A rare revelation from Paul Simon about his hearing problems – 2024-03-17 14:22:44

Paul Simon was interviewed by Stephen Colbert at the premiere of his documentary last Wednesday. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock, AOP

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon says he can sing and play again. Simon almost completely lost the hearing in his left ear last year, but this week he revealed in an interview that his hearing has improved enough to make music.

82-year-old Simon began to suffer from hearing loss while he was working on his new solo album Seven Psalms couple in May 2023. At that time, he said that doctors could not find a reason for the sudden onset of hearing loss. The illness prevented him from touring, and Simon believed he would no longer be able to perform on stage.

Last Wednesday, Simon told the talk show host at the premiere of a documentary about himself in New York Stephen Colbertin in an interview that his hearing has returned so that he can sing again.

– It has returned sufficiently to such a level that I feel comfortable singing and playing the guitar and a few other instruments. I hear my voice the way I want in the context of music, Simon said in an interview, according to People.

Simon rose to fame in the 1960s Art Garfunkelin with folk duo Simon & Garfunkel. The duo broke up in 1970, but they got back together several times later. After the breakup, Simon went on to a successful solo career.

In the same interview with Colbert, Simon recalled how he once tried to prevent Frank Sinatraa covering one of his most famous songs, Mrs. Robinsonia. Simon released the song with Garfunkel in 1968. The following year, Sinatra released his own version of it.

In Sinatra’s version, Simon’s lyrics had been changed. The songwriter didn’t like the changes, and he wanted to ban the release of Sinatra’s version.

– A guy from Warner Brothers called me and said “don’t do this, it’s my fault, don’t do this to me”. So I just said ‘okay,'” Simon explained to Colbert.