An old man dreaming dreams of psalms
Paul Simon isn’t religious, but the voice he heard in his sleep seems to be.
Singer-songwriter Paul Simon performs at Royal Albert Hall in London. (Photo © Rob Ball / WireImage)
As a young man, at age 26, Paul Simon shared a vision of what it would be like to be old in his song “Old Friends” (with Art Garfunkel): “Can you imagine us / Years from today / Sharing a park bench quietly? / How terribly strange / To be seventy.”
Not all visions from youth come true, of course. When Simon was 70, he was not sitting on a park bench quietly. Far from it. He was touring the world, performing songs he had written over a remarkable career spanning over five decades. There was a lot of material to draw from. In addition to his collaborations with Garfunkel, Simon has released 15 solo albums. He has also been awarded 16 Grammys for his work.
Now, at age 81, Simon is an old man dreaming dreams—quite literally—and turning those dreams into art of the highest order.
