The album that saw Paul Simon “raise the bar on my own writing”
While the psychedelic rock developments of the 1960s often take centre stage in historical narratives, it’s important to acknowledge the significant contributions of the folk music movement during that transformative decade. Alongside luminaries like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, numerous other artists made pioneering strides in the folk genre, including Paul Simon. Despite his youth, Simon asserted himself as a formidable songwriter during this period, leaving an indelible mark on the musical landscape.
Simon started his career in the 1950s with school friend Art Garfunkel, operating as the duo Tom & Jerry before they changed their name in 1964 to Simon and Garfunkel when they signed to Columbia Records. With nearly a decade of industry experience, the duo were well poised to take things up a gear, with their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M, a brilliant means of announcing their arrival and metamorphosis. Containing classics such as ‘The Sounds of Silence’ and a cover of Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’, things were only to get better.
The 1960s was a wildly successful time for the musical pair. Both men would embark on personal and sonic journeys, one that would see Simon travel to the United Kingdom after their debut album and continue to refine his craft. Following his return to the US, they enjoyed their most fruitful commercial period, which saw the release of a string of classic albums, including Sounds of Silence, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and Bookends.
However, the duo would gradually grow apart, becoming more resentful of each other’s respective endeavours in and outside the group. Their final album was 1970’s Bridge over Troubled Water, a masterful way to bow out despite the internal strife. Simon and Garfunkel would both embark on solo careers that were less successful than either would have hoped in the decade, leading to their triumphant reunion in Central Park in 1981, a show which attracted over 500,000 fans. Resultingly, Warner Bros pushed for a new album and tour due to the show’s success, but their conflicting natures would soon get in the way.
The material Simon had written for the prospective new record became 1983’s solo effort, Hearts and Bones. A resounding return to form, it paved the way for the most refined moment of his career, 1986’s Graceland. The music of South Africa greatly inspired the album, and it emerged after Simon received criticism for breaking the cultural boycott of the country due to its policy of apartheid to embark on a spiritual musical journey into the region’s sounds and culture. This trip resulted in the songwriter breaking off from the ghosts of the past and asserting that he remained relevant, with compositions such as the title track and ‘You Can Call Me Al’.
Simon is acutely aware of the strides he made on the record. He said this was the album that saw an upturn in creative efforts. In the documentary Under African Skies, he explains: “I realised that the guitar part was playing a different symmetry than I assumed, and the bass was doing something that was much more important, and I might be better off following what the bass was doing. I started thinking about the lyrics and what effect that would have on storytelling, and I began to raise the bar on my own writing.”
Listen to Graceland below.
