Paul Simon says Elvis Presley’s best work ended in the 1950s, describing it as “an incredible waste of great talent.”
Simon made the comment in a recent interview Alchemy with Anthony Masonin which the 84-year-old musician reflected on the artists and the early rock ‘n’ roll era that formed his musical foundation.
“My early favorites were Elvis,” Simon, 84, told host Anthony Mason, noting that all things rhythm and blues were at the top of his list.
“Then came Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers. Those were the people I really loved.”
Simon explained that the period between roughly 1954 and 1957 had the greatest influence on his own creative direction.
“When I first started listening… when I look back and still look back, for me the big years that influenced the sound that I still go to from time to time are something like ’54 to ’57,” Simon revealed.
“And after that, I still like things, but I didn’t derive anything from them. I didn’t extract sounds from things… as far as I’m concerned, I basically lost interest in Elvis Presley in ’57.”
He described those years as the point where popular music felt most authentic and influential to him as a developing songwriter.
He said the Elvis Presley he most admired was the early Sun Records version of the artist. Simon referred to recordings such as That’s okay, Mystery train, Have fun rocking tonightAnd Blue Moon of Kentuckyand describes them as raw, direct and not specifically aimed at a teenage audience.
Simon said the early sound carried a kind of honesty that later changed as the music industry moved towards a more commercial, youth-oriented market.
Simon said his work changed significantly after Presley’s time in the military. “They weren’t made for teenagers. They were made for the audience that was listening and buying records at the time and they were older than teenagers.”
When asked if he had seen any recent Elvis concert film, Simon said he had no interest in watching it. He reiterated that his appreciation for Presley largely ended in the late 1950s, when he felt the artistic direction was changing.
