John Legend shares emotional story behind his favorite song

John Legend has revealed the one song that brings him the most comfort, sharing its deep connection to his late grandmother.

Talking to reporters at the 2025 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 2, the 46-year-old singer-songwriter and pianist spoke about his favourite song to sing and how it reminds him of his late grandmother.

He said, “One of the songs that I sing a lot at my shows, it was written by the great [Paul] Simon & [Art] Garfunkel, and I perform it and dedicate it to my grandmother, who we lost far too early, ... is ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water.’”

Legend went on to quip that the song is "a great song to comfort people in really tough times" and added, "I'm so grateful that that song exists."

"The loss of my grandmother caused a lot of pain for my family that really affected us for a long time, and I perform 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' as a way of honoring her memory. It really brings me comfort to sing that song,” the All of Me crooner noted.

For the unversed, Bridge Over Troubled Water, which came out in January 1970, was dropped by Simon and Garfunkel as the second single from their fifth album of the same name.

It is noteworthy to mention that the song won five Grammy Awards in 1971, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

It was also number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks.