Paul Simon says he’s lost most of the hearing in one ear

Paul Simon has lost most of the hearing in one of his ears — which will take a toll on his tours, the legendary musician has revealed.

Paul Simon says he has lost hearing in one year. Picture: Christopher Polk/CBS via Getty Images

Legendary musician Paul Simon has revealed that he’s lost most of the hearing in one of his ears.

The You Can Call Me Al hitmaker, 81, admitted that he’s not sure what exactly caused the hearing loss in his left ear, but noted that it happened “quite suddenly.”

“My reaction to that was frustration and annoyance; not quite anger yet, because I thought it would pass, it would repair itself,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician told the Times of London.

The 16-time Grammy winner, who penned some of the biggest tracks for the duo Simon & Garfunkel, said he began to lose his hearing while working on his new album Seven Psalms — released last week.

The hearing loss will likely take a toll on touring, he says, and will force him to avoid performing songs he doesn’t like.

“The songs of mine that I don’t want to sing live, I don’t sing them,” he explained.

“Sometimes there are songs that I like and then at a certain point in a tour, I’ll say, ‘What the f— are you doing, Paul?’ Quite often that would come during You Can Call Me Al. I’d think, ‘What are you doing? You’re like a Paul Simon cover band. You should get off the road, go home.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, the singer admitted that going on tour again is beginning to seem like more and more of a challenge at his age.

“My generation’s time is up,” the Graceland singer told the outlet, referring to the recent deaths of musicians Gordon Lightfoot and ​​Jeff Beck.

Despite that, he’s not willing to throw in the towel just yet — and insists that his hearing loss will not stop him from doing what he loves.

“Boy, have I been beaten up in these last couple of years,” he shared, adding that he’s had a hard time recovering from Covid-19. “But I look good, right?”

This story was published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission

Originally published as Paul Simon says he’s lost most of the hearing in one ear