“It’s About Whose Songs Last”: The Greatest Living Rock Songwriter, According to Paul Simon

Paul Simon‘s name is among the list of untouchable songwriters. His lyricism and musical sensibilities earned him countless fans back in the ’60s. Those fans have stayed loyal to him all these decades, continuing to praise him as a master songwriter. However, humbly, Simon doesn’t consider himself the greatest living rock songwriter. That laud is reserved for someone else, in his opinion.

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In Paul Simon’s Opinion, This is the Greatest Living Rock & Roll Songwriter

Simon, like many musicians of his era, coveted the Beatles’ career. At least, that’s what his comments about the band seem to point to. “They were so powerful that you couldn’t really escape the influence,” Simon once said.

Because he’s said many complimentary things about the Beatles over the years, it should come as no surprise that he once heralded one member as one of the greatest living songwriters: Paul McCartney.

Paul Simon’s Nod to Paul McCartney

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When asked who he thought the greatest songwriters of all time were in the early 2010s, Simon named only one contemporary artist: McCartney.

“I’d put Gershwin, Berlin, and Hank Williams,” Simon said when listing whose songs stood the test of time. “I’d probably put Paul McCartney in there too…Then, in the second tier, Lennon is there, Dylan is there, Bob Marley and Stephen Sondheim are there, and maybe I’m there, too. It’s about whose songs last.”

While Simon mentioned Bob Dylan and John Lennon, they were resigned to a lower level of artistry. The only songwriter he feted who was alive at the time of his comments was McCartney.

Simon has reiterated that point elsewhere. “Eventually all records are dated, but the song comes back,” he once said of the timelessness of McCartney’s songwriting. “‘Eleanor Rigby’ was a really fine song.”

While McCartney isn’t the only peer Simon has gushed about in the past, it’s clear he has put him on a pedestal. Like many of us, Simon clearly believes there is something indefinably special about McCartney’s songs. Given that he aligned the former Beatle with classic talents like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, Simon doesn’t just see McCartney as a rocker worthy of praise. He sees him as someone who creates era-defining standards that remain relevant across the decades. Many McCartney fans would agree with him.  

Photo: David Redfern/Redferns