The musician also spoke about his work and career during a lengthy interview
Paul Simon appeared on The Late Show to promote a new documentary about himself, In Restless Dreams. Although Simon was not the official musical guest for the episode, he took the opportunity to perform album cut “Your Forgiveness” on acoustic guitar for the audience.
Simon showcased the introspective song, which comes off his most recent album, Seven Psalms, seated on the guest sofa on the late-night show, with only a microphone and guitar as accompaniment.
Simon also sat down with host Stephen Colbert for a lengthy, wide-ranging interview, including a discussion about In Restless Dreams, which centers on the musician. During the 30-minute chat, Simon reflected on his songwriting process and inspiration, noting that “the music comes first” before lyrics when writing. He discussed his 2000 song “Darling Lorraine” with surprising depth, going through each lyric in the song for Colbert.
“How often does your own song surprise you?” Colbert asked. “I like if it does,” Simon replied. He added that he has thrown a couple of songs away because after writing a lyric he felt it was “bullshit.”
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon was directed by Alex Gibney and is premiering in two parts on March 17 (part 1) and March 24 (Part 2) on MGM+. The musician released Seven Psalms, his 15th studio LP, last May. The acoustic album was conceived as a seven-movement piece meant to be listened to in its entirety.
Simon announced his retirement from touring a few years back but has nevertheless stayed busy with projects like Seven Psalms. He has also made occasional returns to the stage, such as at Newport Folk Festival in 2022. He appeared at the Toronto Film Festival last year in support of In Restless Dreams.
