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Paul Simon<\/a>\u2018s name is among the list of untouchable songwriters. His lyricism and musical sensibilities earned him countless fans back in the \u201960s. Those fans have stayed loyal to him all these decades, continuing to praise him as a master songwriter. However, humbly, Simon doesn\u2019t consider himself the greatest living rock songwriter. That laud is reserved for someone else, in his opinion.<\/p>\n [RELATED: Before Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon Came Close to Having a Different, Female Partner]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Simon, like many musicians of his era, coveted the Beatles\u2019 career. At least, that\u2019s what his comments about the band seem to point to. \u201cThey were so powerful that you couldn\u2019t really escape the influence,\u201d Simon once said.<\/a><\/p>\n Because he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n [RELATED: The Album Paul McCartney Thought Paul Simon Nearly Stole From Him: \u201cDangerous Territory\u201d]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n When asked who he thought the greatest songwriters of all time were in the early 2010s, Simon named only one contemporary artist: McCartney.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d put Gershwin, Berlin, and Hank Williams,\u201d Simon said when listing whose songs stood the test of time. \u201cI\u2019d probably put Paul McCartney in there too\u2026Then, in the second tier, Lennon is there, Dylan is there, Bob Marley and Stephen Sondheim are there, and maybe I\u2019m there, too. It\u2019s about whose songs last.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Simon has reiterated that point elsewhere. \u201cEventually all records are dated, but the song comes back,\u201d he once said of the timelessness of McCartney\u2019s songwriting<\/a>. \u201c\u2018Eleanor Rigby\u2019 was a really fine song.\u201d<\/p>\n While McCartney isn\u2019t the only peer Simon has gushed about in the past, it\u2019s clear he has put him on a pedestal. Like many of us, Simon clearly believes there is something indefinably special about McCartney\u2019s songs. Given that he aligned the former Beatle with classic talents like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin, Simon doesn\u2019t 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Photo: David Redfern\/Redferns<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nIn Paul Simon\u2019s Opinion, This is the Greatest Living Rock & Roll Songwriter<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Paul Simon\u2019s Nod to Paul McCartney<\/strong><\/h3>\n