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Fri 3 April 2026 16:57, UK
Paul Simon has revealed his list of all-time American songwriters, touching on Chuck Berry to Stevie Wonder.
When appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host revealed proudly that Simon sat on his “Mount Rushmore of American lyricists” alongside Bob Dylan, Jackson Brown, Stephen Sondheim, and John Prine.
Colbert then flipped the script on Simon, inviting him to outline his picks for the greatest American songwriters of all time.
Taking a moment to consider the huge question, the legendary musician began, “In the 1950s, Chuck Berry wrote things that were so good that they could have been part of the Harlem Renaissance. He taught my whole generation,” before explaining that Dylan and the Beatles were “all influenced by Chuck Berry.”
He added that the ‘Johnny B. Goode’ star “made stories in words that flowed effortlessly, and his stories were great, great stories.”
Turning his attention to Dylan, he added, “Bob, of course, is a really interesting lyricist.”
To loud whoops and yells in the crowd, Simon added of Dylan’s contemporary, “Joni Mitchell is an interesting lyricist.”
While Colbert attempted to wrap up the conversation, the ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ songwriter was keen to share more praise, explaining, “I don’t want to make it sound as if that’s the only one because there were so many.”
He also added Stevie Wonder to the list as he was also a “really good storyteller.”
Simon recently cropped up on another late-night talk show after being spotted on Saturday Night Live introducing one of Harry Styles’ musical numbers.
Simon will soon embark on his first European tour since 2018. Simon’s A Quiet Celebration Tour will kick off on April 9th in Prague and will eventually conclude on May 20th at Dublin’s 3Arena.
In 2024, it looked like Simon wouldn’t ever tour again; he admitted at the time that he wasn’t sure if he would perform live again due to his ongoing hearing issues, stating, “I’m not sure how I can integrate my voice with the guitars.” However, Simon is back and better than ever.
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