Songwriter • Folk to World Music • The Restless Craftsman
How one of the great American songwriters moved from folk-pop perfection with Simon & Garfunkel to a lifelong exploration of the world's rhythms, and made one of the most beloved albums ever along the way.
The Short Version
Who Is This?
Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter, active since the early 1960s, first as half of the beloved duo Simon & Garfunkel and then across a long, restless, endlessly inventive solo career. He is one of the most gifted and acclaimed songwriters in the history of popular music.
Two things make him singular. First, the craft: his songs are marvels of melody, structure, and wordplay, precise and deceptively simple, with lyrics that can be funny, wistful, and profound at once. Second, the curiosity: he never stopped exploring, folding gospel, doo-wop, South African, and Brazilian music into his own sound.
He is folk-pop at the root, but a folk-pop that grew to embrace the rhythms of the whole world. If you want songwriting that rewards a lifetime of listening, start here.
The guitar and the craft, at the center of it all.From Queens to the Whole World
The Story
Simon rose to fame as half of one of the 1960s' greatest duos, then spent his solo career restlessly searching the globe for new sounds, hitting a peak few artists ever reach.
1964 – 1970
Simon & Garfunkel
With his childhood friend Art Garfunkel, he made some of the defining folk-pop of the era, from "The Sound of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson" to "Bridge Over Troubled Water," before the duo split.
1972
Paul Simon
His first proper solo album showed a new freedom, with the reggae-tinged "Mother and Child Reunion" and the sunny "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard."
1975
Still Crazy After All These Years
A polished, jazz-touched Album of the Year, home to the wry title song and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." The sound of a master fully in command.
1986
Graceland
A landmark: built with South African musicians and their mbaqanga rhythms, it became one of the most beloved albums ever made and revitalized his career, winning Album of the Year.
1990
The Rhythm of the Saints
He turned to Brazilian and West African percussion for a rich, rhythm-forward companion to Graceland, deepening his world-music exploration.
Beyond
A restless elder statesman
Across later albums into his eighties, from You're the One to Seven Psalms, he kept experimenting, proving one of songwriting's great minds never stopped searching.
Always traveling, in music and in spirit.Three Songs, One Education
Start Here
Three songs that show his whole range: the joyous world-pop hit, the title-track masterwork, and the wry standard. Listen in order.
01 · The One to Play First
"You Can Call Me Al" — 1986
The joyous, horn-and-bass-driven hit from Graceland, complete with a famous music video and an unforgettable bass run. Irresistible, and a perfect door into his world-music peak.
02 · The Masterwork
"Graceland" — 1986
The title track: a shimmering road song about loss, faith, and America, carried by South African rhythms. For many, the finest song he ever wrote.
03 · The Standard
"Still Crazy After All These Years" — 1975
A wry, world-weary, jazz-touched ballad about middle age and old flames, with a saxophone solo that lingers. Effortless craft and quiet depth.
The Studio Catalog
The Albums 5 to start with
A solo catalog that runs from folk-pop freedom to global fusion. The gold-topped cards mark the best entry points; the moss-green marks the earliest era here.
1972
Paul Simon
His first solo album after the duo, loose and adventurous, with "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard." The sound of a great writer stretching his legs.
One curated YouTube Music playlist gathering the essentials across his solo catalog. (Ideally, though, spend time with Graceland whole.) Hit the button below to play it.
Paul Simon is a songwriter's songwriter, admired above all for his craft. His melodies are supple and surprising, his structures deceptively intricate, and his lyrics balance plain speech and poetry with a precision few can match. He writes slowly and revises endlessly, and it shows in how complete his best songs feel.
His other defining trait is restlessness. Rather than settle into a signature style, he kept reaching outward, absorbing gospel, doo-wop, reggae, South African township jive, and Brazilian percussion, and folding them into music that always still sounded like him. That curiosity kept his career vital for six decades.
His masterpiece, Graceland, embodies both traits and its own complications. The album's collaboration with South African musicians produced extraordinary music and also real controversy over the cultural boycott of apartheid; the result is a landmark that opened many listeners' ears to the wider world of music.
What makes him worth following is the depth beneath the polish. His songs seem light and tuneful on the surface, then reveal loss, doubt, wonder, and hard-won wisdom underneath, rewarding a lifetime of returning to them.
A lifetime of chasing new rhythms.The Roots of the Sound
Influences
Simon grew out of 1950s pop and folk and reached across the world. Here are four touchstones.
The Harmony
The Everly Brothers
The Everlys' close, aching harmonies were a lifelong model for Simon; he and Garfunkel built their whole duo sound on that blend, and he honored them all his life.
The South African vocal group's gorgeous close harmonies became central to Graceland, and their partnership brought township music to a global audience.
Simon is a precise, thoughtful talker about the craft of songwriting. A classic deconstruction of one of his songs, and a later reflection on his process.
Interview · The Dick Cavett Show
Deconstructing a Classic
In a famous television moment, a young Simon sits with a guitar and walks through how "Mrs. Robinson" was built, a rare window into his songwriting mind.
A later extended conversation in which Simon reflects with candor on how he writes, how his music has changed, and what still drives him after sixty years.
