Paul Simon Tried to Stop Frank Sinatra from Covering One of His Songs: 'I Said, He Can't Do That'

Mar. 15, 2025

Paul Simon; Frank Sinatra.Photo:Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock; Bettmann Archive/Getty

Kristin Callahan/Shutterstock; Bettmann Archive/Getty

Paul Simonwasn’t a fan ofFrank Sinatra’s “Mrs. Robinson” cover at first.

While attending the MGM+ premiere of the two-part Alex Gibney-directed docuseriesIn Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simonheld at DGA New York Theater on Wednesday,Simon, 82, was asked whether he ever knew the “That’s Life” crooner.

Stephen Colbert and Paul Simon at the ‘In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon’ premiere.Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

“I said, ‘I’m stopping the record.’ He said, ‘You can’t stop a Frank record.’ I said, ‘I am stopping it. Nobody asked me to change and I’m not giving permission. I don’t care.’ And so a guy from Warner Brothers called me up and said, ‘Please don’t do this. It’s my fault I did it. Please don’t do this to me.’ So I said, ‘Okay,’ " he continued.

“And then later I fell in love with that record. And when you play music after the concert is over, that’s the first song,” Simon added while speaking alongside Alex Gibney, 70, who also directed the Sinatra docAll or Nothing at All.

Simon andArt Garfunkelfirst released the iconic song in 1968, before Sinatra dropped his version a year later.

Paul Simon in 2022.Kevin Mazur/Getty

Kevin Mazur/Getty

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Elsewhere in the Q&A, Simon spoke about previously revealing he’d lost most ofthe hearing in his left earwhile working on his 15th solo studio album,Seven Psalms,which was released in May 2023.

“That’s come back to enough of a degree that I’m comfortable singing and playing guitar and playing a few other instruments,” he said of his hearing on Wednesday.

“I can hear my voice the way I want it in the context of the music. If there’s a drum or an electric guitar, it’s too loud and I can’t hear my voice. But when I first lost the hearing, I couldn’t get, it threw me off. Everything was coming from this side,” the musician recalled.

In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simonis set to premiere on MGM+ on March 17, with the second half arriving on March 24.

source: people.com