CSPC: Paul Simon Popularity Analysis

Physical Singles Sales

As a reminder, the weighting is done with a 10 to 3 ratio between one album and one physical single.

Paul Simon (1972) – 768,000 equivalent albums

Mother and Child Reunion – 1,640,000
Duncan – 240,000
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard – 680,000

There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (1973) – 798,000 equivalent albums

Kodachrome – 1,040,000
Take Me to the Mardi Gras – 150,000
Something So Right – 40,000
Something So Right (with Annie Lennox) – 30,000
American Tune – 290,000
Loves Me Like a Rock – 1,110,000

Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) – 724,000 equivalent albums

Still Crazy After All These Years – 520,000 + 2,500 (live, 1991)
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – 1,460,000
Gone at Last – 430,000

One-Trick Pony (1980) – 309,000 equivalent albums

Late in the Evening – 740,000
One-Trick Pony – 280,000
Oh, Marion – 10,000

Hearts and Bones (1983) – 75,000 equivalent albums

Allergies – 240,000
Think Too Much (a) – 10,000

Graceland (1986) – 492,000 equivalent albums

The Boy in the Bubble – 200,000
Graceland – 150,000
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes – 60,000
You Can Call Me Al – 1,230,000

The Rhythm of the Saints (1990) – 78,000 equivalent albums

The Obvious Child – 240,000
Proof – 10,000
Born at the Right Time – 10,000

Songs from The Capeman (1997) – 0 equivalent albums

No single released

You’re the One (2000) – 0 equivalent albums

No single released

Surprise (2006) – 4,000 equivalent albums

Father and Daughter – 10,000
Remaining Singles – 3,000

So Beautiful or So What (2011) – 0 equivalent albums

No single released

Stranger to Stranger (2016) – 0 equivalent albums

No single released

Orphan – 597,000 equivalent albums

Motorcycle – 80,000
Lone Teen Ranger – 80,000
Slip Slidin’ Away – 900,000
Wonderful World – 470,000
The Blues – 240,000
Remaining singles – 220,000

It is often said that Simon failed to produce hits after splitting with Garfunkel, figures show this claim is untrue. Of course, it is tough to record smashes as gigantic as Sound of Silence, Mrs Robinson or Bridge Over Troubled Water, still each of his first 3 LPs produced more than 2 million sales of physical singles, a solid result. His early single Mother and Child Reunion remains his top seller at 1,64 million but he counts with 4 more million selling tunes, including You Can Call Me Al. Simon sold 12,8 million solo singles in physical format.