Paul Simon reclaimed ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ as he bowed out with his final performance on European soil at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park on Sunday night (15.07.18).
The 76-year-old musician penned the track in Simon & Garfunkel – the iconic folk duo also featuring Art Garfunkel – in 1970, but it has been performed by more than 50 artists, including Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, over the years.
As a result, Simon has never really felt like it was his song – despite it being the pair’s biggest hit – but as he drew the UK leg of his ‘Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour’ to a close, he admitted he felt like he’d found his "lost child", almost 50 years after the song was released.
Introducing the hit, Simon said: "This song felt as if it came through me, as if I was a conduit for it.
"Then I gave the song away and I seldom sung it after that, so I had a strange relationship to it as if it wasn’t my song, but tonight, on my final tour I’m going to reclaim my lost child."
And towards the end of the performance, he admitted: "It feels good to have it back."
The 45-minute set was jam-packed with hit-after-hit, including an opening of ‘America’ and ‘Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover’, and Simon thanked his fans for supporting him through his career spanning six decades.
He told the audience: "First of all, thank you all so much. It’s been a real privilege my whole life, my whole life has been that way.
"Most of the songs I’m going to play tonight you will probably know, most of them were written as rhythm tunes, which means to be danced to."
Other highlights were ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ and ‘Call Me Al’.
Showing he’s still full of energy, Simon completed two encores – the first featuring classics ‘Still Crazy’ and ‘Graceland’ and a finale of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’.
Simon – who announced in February he plans to quit touring due to the difficulties of being away from his family – will conclude his final tour in New York on September 22.
Paul Simon reclaims Bridge Over Troubled Water at BST Hyde Park
