The legendary Paul Simon released the song “Graceland” on his 1986 masterpiece with the same name. The album is known for its fusion of Western music and world music, particularly South African music. The song is one of the highlights of the album and ranks among Simon’s personal favorites. In this article, we will explore the story, meaning, and legacy behind Paul Simon’s “Graceland”.
The Meaning of the Song
Paul Simon’s “Graceland” is a song about a spiritual and physical journey to Elvis Presley’s mansion Graceland. The song explores the themes of healing from loss and the search for meaning.
The story of “Graceland” is told through the eyes of a man who feels the overwhelming urge to visit Graceland because he believes he will be received there.
The themes explored in the song align with the personal life of Paul Simon in 1985. He had just divorced actress Carrie Fisher and his commercial success as a musician was at an all-time low.
Paul Simon initially used “Graceland” as a lyrical placeholder, planning on replacing it later. He was inspired to use the title after hearing the traveling rhythm of drummer Vusi Khumalo, which reminded him of the records of Elvis Presley.
“That doesn’t work,” Simon thought at first. “I’m not writing a song about Elvis Presley in an album of South African music.” But the phrase got stuck in his head and Simon decided to keep it.
As a result, Simon decided to pay a visit to Elvis Presley’s mansion. He rented a car in Louisiana – where he was recording – and drove to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The journey inspired the song’s opening verse.
In the song, Simon reveals he has a 9-year-old traveling companion, who is the child of his first marriage. The companion refers to Simon’s son Harper from his marriage with Peggy Harper. Paul Simon revealed the line was just a case of storytelling, as Harper did not accompany his father on the journey to Graceland.
The second verse of the song, which explores the theme of broken love, was inspired by Simon’s breakup with actress Carrie Fisher. The final verse of the song, about a girl from New York who calls herself the human trampoline, has no personal relation to Paul Simon. He came up with the phrase while walking past the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan and felt it deserved a place in the song.
Simon revealed it took him a while to figure out where the song was about and what relation it had to South Africa. “Eventually I understood that the song is about why we are traveling to Graceland – to find out how to get healed – and that’s why I named the album Graceland. It seemed to be about finding something you could call a state of grace – the healing of a deep wound. And that’s what was going on in South Africa. There was a deep wound, and then an attempt at a healing process.”
The Legacy of Graceland
Paul Simon released “Graceland” as a single in November 1986. The single performed relatively unsuccessful on the charts, especially in comparison to the album’s lead single “You Can Call Me Al”. It eventually peaked at number 81 on the US charts. Despite the poor chart performance, the song won a Grammy award in 1988 for Record of the Year.
The album Graceland became Paul Simon’s best-selling solo album ever, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Although the album is sometimes seen in a controversial light because Simon ignored the cultural boycott of South Africa going on at the time, Graceland is mostly seen as one of the greatest albums ever released.
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