Paul Simon Makes Bold Statement That Elvis' Career After 1957 Was ‘An Incredible Waste of Great Talent'
Paul Simon may have millions of followers, but the music legend is in hot water with Elvis Presleyfans.
Simon, 84, who came to prominence with Art Garfunkel as the iconic duo Simon & Garfunkel, went down in music history with tunes like "The Sound of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," and "America." While Simon also had a successful solo career that spans decades and continues despite recent health issues, he recently sat down for an interview on Alchemy with Anthony Mason. He shared some bold beliefs about Presley, whose music he adored in his earlier years.
"As I say, I liked [Elvis] up to [the year 1957]," Simon shared, PEOPLE reported. "And after that, when, you know, the material that he picked, and the movies, and everything was just, to me, an incredible waste of a great talent."
Simon started by saying that he loved Presley's music in the early years.
"My early favorites were Elvis," Simon told host Anthony Mason, noting that first on his list came anything related to rhythm and blues. "Then came Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers. Those were the people I really loved."
Simon added that while he occasionally liked some of Presley's music after 1057, he wasn't really inspired by it.
"When I first started to listen… as I look back and I do look back, for me the big years that influenced the sound that I still go for occasionally, it's like '54 to '57," Simon shared. "And after that, I still like things, but I didn't derive anything from them. I didn't take any sounds from stuff…as I was concerned, really by '57, I'd lost interest in Elvis Presley."
Check out the interview below:
Paul Simon Still Blows Away Audiences
Back in March, Simon pulled from his Simon & Garfunkel archive for a performance at the 10th Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC Benefit Concert for God's Love We Deliver at the Beacon Theatre. Performing the duo's 1969 hit "The Boxer," which Simon wrote, the music legend brought members of the crowd to tears. But the most touching moment of the scene, which was captured on social media, was the way the audience joined in on the memorable refrain of "lie-la-lie" as Simon continued to strum onstage.
Related: Paul Simon, 84, Reveals Song of His That Will 'Last 100 Years'
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 10:39 AM.