Paul Simon on why Bruce Springsteen is the perfect mix of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison
Paul Simon is widely regarded as one of the most beloved and respected musicians of all time, so praise from him is no small matter. When Simon not only compared an artist to Bob Dylan but also to another music titan, Van Morrison, he arguably delivered one of the finest compliments ever given.
Simon’s musical tastes feel like ones that should be taken seriously. As one-half of Simon and Garfunkel, he had a front-row seat in what is still considered by hoards of music fans to be the ultimate era. As the duo hit the big time in 1965 with their track ‘Sound Of Silence’, the folk band found themselves in lineups alongside their peers, all becoming legends with time. During the ‘60s, they were in the same social circles as Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and beyond. While also making their own timeless classics, they were right there witnessing the birth of some of history’s favourite tracks, witnessing the songbook of the decade be written in real-time.
So, it feels like Simon’s opinions are ones to be trusted. Having not only climbed his own way to the top but watched plenty of other legends do it, too, he must have a solid view of what it takes. In turn, he also seems to now have an eye for spotting when someone has the talent to make it.
When it came to Bruce Springsteen, that was evidently clear. When he first started releasing music in the early 1970s, the seeds of certainty that he would be something special were immediately planted. By the time the 1980s arrived, along with his albums Nebraska and Born In The USA, they’d bloomed into a true star.
For Simon, it was no surprise as he deemed Springsteen to have the perfect recipe for success. In a 1986 interview with Playboy, when asked, “Who in the pop world is pursuing his own artistic vision?” he couldn’t help but lay his praise on Springsteen’s feet.
“When I first heard Bruce, I thought, well, he’s like Dylan and Van Morrison,” he said. Already, that’s praise enough. Merging Dylan’s ability to create anthems out of the most interesting folk tracks with Van Morrison’s more adventurous instrumental spirit, it’s a good sign that Springsteen was doing something very right with his early social narratives set over huge, rousing rock tunes. But the praise gets even higher as Simon compliments his ability to grow as an artist, even that early on in his career.
“Somehow, he’s grown,” he continued. “Somehow, he’s made those South Jersey highways, the cars, into an archetypal, almost mythical American form of expression. He’s found a vocabulary to talk about whats on his mind and in his heart,” he said. It’s a beautiful compliment and an incredibly articulate one that attempts to pin down what’s so special about Springsteen and his own band of blue-collar rock. To Simon, the ability to create poetry from day-to-day images is what makes him so special and what would go on to make him great.
“He’s found his people,” he added. Much like how Dylan became a mouthpiece for his political folk scene as he first emerged onto the scene as a new kind of protest singer, early Springsteen did the same as he quickly became the voice for working-class Americans everywhere, earning him the nickname of ‘The Boss’ and an enduring place in the musical history books.
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