Paul Simon has opened up about confronting the realities of aging and admitted his health has been impacting his live performances.
The 83-year-old singer-songwriter spoke candidly about his personal struggles during a previous interview with the Times. Ahead of the release of his 15th solo album, Seven Psalms, the American star made a gut-wrenching admission.
In the wake of the deaths of fellow musicians, Paul said that his generation's "time is up". This sentiment inspired some of the material on the album, which was affected by a particular health issue.
The album's creation was beset by a sudden near-total loss of hearing in his left ear – a challenge that has notably shaped his approach to music and live performance. In the heartfelt interview with The Times, he revealed: "Quite suddenly I lost most of the hearing in my left ear, and nobody has an explanation for it.
"So everything became more difficult. My reaction to that was frustration and annoyance; not quite anger yet, because I thought it would pass, it would repair itself."
Unfortunately, his hearing had not returned by the time of the conversation, casting doubt on the prospect of future live performances, reports the Express. But the iconic 'You Can Call Me Al' artist remained undeterred, explaining his selective approach to performing live.
He said: "The songs of mine that I don't want to sing live, I don't sing them. Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I'll say, 'What the f*** are you doing, Paul?'"
Delving deeper into the creation of the album, Paul discussed the final song on the album, 'Wait', a poignant song with 'spooky' subject matter. He admitted to having an epiphany about the depth of meaning behind its lyrics while recording the song.
It contains the lyrics: "Heaven is beautiful/It's almost like home./Children, get ready/It's time to come home."
With a concluding harmonised "Amen" and the sound of tolling bells, the track seems to evoke the poignancy of life’s twilight moments. Paul said: "It's a spooky thing to be writing something and just be thinking, 'Oh, this is what the song needs.
"And then it's, 'By the way, this is about you. You're actually the subject of this.'" In a heartbreaking confession, he added: "It's just the age we're at. Gordon Lightfoot just passed away; Jeff Beck too. My generation's time is up."
Last year, Simon issued a rare but positive update about his hearing. Speaking at the premiere for the two-part documentary, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, the musician revealed that his hearing had come back to "enough of a degree that I'm comfortably singing and playing guitar and playing a few other instruments".
He added: "I can hear my voice the way I want it in the context of the music. If there's a drum or an electric guitar, it's too loud and I can't hear my voice.
"But when I first lost the hearing, I couldn't get it, it threw me off. Everything was coming from this side."
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