Song of the Day 6/17: Paul Simon, “My Professional Opinion”

Add Paul Simon to the long list of musicians whose opening farewell did not mean goodbye. Now 83, Simon is on a 20-city tour of small venues performing two-set concerts, with multiple shows in each city to ease the strain of touring. The second set features his old songs, both hits and deep cuts. The first is a full-album performance of his last studio LP, “Seven Psalms,” a series of linked pieces that together encompass more than 30 minutes of sparsely accompanied voice and acoustic guitar.

The album got good reviews on its 2023 release, but there seemed little chance of Simon ever playing it live after he revealed a couple of years ago that he had almost no hearing in his left ear. To be fair, he never said he wouldn’t perform live again, and he’s made several appearances since COVID died down, most recently on Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary show in February.

“Seven Psalms” comprises separate songs but they’re meant to flow together. Most of them are ruminations on God and mortality, but “My Professional Opinion” veers into some veiled swipes at our modern discourse. Rolling Stone’s review said this verse drew laughs from the audience at one of shows in New York:

I heard two cows in a conversation
One called the other one a name
In my professional opinion
All cows in the country must bear the blame

Here’s a clip of Simon singing “Homeward Bound” with Sabrina Carpenter to open that SNL anniversary show. The voice is diminished but he can still play guitar.