Paul Simon Reveals Why He Scrapped One Of His Biggest Hits From His Setlist

Paul Simon has been trying to navigate the prospect of performing live again after being diagnosed with severe hearing loss in his left ear. In a new interview with CBS Mornings, the famed singer-songwriter opened up about his condition and admitted there are some songs that are no longer possible to play live, like his 1986 hit "You Can Call Me Al."

“There’s only about 6% [hearing] in my left ear,” the 83-year-old explained, adding that he know has to use multiple monitors while performing. “When the balance is right, I can hear well.”

He then revealed how his hearing loss has forced him to alter his setlist. “I’m going through my repertoire and reducing a lot of the choices I make to acoustic versions,” he said. “It’s all much quieter. It’s not ‘You Can Call Me Al.’ That’s gone. I can’t do that one.”

Despite the diagnosis being "incredibly frustrating," Simon has been following some Stanford University studies on hearing loss that “gives me hope that there is some significant improvement on the horizon.”

Simon released his latest album, Seven Psalms, in 2023. So far, he has not felt like his condition has hindered his creative spark. “I don’t think creativity stops with disability,” he explained. “So far, I haven’t experienced that. And I hope not to.”

Watch Simon's full CBS Mornings interview below.