PAUL SIMON: The Historic "Graceland"

Original released on LP Warner Bros 9.25447-1

(US 1986, August 25)

In the early 1980s, Paul Simon's solo career had hit a low point. Following a very successful but fraught reunion with former partner Art Garfunkel, Simon's marriage (with actress Carrie Fisher) fell apart and his previous record, "Hearts and Bones" (1983), was a significant commercial disappointment. In 1984, after a period of depression, Simon became fascinated with a bootleg cassette of South African township music. He planned a trip to Johannesburg in the new year with Roy Halee, where he spent two weeks recording with South African musicians. Simon returned home and "Graceland" was recorded throughout much of 1985–86, in several cities and locations, including New York, Los Angeles, London, and Louisiana. The tracks features an eclectic mixture of musical styles, including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya, and mbaqanga. Simon created new compositions inspired by the recordings made in Johannesburg, collaborating with both African and American artists. Executives at Warner Bros were unconcerned with Simon's material, viewing him as a "bad investment" due to the failure of his previous two solo albums. This worked in Simon's favor, he later argued, as they offered no input on his content. According to Halee, he believed executives at the label viewed the duo as "crazy".

Following the album's success, Simon faced accusations by organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid, antiapartheid musicians including Billy Bragg, Paul Weller, and Jerry Dammers, that he had broken the cultural boycott imposed by the rest of the world against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Preceding his trip to South Africa, Simon sought advice from Harry Belafonte, with whom he had recently collaborated on "We Are the World". Belafonte had mixed feelings on Simon's idea, and advised him to discuss the matter with the African National Congress (ANC). At an album launch party, Simon bluntly clarified his opinions on the controversy: «I'm with the artists. I didn't ask the permission of the ANC. I didn't ask permission of Buthelezi, or Desmond Tutu, or the Pretoria government. And to tell you the truth, I have a feeling that when there are radical transfers of power on either the left or the right, the artists always get screwed.»

Despite the controversy, "Graceland" was a major commercial hit, becoming Simon's most successful studio album. His highest-charting effort in over a decade, Simon's return to the forefront of popular music was considered a remarkable comeback. It was lauded by music critics, won the 1987 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and is estimated to have sold up to 16 million copies worldwide. "Graceland" has frequently been called one of the best albums of the 1980s, and is present on lists of greatest albums created by numerous publications. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2007, having been judged to meet the registry's admission criterion of being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important". Alongside albums such as Peter Gabriel's "So" and Talking Heads' "Remain in Light", writer Jon Pareles of The New York Times singled "Graceland" out as an album that popularized African rock in the western world. A 2012 documentary film, "Under African Skies", directed by Joe Berlinger celebrates the 25th anniversary of the album's release, and includes archival footage, interviews, discussion of the controversy associated with the original release, and coverage of an anniversary reunion concert. «"Graceland" transcended racial and cultural barriers. The album was never just a collection of songs, after all; it was a bridge between cultures, genres and continents, not to mention a global launching pad for the musicians whose popularity been suppressed under South Africa's white-run apartheid rule,» said Andrew Leahey of American Songwriter.

The Original Album:

A1. The Boy in the Bubble (Forere Motloheloa/P. Simon)

A2. Graceland (P. Simon)

A3. I Know What I Know (General MD Shirinda/P. Simon)

A4. Gumboots (Lulu Masilela/Jonhjon Mikhalali/P. Simon)

A5. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Joseph Shabalala/P.Simon)

B1. You Can Call Me Al (P. Simon)

B2. Under African Skies (P. Simon)

B3. Homeless (Joseph Shabalala/P. Simon)

B4. Crazy Love, Vol. II (P. Simon)

B5. That Was Your Mother (P. Simon)

B6. All Around the World of the Myth of Fingerprints (P. Simon)

Bonus Tracks:

C1. Homeless (demo)

C2. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (alternate version)

C3. All Around the World of the Myth of Fingerprints (early version)

C4. You Can Call Me Al (demo)

C5. Crazy Love, Vol. II (demo)

C6. The Story of "Graceland" (as told by Paul Simon)