The Heartfelt Article Paul Simon Wrote About His Friendship With George Harrison

Many celebrity relationships can seem fake and false, though that all comes down to fan speculation. However, one relationship we know didn’t fall under this category was between George Harrison and Paul Simon. Given their shared status, the two appeared publicly and played songs that generally satisfied the public. But that was just the surface of their friendship, and even if the two weren’t famous, they seemingly still would have gotten along swimmingly.

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In February of 2023, Rolling Stone compiled numerous stories for a George Harrison birthday tribute article titled “Remembering George“. Many musicians contributed to the article, but Simon’s portion stood out in the sense that it pertained to not just music but also the admirable life George Harrison led before his passing in 2001.

Paul Simon Fondly Remembers George Harrison in His Own Words

In the heartwarming article, Simon wrote about his friendship with Harrison.

“The roots of my friendship with George Harrison go back to 1976 when we performed together on ‘Saturday Night Live’,” said Simon in the article. “Sitting on stools side by side with acoustic guitars, we sang ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘Homeward Bound’. Though we’re in the same generation and weaned on Buddy Holly, Elvis, and the Everly Brothers, it must have seemed as strange to him to be harmonizing with someone other than Lennon or McCartney as it was for me to blend with someone other than Art Garfunkel. Nevertheless, it was an effortless collaboration.”

Outside of their SNL duet, Simon added: “His songwriting, too, which I always thought to be stylistically close to mine, was gentle and sad with country and skiffle influences rippling beneath his often sardonic lyrics. It all seemed deceptively simple. They called him ‘the quiet Beatle’ but he wasn’t particularly quiet; he simply didn’t demand to be heard.”

Aside from the music and the article Simon wrote, he also gave Harrison one of the best compliments any one person could ever receive on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Simon genuinely stated during the show that Harrison “was an extraordinary guy; everybody knows that.”

“Amazing person, not just a musician but really brave, open, kind,” Simon continued. “Just a certain percentage of him Beatles but the rest, he was just regular. Just interested in life, interested in the world, interested in the mind. A pleasure to hang out with him.”

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