Paul Simon Talks Songwriting, Garfunkel Split, Hearing Loss & More With Howard Stern

Paul Simon recently appeared on The Howard Stern Show. The legendary singer-songwriter discussed creating two favorites from his catalog, Simon & Garfunkel’s break up, hearing loss and more.

Among the songwriting topics was Simon talking about the “drum” beat on the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Cecilia,” which he revealed didn’t use drums at all, but rather handclaps and a guitar case. Simon explained how they captured the beat “having a smoke” in Los Angeles at the house on Blue Jay Way where George Harrison wrote his eponymous song. Watch Paul Simon talk “Cecilia” below:

Simon also gave insight into crafting “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.” He discussed how the song contains two elements and how the chorus came from teaching his son about rhyming. Simon then revealed how legendary session drummer Steve Gadd came up with the verse beat, which Simon explained was one of the most sampled. Watch Simon discuss “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwcouyvUpFc&ab

Simon also spoke candidly about the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel. Like most band breakups, there were a number of factors that went into the split. Stern mentioned Garfunkel’s aspirations to become an actor and while Paul acknowledged it was a factor, he noted that “it wasn’t Artie’s fault.” Watch Simon explain how Simon & Garfunkel broke up:

Additionally, Simon spoke about his hearing loss and how it inspired lyrics on his 2023 acoustic album, Seven Psalms. Watch that clip below: