The song that led Paul Simon to ‘Graceland’
Paul Simon always had a knack for music, to the extent that people who grew up around him would attest to the fact that he was always destined to become a musician. He first showed signs of his potential when he and Art Garfunkel had a charting hit at the age of 15, and after that, he was a non-stop bottomless pit of creativity.
All Paul Simon needed was a spark, and then he was ready to run with it. That’s precisely what happened when it came to putting the album Graceland together, as all he needed to hear was one song, and that led him halfway around the world, in a recording booth, laying the foundation for his record.
It all started with his friend, Heidi Berg. Berg gave Simon a copy of a recording from South Africa called Accordion Jive Hits No. 2. On that recording, there was a piece of music called ‘Gumboota’. Immediately, Simon was obsessed. The energetic sound of the song massively inspired him, and he decided he wanted to record his own version of it. Not only that, but he wanted to record it with the original musicians, a group called The Boyoyo Boys.
At the time, performers were advised not to go to South Africa as the United Nations had boycotted the country thanks to their Apartheid policy. There was a figurative brick wall that blocked the arts from getting in or out, as is best represented in the success of Rodriguez’s album; however, Simon had already made up his mind, and he was determined to record with The Boyoyo Boys.
He flew out to South Africa, contacted the Boyoyo Boys and also reached out to a producer. They ended up recording the track ‘Gumboota’, which Simon retitled ‘Gumboots’. He was so happy with the recording that he decided to work on other songs whilst in the country. The producer put him in touch with some different musicians, and Graceland started to form.
Funnily enough, out of all the songs Simon recorded in South Africa for Graceland, ‘Gumboots’ ended up being his least favourite. Given that it was the song that inspired everything and that there wouldn’t be a Graceland without it, he was compelled to keep it on, but he didn’t hold back in explaining why. “If it wasn’t that ‘Gumboots’ led me into the whole project,” he said, “I would have dropped ‘Gumboots’ from the album. Because I think it’s the weakest of the South African cuts.”
Simon had an inhuman-like skill to make music from the tiniest shreds of inspiration. One song was enough to inspire him to hop on a plane and start working on what became a whole album. It is a testament to Simon’s creative ability that the song which initially inspired his idea ended up being one of his least favourites on the album, as he is an artist who has always been spurred by his own creativity.
