There are a few celebrities on the planet who are easily recognizable, revered, and a triple threat, like Harry Styles.

Not only is the former One Direction boy band member known for his singing, but he’s also an accomplished actor and songwriter. No doubt, music aficionados have heard of his famous self-written tracks, such as “Up All Night”, “As It Was”, and “Watermelon Sugar”, to name a few. However, despite Styles’ innate ability to pen catchy and often soulful tracks, there’s one classic rock song that the talented 31-year-old says he admires and wishes he had written.

The Paul Simon Song Harry Styles Wishes He Had Written

During an insightful conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Harry Styles mentioned that one of his musical idols was none other than Paul Simon. “I’m a big Paul Simon fan,” Styles stated. And you’d be hard-pressed to disagree with him.

Not only is Simon, like Styles, also a music icon, but he’s also responsible for producing some of folk and rock n roll’s most classic tunes, like “You Can Call Me Al”, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”, and “Still Crazy After All These Years.”

Known also as the other half of the iconic folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkle, Simon’s prolific career has spanned for almost seven decades, with his debut self-titled solo album, becoming an instant bestseller. And the sixteen-time Grammy Award winner has, in recent years, shown no signs of slowing down as the 83-year-old recently wrapped up his massively successful tour. And while it may seem surprising, given their huge careers and popularity as well as Styles’ obvious admiration, the two have reportedly never met.

This fact aside, in addition to praising Simon’s lyrical and musical genius as the primary source of inspiration behind One Direction’s track “Walking In The Wind,” stating that “the inspiration behind it was ‘Graceland’, in which the verse was so conversational, informal, and it’s like spoken word.

It’s quite casual, and I love that album and when I listen to it, I love hearing the influence from that in this song. I really love the song.” Styles also revealed which song by the rock n roll superstar he wished he had written. “I wish I had written ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. ‘ I think the verse in that song is one of the best verses ever written.

It’s incredible.” Nearly four years later, he reiterated these comments and told Rolling Stone magazine: “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” that’s the greatest verse melody ever written, in my opinion. So minimal, but so good — that drum roll. ‘The Boxer’ is a perfect lyric, especially that first verse.”

Harry Styles Hails This Fellow Boy Band Member as His Idol

Harry Styles may be a massive fan of Paul Simon, but that isn’t the only megastar he admires and has drawn inspiration from in his prolific career. The “Adore You” singer has also praised another artist who helped to shape the beginning of his career. And that is none other than famed The Beatles member and soloist Paul McCartney.

McCartney, like Simon, has also had a long and prolific career thanks to penning some of music’s most iconic songs, such as “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Hey, Jude”. And unlike his other idol, Simon, Styles had actually met McCartney and even famously interviewed him for Dazed Magazine.

During the lengthy conversation, Styles mentioned his own departure from One Direction and asked the former what it was like for him creatively speaking when he first became a solo artist. McCartney answered, “Yeah, well, actually, when the Beatles broke up, I was in the process of writing some stuff.

So I just did something very simple, which was the first album I ever did solo called McCartney, and it was just done in the front room sort of thing, really simple. I just had to get it out of my system. So I didn’t really think about it too much, I just did it.”

In a subsequent solo interview, Styles recounted an interesting story concerning McCartney’s work: “While I was in Tokyo, I used to go to a vinyl bar, but the bartender didn’t have Wings records. So I brought him Back to the Egg. ‘Arrow Through Me,’ that was the song I had to hear every day when I was in Japan.”

In a follow up interview, Styles praised the fellow British-born singer’s work again: “I love Ram so much — I used to think it was a mixed bag, but that’s part of its beauty. And the one that’s just called McCartney, with the cherries on the cover and ‘The Lovely Linda’ on it.”