Is paul Simon a Christian

Answer 1

No, he's not, but his music shows a strong interest in the topic of God and in spirituality.

In a recent video related to the making of his new album, So Beautiful or So What, Paul Simon says that "he is not a religious person", but notes that many of the songs on his new album turned out to be about God, though he did not consciously plan it that way. Paul does come from a Jewish background-- his parents were Jewish Hungarians.

In his music over the years, Paul often refers to God in many songs (God Bless the Absentee, Slip Sliding Away, Bleeker Street, Blessed, Can I Forgive Him to name a few). Interestingly, Paul seems attracted to Gospel Music and as part of Simon and Garfunkel covered traditional Christian folk songs such as "Go Tell It on the Mountain", "You Can Tell the World"and even a Catholic motet sung in Latin,titled "Benedictus". The live album, "Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'" featured the gospel tune "Jesus is the Answer", though the song is performed by the Jessy Dixon band, not Simon. Songs like Bridge Over Troubled Water, Gone at Last, and Loves Me Like a Rock reveal a strong gospel influence.

Paul's recent work, including his latest, continue to have many songs with God as a subject. For example, "Getting Ready for Christmas Day" samples an old sermon by a black preacher (the song's title comes from the sermon), which can be heard in the background throughout the song. So while Simon is not a Christian, he seems very interested in spirituality and perhaps is drawn to gospel music both as a musical style and in its concern with the topic of God. But Simon does not seem to be committed to the practice of a specific religion.

Answer 2

Paul Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey to Jewish immigrant parents from Hungary. His father, Louis Simon (1916 - 1995), was a professional musician who played the bass, while his mother, Belle (1910 - 2007), was an elementary school teacher. Having also been trained as a musician, she gave private music lessons in her spare time. In Hungary, his father was a first violinist on the main Budapest radio station.[9]

According to Simon's biographer, Marc Eliot, his parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1930s, during a period when Jews were being persecuted throughout Europe. After relocating in the U.S., his father took on the stage name of Lee Sims,[9] and became a regular bassist and eventually a bandleader on several radio and primetime TV shows, including the Arthur Godfreyshow and The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1941 his family moved to Kew Garden Hills, Queens in New York City.[10] Simon was named after his grandfather, Paul, a tailor in Vienna, whom he never knew.[9]

Donald Fagen, lead singer for the rock band Steely Dan, has described Simon's childhood as that of "a certain kind of New York Jew, almost a stereotype, really, to whom music and Baseball are very important. I think it has to do with the parents. The parents are either immigrants or first generation Americans who felt like outsiders, and assimilation was the key thought - they gravitated to black music and baseball looking for an alternative culture."[10] Simon, upon hearing Fagen's description, claimed it "isn't far from the truth."[10] Simon says about his childhood, "I was a ballplayer. I'd go on my bike, and I'd hustle kids in stickball." He adds that his father was a Yankee fan

Answer 3

No. He is an atheist.