Editing Paul Simon (section)

===1977–1985: ''One-Trick Pony'' and ''Hearts and Bones''===
After releasing three successful studio albums, Simon worked on various projects, including writing music for the film ''[[Shampoo (film)|Shampoo]]'', which became the music for the song "Silent Eyes" on the ''Still Crazy'' album, and acting (he played Tony Lacey in [[Woody Allen]]'s film ''[[Annie Hall]]''). He achieved another hit with "[[Slip Slidin' Away]]", the lead single of his 1977 compilation ''[[Greatest Hits, Etc.]]'', which reached number 5 in the U.S.

In 1980, Simon released ''[[One-Trick Pony (album)|One-Trick Pony]]'', his first album with [[Warner Bros. Records]] and his first in almost five years. The album was paired with the [[One-Trick Pony (film)|motion picture of the same name]], which Simon wrote and starred in. It produced the upbeat "Late in the Evening", a number 1 hit on the [[Radio & Records]] American charts, but did not sell well.

In 1981, Simon & Garfunkel included eight songs from Simon's solo career in the set list of their [[The Concert in Central Park|September 19 concert in Central Park]]. Five were rearranged as duets and Simon performed the other three solo. The resulting live album, TV special, and videocassette (later DVD) releases were all major hits.

After the success of ''The Concert in Central Park'', Simon & Garfunkel returned to the studio, planning to record an album of new material. This would have been their first new recordings as a duo since their 1975 single "My Little Town" and their first album of new material since ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]'' in 1970. Simon ultimately decided to wipe Garfunkel's vocals from the mix, and in 1983, he released ''[[Hearts and Bones]]'' as a solo album. It is a polished, confessional album that was eventually viewed as one of his best works, but it achieved the lowest sales of his career.{{sfn|Eliot|2010|p=186}} ''Hearts and Bones'' included "[[The Late Great Johnny Ace]]", a song partly about [[Johnny Ace]], an American [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] singer, and partly about [[John Lennon]]. In January 1985, Simon performed for [[USA for Africa]] and on the [[Humanitarian aid|relief]] fundraising single "[[We Are the World]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Edwards |first=Gavin |date=March 6, 2020 |title='We Are the World': A Minute-by-Minute Breakdown |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/we-are-the-world-a-minute-by-minute-breakdown-54619/ |access-date=July 26, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>