76, thinking he’s nearing the end of his touring and exhausting music journey. Paul will appear at London’s British Summer Time Hyde Park 2018 festival on July 15th; James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt are also on the bill, preceding Paul. Promoters of the event are calling it his “Farewell Performance.”
Here are our favorite Paul Simon songs as a solo artist…
“You Can Call Me Al” from Paul’s 1986 ‘Graceland’ LP was a smash, inspired by being called ‘Al’ at a party with his then-wife Peggy Harper. It’s Paul’s biggest hit as a solo artist and reached the top five in multiple charts across the world.
“Still Crazy After All These Years” the title song from the album of the same name, and was performed live twice on national television; once in 1976 on ‘SNL’ and the other, again on ‘SNL’ during the shows ‘40th Anniversary Special’ in 2015.
“Late in the Evening” from 1980 was released as the first single from his ‘One Trick Pony’ album, and did some interesting studio things; the drummer Steve Gadd played with two sets of drumsticks in his hands, while the album went on to sell better in Europe than in America.
“Hey Schoolgirl” from 1957 is the song that started it all, recorded with teenage high school friend Art Garfunkel. The song proved to be a regional hit, generating outside interest from the New York labels and record executives.
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