Paul Simon Reveals the One Song He Can No Longer Perform Due to Hearing Loss: 'Incredibly Frustrating'

Paul Simon had to make some changes when it came to performing live.

On Wednesday, November 20, the “Mrs. Robinson” hitmaker, 83, opened CBS Morning about his experience with hearing loss — and the one song he can no longer perform.

“It was incredibly frustrating. At first I was really angry that it happened,” Simon told host Anthony Mason about his hearing loss.

Paul Simon.

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Paul Simon’s life in photos

The singer-songwriter revealed that his “biggest fear” is not being able to “hear well enough to really enjoy the act of making music.”

During the interview, Simon revealed that he now has 6% hearing in his left ear. To help him perform, he switched to bigger speakers, placed them everywhere and had to adjust his concerts.

“I go through my repertoire and reduce a lot of the choices I make to acoustic versions. Everything is much quieter,” explained Simon.

His 1986 song “You Can Call Me Al” is no longer part of his set.

“That’s gone. I can’t do that,” he said.

In September, Simon returned to the stage for a stripped-down performance at The Soho Sessions in New York.

“You know Matisse, when he was suffering at the end of his life, while he was in bed, he imagined all these cutouts and had a great creative period,” the “Graceland” musician said. “So I don’t think that creativity stops with disability. I haven’t experienced that so far. And I hope I don’t.”

Earlier this month, Art Garfunkel opened up The Times about his recent tearful reunion with former Simon & Garfunkel collaborator.

The eight-time Grammy winner (83) said that he met Simon “a few weeks ago”.

“We were together for the first time in many years,” Garfunkel told the newspaper. “I looked at Paul and said, ‘What happened? Why haven’t we seen each other?’ Paul brought up an old interview where I said some things.”

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Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon during Simon & Garfunkel 2003.

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The “Bright Eyes” artist went on to share his regrets over their feud. I cried when he told me how much I hurt him, Garfunkel said. “Looking back, I guess I wanted to shake Simon & Garfunkel’s good guy image. You know what? I was a fool!”

He added that the pair were “making plans to get back together” and teased that they might revisit their musical legacies – although it’s not a priority for him.

“Will Paul bring his guitar? Who knows. For me, it was a desire to make amends before it was too late,” Garfunkel said. “It felt like we were back in a beautiful place. When I think about it now, tears are streaming down my cheeks. I can still feel his hug.”

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Source: HIS Education