Paul Simon Turns 85, Still Performing Despite The Hearing Loss That Nearly Ended His Career

Paul Simon turns 85 on October 13, and the songwriter who gave America some of its most enduring melodies is still very much at work. Born in Newark in 1941, Simon has spent more than six decades proving that a quiet voice can say the largest things.

He is recovering from back surgery this year and has spoken openly about hearing loss in one ear, yet he has kept performing, which is the most Paul Simon thing imaginable.

Paul Simon Changed What A Pop Song Could Be

With Art Garfunkel, in the duo they formed in 1964, he wrote “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge over Troubled Water,” songs that felt like literature set to music. Then he walked away from the partnership in 1970 and built a solo career that was, somehow, even more adventurous.

Simon’s solo success quickly proved that he could thrive without Garfunkel. Songs such as “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” “Kodachrome,” and “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” demonstrated his ability to blend clever storytelling with irresistible melodies. He also began exploring musical styles far beyond American folk rock. For his 1972 hit “Mother and Child Reunion,” Simon traveled to Jamaica to record with local reggae musicians, bringing a sound that was still relatively unfamiliar to mainstream American radio. It was an early sign of the musical curiosity that would define the next several decades of his career.

Perhaps his boldest reinvention came in 1986 with Graceland. After experiencing a commercial downturn, Simon traveled to South Africa and collaborated with musicians including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and bassist Bakithi Kumalo. The resulting album blended American pop songwriting with South African musical traditions, producing unforgettable songs such as “You Can Call Me Al” and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.” The project also sparked controversy because Simon recorded in South Africa during apartheid, when an international cultural boycott was in place. Despite the criticism, Graceland became one of the defining albums of his career and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Still A Quiet Celebration

His creative process took an unusual turn with his 2023 album Seven Psalms, a continuous 33-minute musical composition that Simon said began with a dream. He recalled waking up with the title in his mind, even though he had no plans to record an album by that name. Over the following months, melodies and lyrics came to him in the early morning hours, sometimes waking him several times a week. The finished work explored spirituality, mortality, and the meaning of life. Simon told CBS News that he had previously considered himself finished with songwriting, but the inspiration proved too powerful to ignore.

Simon has won 13 Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and he returned to the stage not long ago on a tour he fittingly called A Quiet Celebration. For the full arc of his work, his career record is a map of modern songwriting.

Eighty-five years old, still slip-sliding away, still listening for the next true line.