37. Graceland – Paul Simon (482 points)
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Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It incorporates genres including pop, rock,
a cappella, zydeco, and South African styles such as
isicathamiya and
mbaqanga.
Organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid criticized Simon for breaking the cultural boycott on South Africa imposed for its policy of apartheid. Simon responded that
Graceland was a political statement that showcased collaboration between black and white people and raised international awareness of apartheid. Some praised him for helping popularize African music in the west, while others accused him of appropriating the music of another culture.
Story time again...
I got this album from my best friend when I was a junior in high school. At that time, "You Can Call Me Al" had hit it big, but that was really the only song on the tape that either of us knew. Frankly, he wasn't impressed with the album and I hadn't heard anything else off of it really. But I had begun to be interested in Paul Simon because my mom had been a fan of S&G and I finally started to pay attention to that music after the Concert in Central Park caught my attention. Needless to say, I fell in love with this album and Paul Simon. This album is my number 1 because I find that again and again I come back to the album. It really never gets old. Lots of great albums get old. For instance, I gave away my tape of Joshua Tree because I was done hearing those songs for a long time. I can't over listen to this album, and I always find myself coming back to it. I don't know if it's the juxtoposition of world music with Simon's folk and doo *** sensibilities, but It was fresh and new in '86 and it still sounds relevant and fresh today imho.
As far as song choice, I struggle to rank the songs because they all have something that pushes them to the top of the list when I think about it, from music to vocals to lyrics to rhythm. This album has something for everyone and everything for me. Simply put, I consider it a masterpiece of contemporary music.
That said, there is one song that Paul considers his best ever (according to the recent documentary biography anyway), and that's the title track. And I think it's a very fitting song indeed, and encapsulates much that is so about him and his career:
Musically, for example, Simon's favorite rock and roll song is "Mystery Train". The rhythm on the song "Graceland" is similarly a travelling rhythm, and you can hear the influence. The Everly Brothers (who I mentioned in one of my prior writeups about S&G) provide harmony and backing vocals on the track. The world music influence is as strong on this track as on any but in a more mature and integrated way than on some others on the album. Lyrically, he considers this song a sequel to "Hearts and Bones", and Carrie Fisher had stated that portions of this song, like that one, reference their short-lived marriage. The song employs layered lyrics evoking love and loss, travel, spirituality, surrealism and mystery which form a progression as the song unfolds. And in true Paul Simon fashion, although the song does address love and loss it is ultimately a song of hope and optimism.
One last point about the song "Graceland" for those of you who haven't heard: the song wasn't originally supposed to be about Graceland. When Simon was writing the lyrics, he simply used "Graceland" as a placeholder that fit the rhythm, assuming he'd replace it with something more meaningful later. Over time, the word stuck around and he was having trouble coming up with a replacement idea. He began to think "hey, maybe there's a reason why I can't get this out of my head. Maybe I'm supposed to visit Graceland for some reason." When he was recording "That was Your Mother" in New Orleans, he found himself with a little time off. So all on his own he up and rented a car and drove from NOLA to Memphis, just to see for himself what Graceland was all about. He talks about not being terribly impressed as he moved through the house tour. Which makes sense really. I mean, I have always been a huge Elvis fan, and I've only actually been IN Graceland once. The tour is pretty expensive, and let's face it you really only need to see the Jungle Room or the TV he shot out once, and even that's probably more than most ever need to see in person. The thing is, when you get to the back yard that all changes. There you'll find the final resting place of Elvis and his parents (and now Lisa Marie, I understand). There's a giant crucifix back there which Elvis himself installed. It truly turns a sightseeing trip into a pilgrimage. It's hard to explain if you've never been there, and hard to forget if you have. The sense of reverence is palpable. And Simon says that when he got to that back yard, he saw a plaque about Elvis' universal acclaim and influence. Thinking about how Elvis touched so many people in his short life, Simon looked around at the other tourists and really saw the impact of that in the faces of the people around him. It suddenly struck him how the people there were just exactly like people going on a pilgrimage. And so instead of removing the word Graceland, he ended up framing the song around it.
The Mississippi Delta
Was shining like a National guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the Civil War
I’m going to Graceland
Graceland
In Memphis,Tennessee
I’m going to Graceland
Poorboys and pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland
My traveling companion is nine years old
He is the child of my first marriage
But I’ve reason to believe
We both will be received
In Graceland
She comes back to tell me she’s gone
As if I didn’t know that
As if I didn’t know my own bed
As if I’d never notice
The way she brushed her hair from
Her forehead and she said, “Losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you’re blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow”
I’m going to Graceland
Memphis, Tennessee
I’m going to Graceland
Poorboys and pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland
And my traveling companions
Are ghosts and empty sockets
I’m looking at ghosts and empties
But I’ve reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland
There is a girl in New York City
Who calls herself the human trampoline
And sometimes when I’m falling, flying
Or tumbling in turmoil I say
Whoa, so this is what she means
She means we’re bouncing into Graceland
And I see losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you’re blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow
In Graceland, in Graceland
I’m going to Graceland
For reasons I cannot explain
There’s some part of me wants to see Graceland
And I may be obliged to defend
Every love, every ending
Or maybe there’s no obligations now
Maybe I’ve a reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland
Whoa, in Graceland, in Graceland
In Graceland,
I’m going to Graceland
Bonus trivia: When he was writing the lyrics to "Under African Skies", Simon asked Linda Ronstadt, who sings on the track, for something about her childhood to include on the song. Hence the verse "In early memory mission music was ringing 'round my nursery door. I said take this child Lord from Tucson Arizona. Give her the wings to fly through harmony and she won't bother you no more."
