Paul Simon reveals why he retired ‘You Can Call Me Al’
Artists often grow to resent their most popular songs, and Paul Simon certainly has no shortage of iconic tracks to choose from. Throughout his performing career, various beloved songs have fallen out of favour with Simon. However, the songwriter’s decision to retire one old classic, ‘You Can Call Me Al’, from his celebrated discography now comes as a necessity rather than through desire.
At the age of 83, having spent the majority of his life as an artist and performer, a recent battle with hearing loss has rendered Simon unable to perform like he used to. The songwriter has been very open about his struggles with hearing loss, which has seen him largely retire from live performances. Although he has performed a string of occasional one-off short performances in the last few years, the extent of his hearing loss means that it is difficult to put on a full-scale show.
During a recent interview with CBS Mornings, the singer opened up about his hearing loss. “There’s only about 6 per cent [hearing] in my left ear,” he explained. In more recent performances, Simon has been forced to use multiple monitors in order to hear properly. “When the balance is right,” he shared, “I can hear well.”
His condition also means that Simon has to be fairly selective about the specific songs he chooses to perform. “I’m going through my repertoire and reducing a lot of the choices I make to acoustic versions,” he explained before adding: “It’s all much quieter. It’s not ‘You Can Call Me Al.’ That’s gone. I can’t do that one.”
First released in 1986 from his groundbreaking album Graceland, ‘You Can Call Me Al’ quickly became one of Simon’s defining solo tracks, beloved by audiences everywhere. As a result, the song also became a mainstay of his live performances, though it seems unlikely to return to the stage anytime soon.
Nevertheless, Simon himself is hopeful that he will be able to perform at full-scale concerts again, in spite of his sudden hearing loss. What’s more, the songwriter’s condition has seemingly not impacted his endless appetite for creativity and songwriting. “I don’t think creativity stops with disability,” he shared. “So far, I haven’t experienced that. And I hope not to.”
Paul Simon’s hopes for playing live in the future
Although Simon has been very open about the difficulties involved in performing while experiencing hearing loss, the songwriter seems hopeful that he can overcome these challenges. Before his sudden loss of hearing, Simon had retired from touring, though he has occasionally performed the odd song at certain events.
During a recent interview with The Guardian, however, the ‘Mrs. Robinson’ songwriter seemed optimistic about the future. “I’m hoping to eventually be able to do a full-length concert,” he explained, “I’m optimistic. Six months ago, I was pessimistic.”
He also affirmed that if he were to return to full-scale concerts, they would likely be an intimate affair rather than the “extraordinary stadium spectaculars” put on by some of his peers. Even more impressive, Simon is still keen to write and perform new material, saying, “I’m interested in relearning how to write songs like I did in England, and developing new acoustic sounds.”
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