One of my favourite albums of all time is Paul Simon's Graceland. I love the lyrics, the rhythms, the collaboration with the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the jumpy bass lines. It also has the hit You Can Call Me Al, a song that, as a kid, I always thought was about the TV show Quantum Leap. (You will remember that there was a character named Al in Quantum Leap, and my family watched this show a lot.)
I now can't hear about Graceland without Simon's voice singing in my head: "I'm going to Graceland, Graceland. Memphis, Tennesee!" This will almost immediately send my head to another song about Memphis, Walking In Memphis, by Marc Cohn. The mention of W.C. Handy and Elvis are wonderfully nostalgic for me, not just because I remember hearing these songs a lot while growing up, but as my musical knowledge grows I get a greater appreciation for them. From my early American music research, Handy is like an old friend to me now.
Also appearing on the album is Linda Ronstadt on the track Under African Skies. Gumboots, the fourth track, is based on a recording of an instrumental of the same name by the Boyoyo Boys. Simon heard it and wrote lyrics over the tune.
I also can't think of Paul Simon without thinking about his Sound Of Silence (the tune with Art Garfunkel, before Simon became a solo act) or an SNL clip I saw of him where he's dressed up like a turkey. It's funny where the mind goes.
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