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Legendary singer explains why he can no longer play one of his biggest hits

Music legend Paul Simon recently explained why he is done playing one of his most popular songs.
It’s his hearing.
The beloved singer-songwriter opened up about his ongoing battle with hearing loss in a sit down with CBS Mornings.
”There’s only about 6% (hearing) in my left ear,” Simon said. “When the balance is right, I can hear well.”
The condition has forced Simon, 83, to retire from touring — although he still performs occasional shows. But Simon has had to alter his setlist because of the hearing condition, which he has called “incredibly frustrating.”
”I’m going through my repertoire and reducing a lot of the choices I make to acoustic versions,” Simon said. “It’s all much quieter. It’s not ‘You Can Call Me Al.’ That’s gone. I can’t do that one.”
However, Simon does have hope for his hearing in the future thanks to a research team at Stanford University, the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss, The team of scientists has made substantial progress in finding ways to reverse the effects of hearing loss.
”I don’t think creativity stops with disability,” Simon said. “So far, I haven’t experienced that. And I hope not to.”
The Newark-born singer is best known for his work along sign Art Garfunkel in the group Simon & Garfunkel. Simon has won 16 Grammy Awards and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
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Christopher Burch can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips/.

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