History Music / Graceland

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The final two songs move away from the South African influence of the rest of the album. "That Was Your Mother" is a Zydeco tribute recorded in Louisiana, and "All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints" is a collaboration with Latin rockers Los Lobos.

# "You Can Call Me Al" (4:39)

In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the album can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger. The latter additionally goes in-depth into the controversy that followed the album's release, thoroughly displaying the multitude of different ways that the album was received and ultimately leaving it up to the viewer to form their own perception of ''Graceland'' based on the testimonies shown. As always, Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is critical.

And the '''b'''aby with the '''b'''aboon heart

Despite the controversy ''Graceland'' faced, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity it still managed to become a critical and commercial darling.]] It was placed at #71 in Magazine/RollingStone's list of [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Magazine/TimeMagazine included the album in their [[TimeAllTime100Albums 2006 list of 100 timeless and essential albums.]] In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the album can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger. The latter additionally goes in-depth into the controversy that followed the album's release, thoroughly displaying the multitude of different ways that the album was received and ultimately leaving it up to the viewer to form their own perception of ''Graceland'' based on the testimonies shown. As always, Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is critical.

* ACappella: "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" starts off a cappella, but then instrumentation falls in.
** "Homeless" is entirely a capella.

--> ''There's 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.''

--> ''Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih''
--> ''Somebody sing hello, hello, hello''
--> ''Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih''
--> ''Somebody cry why, why, why?''
--> ''Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih''
--> ''Somebody sing hello, hello, hello''
--> ''Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih''
--> ''Somebody cry why, why, why?''
--> ''Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih''

--> ''She said there's something about you''
--> ''That really reminds me of money''
--> ''She is the kind of a girl who could say things that weren't that funny''

--> ''She said, "Don't I know you''
--> ''from the cinematographer's party?"''
--> ''I said, "Who am I''
--> ''to blow against the wind?"''

--> ''And we are homeless, homeless''
--> ''Moonlight sleeping on a midnight lake''
--> ''Homeless, homeless''

--> ''There was a bright light''
--> ''A shattering of shop windows''
--> ''The bomb in the baby carriage''
--> ''Was wired to the radio''

-->These are the days of miracle and wonder
-->This is the long distance call
-->The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
-->The way we look to us all
-->The way we look to a distant constellation
-->That's dying in a corner of the sky
-->These are the days of miracle and wonder
-->And don't cry baby, don't cry, don't cry

--> ''She is a rich girl, she don't try to hide it''
--> ''Diamonds on the soles of her shoes''

# "Diamonds on the Soles ff Her Shoes" (5:45)

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: "The Boy in the Bubble" includes allusions to David Vetter and Ted Devita, two boys born with severe immunodeficiency which forced them to live inside a special "bubble" chamber, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Fae Baby Fae]], a child that had a baboon heart transplant since no human donor was available. She lived 21 days and much controversy surrounded the event.

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: "The Boy in the Bubble" includes allusions to David Vetter and Ted Devita, two boys whose health was so weak that they had to live inside a special "bubble" chamber, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Fae Baby Fae]], a child that had a baboon heart transplant since no human donor was available. She lived 21 days and much controversy surrounded the event.

Alongside ''Music/{{So}}'' by Music/PeterGabriel, ''Graceland'' is further significant in that it represented the peak of the worldbeat boom that had been going on throughout the 1980's, first kickstarted by Gabriel's third SelfTitledAlbum and Music/TalkingHeads' ''Music/RemainInLight'', both in 1980. However, the controversy this album spawned served as a leading factor in the decline of worldbeat throughout the remainder of the decade, as more and more people began to question the ethical and sociopolitical implications of white artists like Simon, Gabriel, and Talking Heads making use of sounds and styles from nonwestern countries. Gabriel and the members of Talking Heads (particularly frontman Music/DavidByrne) would eventually manage to free themselves from the debate as their socially conscious sides and earnest appreciation for WorldMusic became increasingly well-known, but Simon would remain dogged by the controversy up to the present day.

*** Zig-zagged in the chorus, making it an example of MoodWhiplash. Simon himself commented that the song combines "hope and dread... that's the way I see the world — a balance between the two, but coming down on the side of hope.":

*** Zig-zagged in the chorus, making it an example of MoodWhiplash:

*** Zig-zagged in that it also mentions in the chorus:

Despite the controversy ''Graceland'' faced, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity it still managed to become a critical and commercial darling.]] It was placed at #71 in Magazine/RollingStone's list of [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Magazine/TimeMagazine included the album in their [[TimeAllTime100Albums 2006 list of 100 timeless and essential albums.]]. In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the album can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger. The latter of which additionally goes in-depth into the controversy that followed the album's release, thoroughly displaying the multitude of different ways that the album was received and ultimately leaving it up to the viewer to form their own perception of ''Graceland'' based on the testimonies shown. As always, Administrative/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is critical.

Despite the controversy ''Graceland'' faced, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity it still managed to become a critical and commercial darling.]] It was placed at #71 in Magazine/RollingStone's list of [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Magazine/TimeMagazine included the album in their [[TimeAllTime100Albums 2006 list of 100 timeless and essential albums.]]. In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the album can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger. The latter of which additionally goes in-depth into the controversy that followed the album's release, thoroughly displaying the multitude of different ways that the album was received and ultimately leaving it up to the viewer to form their own perception of ''Graceland'' based on the testimonies shown. As always, RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement is critical.

Simon's visit to South Africa was seen as a defiance of this popularly-supported boycott, with the UnfortunateImplications behind it being something that Simon would end up spending the rest of his career adamantly refuting. Simon additionally drew criticism from African-American groups in the United States for what they perceived as [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy cultural appropriation]], despite Simon actively working with South African artists to provide a proper representation of their culture.

Despite the controversy ''Graceland'' faced, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity it still managed to become a critical and commercial darling.]] It was placed at #71 in Magazine/RollingStone's list of [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Magazine/TimeMagazine included the album in their [[TimeAllTime100Albums 2006 list of 100 timeless and essential albums.]]. In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the album and the controversy that followed its release can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger.

* NewSoundAlbum: Compared to Music/PaulSimon's previous output this was the first album where he drew on musical influences from Africa, which changes his entire sound.

* OneManSong: "You Can Call Me "Al""

* RoadTripPlot: The protagonist in "Graceland" is driving to Graceland with his son from a previous marriage.

* WeirdnessMagnet: The men in "You Can Call Me Al" wonder why they feel bad or certain things happen to them?

--> ''I say: "Whoa, so this is what she means.''

--> ''She said don't I know you''
--> ''From the cinematographer's party''
--> ''I said who am I''
--> ''To blow against the wind?''

''Graceland'' is the sixth studio album by Music/PaulSimon, released in 1986. It is perhaps his most famous solo album, well known for hits such as "The Boy In The Bubble", "Graceland", "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" and "You Can Call Me Al". It's certainly his best selling record in commercial terms. It sold over 14 million copies and won the 1987 UsefulNotes/GrammyAward for ''Album Of The Year''.

The album is famous for featuring the cooperation of many South African musicians, thus providing a very African atmosphere and giving those musicians the ColbertBump. However, that same cooperation ended up attracting significant amounts of controversy for Simon, as it meant that he was visiting and operating in South Africa during a time when the United Nations had instituted a cultural embargo against the country, with artists being encouraged to avoid visiting in protest towards Apartheid. Simon's visit to South Africa was seen as a defiance of this popularly-supported boycott, with the UnfortunateImplications behind it being something that Simon would end up spending the rest of his career adamantly refuting. Simon additionally drew criticism from African-American groups in the United States for what they perceived as [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy cultural appropriation]], despite Simon actively working with South African artists to provide a proper representation of their culture.

The album is famous for featuring the cooperation of many South African musicians, thus providing a very African atmosphere and giving those musicians the ColbertBump. However, that same cooperation ended up attracting significant amounts of controversy for Simon, as it meant that he was visiting and operating in South Africa during a time when the United Nations had instituted a cultural embargo against the country, with artists being encouraged to avoid visiting in protest towards Apartheid. Simon's visit to South Africa was seen as a defiance of this popularly-supported boycott, with the UnfortunateImplications behind it being something that Simon would end up spending the rest of his career adamantly refuting. Simon additionally drew criticism from African-American groups in the United States for what they perceived as cultural appropriation, despite Simon actively working with South African artists to provide a proper representation of their culture.

Despite the controversy ''Graceland'' faced, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity it still managed to become a critical and commercial darling.]] It was placed at #71 in Magazine/RollingStone's list of [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Magazine/TimeMagazine included the album in their [[TimeAllTime100Albums 2006 list of 100 timeless and essential albums.]]. In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the making of and controversy surrounding this album can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger.

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: "The Boy in the Bubble" includes allusions to David Vetter and Ted Devita, two boys whose health was so weak that they had to live inside a special "bubble" chamber, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Fae Baby Fae]], a child that had a baboon heart transplant since no human donor was available. She lived about 8 days and much controversy surrounded the event.

* AbortedArc: When the album kicks off you hear a lot of African instruments and you expect the record to go deeper into this, but no. None of the lyrics have anything to do with Africa, except for "Under African Skies".

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: "The Boy In The Bubble" references David Vetter and Ted Devita, two boys whose health was so weak that they had to live inside a special "bubble" chamber. In the same song "the baby with the baboon heart is referenced as well". This was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Fae Baby Fae]], a child that had a baboon heart transplant since no human donor was available. She lived about 8 days and much controversy surrounded the event.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: "The Boy In The Bubble" references David Vetter and Ted Devita, two boys whose health was so weak that he had to live inside a special "bubble" chamber. In the same song the baby with the baboon heart is referenced as well. This was a child that had a baboon heart transplant since no human donor was available. She lived about 8 days and much controversy surrounded the event.

Despite the controversy ''Graceland'' faced, [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity it still managed to become a critical and commercial darling.]] It was placed at #71 in Magazine/RollingStone's list of [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]]. Magazine/TimeMagazine included the album in their [[TimeAllTime100Albums 2006 list of 100 timeless and essential albums.]]. In 2007 "Graceland" was inducted in the UsefulNotes/NationalRecordingRegistry for being "historically, culturally and aesthetically important." A documentary about the creative process behind the making of this album can be seen in the ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' TV documentary series, as well as in the 2012 documentary film, ''Under African Skies'' by Joe Berlinger.