After the
commercial failure of One Trick Pony and Hearts And Bones, a
rethink was in order. Inspired by a various artists collection of South
African artists that a friend gave him entitled Gumboots: Accordion
Jive Hits No. 2, Simon further investigated similar music and then
flew to South Africa with producer Roy Hallee. This would prove to be a
highly controversial move, as Simon's mere presence there was in direct
disobeyance of the international boycott of South Africa due to its
racist, oppressive Apartheid regime. Still, though I can certainly see why
some people were up in arms about this, my own take is that the ends
justified the means in this case; frankly, without getting into political
details, the boycott was meant to ensure that artists stayed away from the
fat cats in Sun City, not the dirt poor musicians who Simon paid
handsomely for these sessions, whose music he brought to an international
audience by virtue of this album, and who I've never heard say anything
but positive things about the man. So, with that defense out of the way,
let's talk about Graceland, which was an astonishingly inventive
synthesis of American pop music (Paul Simon music) with the music of South
Africa. Basically, when Paul was in South Africa he jammed with the cream
of the crop of the local musicians, and he then took to the studio with
the results of the jam sessions, incorporating his own melodies, lyrics,
and vocals and molding the results into a finished product (inviting other
musicians in as well, including some of the South Africans, and recording
at several locations along the way). So, let's get this straight, this is
a Paul Simon album, it just happens to be a Paul Simon album with an
exotic African flavor, and as such criticizing Simon for “stealing”
Africa’s syncopated beats, instrumentation, and top performers is about
as valid as criticizing the Beastie Boys for “stealing” from Led
Zeppelin, as both artists merely used these sources as inspirational
building blocks f
Rather, Simon should instead be commended for putting these diverse influences together and making things click, as well as for smartly choosing first class collaborators. For example, Ladysmith Black Mambazo play major roles on “Diamonds On The Souls Of Our Shoes” and “Homeless,” which their wondrous harmonies can’t help but dominate. Likewise, The Gaza Sisters steal the show on “I Know What I Know” and Linda Rondstandt lends her gorgeous alto to really paint a picture “Under African Skies.” Yet it is Simon’s crafty vision that dominates most of these catchy songs, as his accomplished melodies and intelligent lyrics (whose often-downcast if hopeful nature contrasts with the upbeat music) enchantingly mesh with the mellow African grooves created by stellar players such as Baghiti Khumalo (bass) and Ckikapa “Ray” Phiri (guitar). Simon ingeniously uses percussion, accordion, horns, reeds, and backing vocals throughout the album, and he merges many disparate musical elements into a seamlessly simple sound (impeccably produced as always by Hallee) that can only be called pop music. So what if Graceland popularized and Americanized African music; is that such a bad thing? Listening to the upbeat, lightly danceable cadences of Graceland provides its own uniquely satisfying rewards, and if I could offer a lone criticism about the album it's simply that Simon's downcast, plain-spoken vocal delivery doesn't quite fit in on an album that's so intoxicatingly joyous overall. Still, this is but a minor quibble, as songs such as "The Boy In The Bubble," the title track, "Crazy Love Vol. II," and "You Can Call Me Al" are easily among Simon's best. The latter song, with its ridiculously catchy horn hooks and memorable pennywhistle solo, became a top #5 hit in the U.S. and U.K., propelled by its amusing video with friend Chevy Chase. All in all, Simon got the last laugh on his critics, who generally failed to even notice that the last two tracks have nothing to do with Africa; "That Was Your Mother" is a Cajun song and "All Around The World Or The Myths Of Fingerprints," guesting Los Lobos, is Tex-Mex. Still, it was the musicians of South Africa who liberated Paul Simon's music and really lit his muse, and as such they deserve much of the credit for the success of Graceland. And unlike his other recent efforts Graceland was a major success, selling 14+ million copies worldwide, winning loads of awards, and gaining recognition as an instant cla
