At 83, Paul Simon SHOCKS Fans — The Real Reason He Couldn’t Stand Working With Art Garfunkel

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Simon has finally broken the silence that lasted for decades, revealing the painful truth about why he could no longer work with his longtime partner, Art Garfunkel.

For years, fans of Simon & Garfunkel clung to the dream that one of music’s most iconic duos might one day reconcile — that the magic behind their timeless harmonies could overcome the bitterness that tore them apart.

But Paul Simon’s recent confession has shattered that hope, exposing the deep emotional wounds that fame, ego, and betrayal left behind.

In the 1960s, Simon & Garfunkel were unstoppable.

They were the poetic heart of a generation — two boys from Queens who rose from neighborhood friends to global icons.

Their songs, filled with aching beauty and quiet rebellion, defined the era.

 

 

 

 

 

“The Sound of Silence,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Scarborough Fair,” and “The Boxer” didn’t just climb the charts — they became the soundtrack of an entire cultural awakening.

To the public, Paul and Art were inseparable — two halves of a single soul.

But behind the angelic harmonies was a growing dissonance that no one could hear.

Paul Simon admits that the partnership began to crumble long before their final split.

He says their friendship was already strained during the recording of their last studio album, *Bridge Over Troubled Water*, in 1970.

It was a masterpiece, but it came at a cost.

Simon now confesses that he felt invisible within his own band.

 

 

 

 

 

He wrote most of the songs, crafted the arrangements, and poured his heart into every lyric.

Yet, Garfunkel’s soaring vocals — especially on the title track — made him the face of their success.

As Paul later said, “I wrote the song, but he got the glory.”

That quiet resentment began to poison everything between them.

As Art Garfunkel pursued acting in Hollywood, Paul Simon felt abandoned.

He believed Garfunkel had chosen fame over friendship, leaving him to shoulder the creative burden alone.

The communication broke down completely.

By the time the *Bridge Over Troubled Water* sessions ended, the two could barely look each other in the eye.

When the album became a worldwide phenomenon, selling millions of copies, the victory felt hollow.

The duo officially split soon after — not with an explosion, but with silence.

Over the years, their paths crossed again, but always under tension.

 

 

 

 

 

Reunion tours brought brief moments of nostalgia, but old wounds quickly reopened.

Paul Simon once described working with Garfunkel as “walking on broken glass.”

He revealed that every rehearsal, every performance, was filled with unspoken resentment and competition.

Garfunkel, on the other hand, often expressed frustration that Simon’s drive and perfectionism left no room for equality.

In interviews, he hinted that Simon’s need for control made collaboration impossible.

It was a creative marriage that had become a war of pride.

Now, at 83, Simon admits that time has not healed those wounds.

 

 

 

 

 

In a rare moment of candor, he confessed that he no longer sees the point in pretending their friendship could ever return to what it once was.

He described their relationship as “frozen in time — like a photograph of two people who stopped smiling long ago.”

The sadness in his words struck a chord with fans who had spent decades hoping for reconciliation.

But Simon’s honesty also revealed something deeper: a lifetime of emotional exhaustion.

He acknowledged that he still respects Garfunkel’s voice, calling it “the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard,” yet he cannot forget the pain that came with it.

The betrayal, he said, wasn’t one single act — it was the slow erosion of trust, the feeling of being unseen and unappreciated.

And perhaps, the most haunting truth of all, is that neither man can fully let go.

Their names are forever linked, no matter how far apart they’ve drifted.

Even in his later years, Simon admits he sometimes dreams of the days when they were young — before fame, before anger, before the silence between them grew louder than the music.

He said, “We were just kids who loved the sound we made together. Somewhere along the way, that sound became more important than the friendship itself.”

 

 

 

That statement cut straight to the heart of what destroyed Simon & Garfunkel — the realization that the music they built became bigger than the men who made it.

Fame gave them immortality but took away their bond.

Now, as Paul Simon reflects on his long life and legendary career, he speaks with a mixture of pride and regret.

He knows the songs will live forever, but the partnership that birthed them is gone.

Still, even in the quiet of his old age, the echoes of that harmony remain.

Two voices that once blended so perfectly now stand apart, yet together they shaped one of the greatest legacies in music history.

And while Paul Simon may never work with Art Garfunkel again, the truth he finally shared reminds us that behind every perfect song lies a story of love, loss, and the price of genius.