The Heartwarming Story of How Paul Simon Met His Wife Edie Brickell
via Paul Simon / Youtube
In a tale of serendipity and music, the love story between Paul Simon and Edie Brickell began to unfold during a November 1988 episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Brickell, along with her band New Bohemians, were the musical guests for the evening.
“(Fame) was good because I did meet my husband because of our sudden success,” Brickell shared with Tom’s Write Turns in 2006, reflecting on how their paths crossed due to the success of their album “Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars.”
During their SNL performance
Brickell admitted to being captivated by Simon’s presence, revealing,
“Even though I’d performed the song hundreds of times in clubs, he made me forget how the song went when I looked at him.”
She fondly recalled the moment, noting how they could share the memory with their children by watching the tape and saying, ‘Look, that’s when we first laid eyes on each other.’
On the other side of this budding romance, Simon, famous for hits like “The Sound of Silence,” confessed on The Howard Stern Show in 2023 that he wasn’t expecting to fall in love.
“I was thinking, ‘I like the way she sings, I love the way she looks [and] I’m happy enough to be here.’ I’m not thinking, ‘Hey, maybe I’ll marry this girl.’”
The connection deepened at the afterparty for SNL, where plans were made for Simon to attend Brickell’s next performance at The Bottom Line in New York City.
However, upon arrival, Simon found the dressing room packed and decided to leave. Reflecting on this moment, he shared with Howard Stern,
“I left, and I was driving away and I thought, ‘Why am I driving away? I came down here to see her.’”
Simon quickly reversed course, calling Brickell and inviting her to dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant. This impromptu dinner marked the beginning of their romantic journey. “That was our first date,” Simon recalled, sealing the memory of the evening that set the stage for a lifelong connection between the two musicians.
Watch the interview below:
