Graceland (album)

Template:Use mdy dates Template:For {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Hearts and Bones1983Negotiations and Love Songs1988studioGracelandGraceland cover - Paul Simon.jpgyesPaul SimonTemplate:Start dateOctober 1985 – June 1986Template:Hlist* Worldbeat

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• rock
• folk
• Afropop<ref name= "EW Staff 2019">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Molanphy 2024">Template:Cite podcast</ref>43:18Warner Bros.Paul Simonx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It incorporates genres including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, and South African styles such as isicathamiya and mbaqanga.

In the early 1980s, Simon's relationship with his former musical partner Art Garfunkel had deteriorated, his marriage to the actress Carrie Fisher had collapsed, and his previous record, Hearts and Bones (1983), had been a commercial failure. In 1984, after a period of depression, Simon became fascinated by a bootleg cassette of mbaqanga, South African street music. He and Halee spent two weeks in Johannesburg recording with South African musicians. Further recordings were held in the US with American musicians including Linda Ronstadt, the Everly Brothers, Rockin' Dopsie and the Twisters and Los Lobos. Simon toured with South African musicians, performing their music and songs from Graceland.

Graceland became Simon's most successful album and his highest-charting album in over a decade, with estimated sales of more than 16 million copies worldwide. It won the 1987 Grammy for Album of the Year and is frequently cited as one of the best albums in history. In 2006, it was added to the US National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".

Organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid criticized Simon for breaking the cultural boycott on South Africa imposed for its policy of apartheid, while others accused him of appropriating the music of another culture. Simon responded that Graceland was a political statement that showcased collaboration between black and white people and raised international awareness of apartheid. Some praised him for helping popularize African music in the west.

Background

File:Paul Simon in 1982.jpg

Paul Simon, seen here in 1982, underwent a personal and commercial downturn in the early 1980s.

Following a series of hit records released in the 1970s, Simon's career declined.<ref name="10 Things">Template:Cite magazine</ref> His relationship with his former musical partner Art Garfunkel had again deteriorated; his sixth solo studio album, Hearts and Bones (1983), achieved the lowest sales of his career; and his marriage to the actress Carrie Fisher collapsed. "I had a personal blow, a career setback, and the combination of the two put me into a tailspin," he recalled.Template:Sfn

In 1984, Simon agreed to produce an album by the young Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Heidi Berg, who had played in the house band for Saturday Night Live and had been the bandleader for the short-lived The New Show. Berg was drawn to the cheerful accordion sound in mbaqanga, the Black African street music from the Soweto township of Johannesburg, and she wanted her album to contain a fusion of Western and African music. Without hearing the music, Simon advised Berg to travel to South Africa and contact local musicians. Berg had been pulling inspiration from a bootleg cassette mixtape containing obscure South African songs, and she lent the cassette to Simon so that he could understand more fully the direction she wanted to go. Berg stipulated that Simon return the tape in a week, as it was a continual source of ideas for her, but Simon kept it instead. He first listened to it on a drive to Montauk, New York, where he was having a summer home built.<ref name=Carlin>Template:Cite book</ref> Simon described the tape as "very good summer music, happy music" that reminded him of 1950s rhythm and blues.<ref name="Odyssey">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He began improvising melodies over it as he listened in his car,<ref name="nyt86" /> and he determined to make Berg's idea his own. Berg's album hopes were dashed. She was not credited or compensated for providing the spark to Simon.<ref name=Carlin/>

Simon asked his contacts at his label, Warner, to identify the artists on the tape. Through the South African record producer Hilton Rosenthal, Warner confirmed that the music was South African and played by either the vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo or the Boyoyo Boys.Template:Refn Simon considered buying the rights to his favorite song on the tape, "Gumboots", and using it to write his own song, as he had with the song "El Condor Pasa" in the 1960s.<ref name="10 Things" /> Instead, Rosenthal suggested that Simon record an album of South African music,<ref name="10 Things" /> and sent him dozens of records from South African artists.<ref name="nyt86" />

In the 1980s, recording in South Africa was dangerous, and the United Nations had imposed a cultural boycott for its policy of apartheid, or forced racial segregation. The boycott forced states to "prevent all cultural, academic, sporting and other exchanges" with South Africa, and ordered writers, artists, musicians and "other personalities" to boycott it.<ref name="nyt86" /> Simon later told The New York Times: "I knew I would be criticized if I went, even though I wasn't going to record for the government ... or to perform for segregated audiences. I was following my musical instincts in wanting to work with people whose music I greatly admired."<ref name="nyt86" />

Before leaving for Johannesburg, Simon contributed to "We Are the World", a charity single benefiting African famine relief. Simon discussed recording in South Africa with the "We Are the World" producers Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte, who both encouraged him to go. Belafonte said he should first gain the approval of the African National Congress (ANC) , to prevent trouble with apartheid concerns, but Simon said he did not want to turn the project into a political issue.<ref name=Carlin/> The South African black musicians' union voted to let Simon come, as the exposure could benefit their music by placing it on an international stage.<ref name="nyt86" /> When Simon told Berg of his plans to record an album inspired by the tape she had lent him, their working relationship ended.<ref name="10 Things" /> She felt that Simon took her best idea and left her with nothing.<ref name=Carlin/>

Recording

Template:Multiple image In February 1985, Simon and his longtime engineer, Roy Halee, flew to Johannesburg, intending their visit to be secret.<ref name="sos" /> The Warner executives were uninterested in the project, viewing Simon as a bad investment due to the failure of his previous two solo albums.Template:Sfn Simon felt their indifference worked in his favor, as it gave him more freedom. Halee believed the executives viewed him and Simon as "crazy".Template:Sfn

Rosenthal used his connections to assemble musicians who had inspired Simon,<ref name="sos" /> including Lulu Masilela, Tao Ea Matsekha, General M. D. Shirinda and the Gaza Sisters and the Boyoyo Boys Band.Template:Sfn Though musicians in Johannesburg were typically paid $15 an hour, Simon arranged to pay them $200 an hour, around triple the rate for top players in New York City.<ref name="10 Things" /> Simon said he "wanted to be as above board as I could possibly be", as many of the musicians did not know who he was and would not be lured by the promise of royalties alone.<ref name="Odyssey" /> He also offered royalties to those he felt had contributed to composing songs.<ref name="nyt86" />

Recording sessions took place at Ovation Studios. Halee worried the studio would be a "horror show" but was surprised to find it "very comfortable".<ref name="sos" /> He likened it to a garage, which Halee feared would be a problem for recording, and none of the musicians wore headphones.<ref name="sos">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jam sessions ranged from 10 to 30 minutes, and Simon and Halee intended to assemble an album from the recordings on their return home.Template:Sfn Though the playing was technically simple, Simon found it difficult to mimic.<ref name="natgeo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Outside the studio, the public was hostile toward Simon, but the Musician's Union received him warmly.<ref name="npr12">Template:Cite news</ref>

Though Simon described the recording sessions as "euphoric", he recalled "tension below the surface" due to the effects of apartheid. The musicians would become anxious when recording continued into the evening, since they were prohibited from using public transportation or being on the streets after curfew.<ref name="Odyssey" /> Simon recalled, "In the middle of the euphoric feeling in the studio, you would have reminders that you're living in an incredibly tense racial environment, where the law of the land was apartheid."<ref name="Odyssey" />

At the end of the two-week trip, Simon felt a relief from his personal turmoil and a revitalized passion for music.Template:Sfn He and Halee returned to the Hit Factory studio in New York City to edit the material.<ref name="sos" /> Simon flew several South African musicians to New York to complete the record three months after the Johannesburg sessions.<ref name="linernotes" /> The sessions resulted in "You Can Call Me Al" and "Under African Skies".<ref name="linernotes" /> Simon began writing lyrics at his home in Montauk, New York, while listening to the recordings. The process was slow, but he determined he had sufficient material to begin rerecording. He played the tracks backward to "enhance their sound", interspersing gibberish to complete the rhythms.Template:Sfn

Simon involved guest musicians, including the American singer Linda Ronstadt and his childhood heroes the Everly Brothers. During a trip to Louisiana with Richard "Dickie" Landry, Simon saw a performance by the Lafayette zydeco band Good Rockin' Dopsie and the Twisters, and recorded "That Was Your Mother" with them in a small studio behind a music store. He felt that the accordion, central to zydeco, would make a pleasing transition back to his own culture.<ref name="nyt86" /> Afterward, he contacted the Mexican-American band Los Lobos, with which he recorded "All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints" in Los Angeles.Template:Citation needed

Halee edited the album with new digital technology, transferring analog tape recordings to the digital workspace countless times. He said, "The amount of editing that went into that album was unbelievable ... without the facility to edit digital, I don't think we could have done that project."<ref name="sos" /> He used tape echo and delay on every song, and paid particular attention to the bass, saying, "The bassline is what the album is all about. It's the essence of everything that happened." Each song was mixed in about two days at the Hit Factory, where most of the vocal overdubs were recorded.<ref name="sos" />

Music

Graceland incorporates genres including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga. Mbaqanga, or "township jive", originated as the street music of Soweto, South Africa.<ref name="linernotes">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> The album was influenced by the work of the South African musicians Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu, and their band Juluka's Zulu-Western pop crossover music. Juluka was South Africa's first integrated pop band. Simon includes thanks to Clegg, Juluka, and Juluka's producer Hilton Rosenthal in the liner notes. He included American "roots" influences with tracks featuring zydeco musicians such as Rockin' Dopsie and Tex-Mex musicians.Template:Cn

Graceland alternates between playful and more serious songs. Simon thought of it as like a play: "As in a play, the mood should keep changing. A serious song may lead into an abstract song, which may be followed by a humorous song."<ref name="nyt86"/> On many songs, Simon and Halee employ a Synclavier to "enhance" the acoustic instruments, creating an electronic "shadow".<ref name="nyt86"/>

"The Boy in the Bubble" is a collaboration with the Lesotho group Tau Ea Matsekha. "Graceland" features the bassist Bakithi Kumalo and the guitarist Ray Phiri. Simon wrote in the original liner notes that it reminded him of American country music, and wrote: "After the recording session, Ray told me that he'd used a relative minor chord—something not often heard in South African music—because he said he thought it was more like the chord changes he'd heard in my music."<ref name="linernotes"/> The steel guitarist Demola Adepoju contributed to the track some months after its completion. "I Know What I Know" is based on music from an album by General M. D. Shirinda and the Gaza Sisters. Simon was attracted to their work due to the unusual style of guitar playing, as well as the "distinctive sound" of the women's voices.<ref name="linernotes"/> "Gumboots" is a re-recording (with additional saxophone solos) of the song with which Simon first found himself enamored from the cassette tape that spawned Graceland.<ref name="linernotes"/> Template:Listen Joseph Shabalala also contributed to "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Senegalese singer-percussionist Youssou N'Dour. It was recorded a week following their appearance on Saturday Night Live. The pennywhistle solo featured on "You Can Call Me Al" was performed by Morris Goldberg, a white South African living in New York.<ref name="linernotes"/> "Homeless" was written jointly by Simon and Shabalala, the lead singer of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, to a melody from a traditional Zulu wedding song.<ref>Geoff Hill The Battle for Zimbabwe: The Final Countdown 2003 – Page 211 "The song was written jointly by Paul Simon and Joseph Tshabalala, the lead singer of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and the melody is from an old Zulu wedding song: We are homeless, we are homeless ... Somebody cry, why, why, why?"</ref> In the song "Under African Skies", "the figure of Joseph becomes the dual image of a dispossessed African black man and the New Testament Joseph."<ref name="nyt86"/> For the song, Simon sent Shabalala a cassette demo, and the two later met at Abbey Road Studios in London, where the rest of the song was completed.<ref name="linernotes"/> "Crazy Love" features music from Stimela, Phiri's group that was very successful in South Africa.<ref name="linernotes"/>

Lyrics

To write lyrics, Simon listened to the recordings made during his time in Johannesburg, identifying patterns in the music to fit to verses. He said:

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Simon told The Village VoiceTemplate:'s Robert Christgau in 1986 that he was bad at writing about politics, and felt his strength was writing about relationships and introspection.<ref name="vv86">Template:Cite news</ref> In contrast to Hearts and Bones, GracelandTemplate:'s subject matter is more upbeat. Simon made an effort to write simply without compromising the language.<ref name="rs86">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Composing more personal songs took him significantly longer, as it involved "a lot of avoidance going on".<ref name="rs86"/> Rewrites were necessary as Simon ended up using overcomplicated words.<ref name="sos"/> A perfectionist, Simon rewrote songs only to scrap the newer versions. Songs such as "Graceland" and "The Boy in the Bubble" took three to four months, while others, such as "All Around the World" and "Crazy Love", came together quickly.<ref name="rs86"/>

"The Boy in the Bubble" discusses starvation and terrorism, but mixes this with wit and optimism. Simon concurred with this assessment: "Hope and dread—that's right. That's the way I see the world, a balance between the two, but coming down on the side of hope."<ref name="rs86"/> The song retains a variation of the only lyric Simon composed on his South African trip: "The way the camera follows him in slo-mo, the way he smiled at us all." The imagery was inspired by the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.<ref name="rs86"/> "Homeless" discusses poverty within the black majority in South Africa.<ref name="rs86"/> According to Simon's ex-wife Carrie Fisher, the "Graceland" lines "She's come back to tell me she's gone / As if I didn't know that, as if I didn't know my own bed / As if I'd never noticed the way she brushed her hair from her forehead" refer to her.<ref name="TFP-Fisher">Template:Cite news</ref> She confirmed she had a habit of brushing her hair from her forehead, and said she felt privileged to be in one of Simon's songs.<ref name="TFP-Fisher" />

Throughout the recording process, Simon remained unsure of the album's thematic connection. He kept dozens of yellow legal pads with random words and phrases he would combine in an attempt to define the album. He derived the album title from the phrase "driving through Wasteland", which he changed to "going to Graceland", a reference to Elvis Presley's Memphis home. Simon believed it represented a spiritual direction: just as he had embarked on a physical journey to collect ideas in Africa, he would spiritually journey to the home of the rock "forefather" to revitalize his love for music.Template:Sfn

Allegations of plagiarism

"That Was Your Mother" features the American zydeco band Rockin' Dopsie and the Zydeco Twisters. The band leader, Alton Jay Rubin, felt Simon had derived it from his song "My Baby, She's Gone", but decided not to take legal action.<ref name="10 Things" />

The American group Los Lobos appears on the track "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints". The Los Lobos saxophone player, Steve Berlin, said Simon "stole" the song from them: "We go into the studio, and he had quite literally nothing. I mean, he had no ideas, no concepts, and said, "Well, let's just jam." ... Paul goes, "Hey, what's that?" We start playing what we have of it, and it is exactly what you hear on the record."<ref name="10 Things" /> He said Los Lobos had never received a song credit or payment.<ref name="10 Things" />

According to Berlin, when he contacted Simon about the lack of credit, Simon responded, "Sue me. See what happens."<ref name="10 Things" /> Simon denied this, and said, "The album came out and we heard nothing. Then six months passed and Graceland had become a hit and the first thing I heard about the problem was when my manager got a lawyer's letter. I was shocked."<ref name="10 Things" />

Release

Graceland was released by Warner Bros. with little promotion in August 1986.Template:Sfn Before its release, Simon speculated that he was no longer "a viable commercial force in popular music".<ref name="nyt86"/>

By July 1987, Graceland had sold six million copies worldwide.<ref name="rs87">Template:Cite magazine</ref> That year, Rolling StoneTemplate:'s David Fricke said the album had become "a daily soundtrack in urban yuppie condos and suburban living rooms and on radio airwaves from Australia to Zimbabwe".<ref name="rs87" /> In South Africa, it was the best-selling release since Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982).<ref name="rs87" /> It sold 150,000 copies in Australia in 1988, and had sold 470,000 copies there by January 1989.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> As of 2014, Graceland was estimated to have sold more than 16 million copies.<ref name="salon">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2004, Graceland was reissued with three previously unreleased demo tracks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2011, it was reissued in a 25th-anniversary edition with further demos, a live concert DVD, and a documentary.<ref name="Rosen-2012">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In June 2018, Sony Music and Legacy Records issued Graceland: The Remixes, featuring remixes of Graceland songs by artists including Paul Oakenfold, Groove Armada, and Thievery Corporation.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:Miriam Makeba and Paul Simon, musicians gtfy.02537.jpg

Miriam Makeba and Simon (1986)

Tour

The Graceland tour began on February 1, 1987.<ref name="Fricke-1987">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Simon was accompanied by an ensemble of 24 black South Africans, including the singer Miriam Makeba, the trumpeter Hugh Masekela, the guitarist Ray Phiri, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.<ref name="Fricke-1987" /> To ensure the musicians were paid well, Simon took no payment, saying "the show breaks even as long as I don't get paid".<ref name="Fricke-1987" /> The tour ended with two concerts in Harare, Zimbabwe,<ref name="Fricke-1987" /> which were filmed for release as Graceland: The African Concert.<ref name="RP">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Showtime aired these performances for a TV special and financed most of the costs associated with gear transportation, sound reinforcement, and recording.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Critical reception

Graceland received widespread acclaim upon release. Rolling StoneTemplate:'s Rob Tannenbaum characterized it as "lovely, daring and accomplished".<ref name="rs86.2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote: "With his characteristic refinement, Mr. Simon has fashioned that event into the rock album equivalent of a work of literature."<ref name="nyt86">Template:Cite news</ref> In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau deemed it Simon's best record since his 1972 self-titled album, as well as "a tremendously engaging and inspired piece of work".<ref name="vv86"/> It went on to top The Village VoiceTemplate:'s Pazz & Jop critics' poll for that year (1986).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Retrospective reviews have remained favorable. According to AllMusic's William Ruhlmann, "Graceland became the standard against which subsequent musical experiments by major artists were measured."<ref name="am"/> Joe Tangari of Pitchfork wrote that "its songs transcend the context as listening experiences. These songs are astute and exciting, spit-shined with the gloss of production that bears a lot of hallmarks of the era but somehow has refused to age. Taken as a whole, the album offers tremendous insight into how we live in our world and how that changes as we get older."<ref name="p4k"/> Patrick Humphries of BBC Music wrote that "it may well stand as the pinnacle of his remarkable half-century career ... Simon fashioned a record which was truly, blindingly original, and – listening to it a quarter of a century on – modern and timeless."<ref name="humphries">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Andy Gill of The Independent wrote: "The character of the base music here is overwhelming: complex, ebullient and life-affirming, and in yoking this intricate dance music to his sophisticated New Yorker sensibility, Simon created a transatlantic bridge that neither pandered to nor patronised either culture."<ref name="ind12"/>

Accolades

Graceland earned Simon the Best International Solo Artist award at the 1987 Brit Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was ranked No. 84 in a 2005 survey by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Graceland was ranked 81st on the 2003 list of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, as "an album about isolation and redemption that transcended 'world music' to become the whole world's soundtrack." The ranking increased to 71st in the 2012 revision and 46th in the 2020 list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=RS500>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2000 it was voted number 43 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref> The song "Graceland" was named #485 in the 2004 list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2006, Graceland was added to the US National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Year	Publication	Country	Rank	List
1986
	Rolling Stone	US	*	The Year In Records<ref name="rs86.1">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
	The Village Voice		1	Albums of the Year
	New Musical Express	UK	6	Albums of the Year
	Q		*	Albums of the Year
1987	Stereo Review	US	*	Record of the Year Awards<ref>Stereo Review's Record of the Year Awards for 1986</ref>
	Rolling Stone		56	The Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years<ref name="rs87.1">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1989			5	The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties<ref name=rs89>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1993	Entertainment Weekly		4	The 100 Greatest CDs of All Time
1997	The Guardian	UK	69	The 100 Best Albums Ever
1999	NPR	US	*	The 300 Most Important American Records of the 20th Century<ref name="npr99">Template:Cite news</ref>
2002	Blender		60	The 100 Greatest American Albums of All-Time<ref name="blender">Template:Cite journal</ref>
	Pitchfork		85	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2003	USA Today		26	Top 40 Albums of All Time<ref name="usa40">Template:Cite news</ref>
	Rolling Stone		81	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time<ref name="RS500"/>
2006	Q	UK	39	The 80 Best Records of the 80s.<ref>Q August 2006, Issue 241</ref>
	Time	US	*	All-Time 100 Albums<ref name=Time2006>Template:Cite news</ref>
2012	Slant Magazine		19	Best Albums of the 1980s<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2020	Rolling Stone		46	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Grammy Awards

Template:Awards table |- | style="width:35px; text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|1987|| rowspan="2"|Graceland || Album of the Year<ref name="1980saoty">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> || Template:Won |- |Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male<ref name="29GN"/> || Template:Nom |- |rowspan="2"|"Graceland"|||Song of the Year<ref name="29GN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> || Template:Nom |- | style="text-align:center;"|1988 || Record of the Year<ref name="grammywinners">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> || Template:Won |-

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Criticism from anti-apartheid movement

Template:Quote boxAfter Graceland's success, Simon was criticized by organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid,<ref name=jones>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> anti-apartheid musicians including Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and Jerry Dammers,<ref name="denselow">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and James Victor Gbeho, the Ghanaian Ambassador to the United Nations.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They condemned him for having potentially damaged anti-apartheid solidarity by breaking the cultural boycott against apartheid in South Africa.<ref name="tg12" />

Before going to South Africa, Simon sought advice from Harry Belafonte, with whom he had recently collaborated on "We Are the World". Belafonte had mixed feelings and advised him to discuss the matter with the African National Congress (ANC).<ref name="tg12">Template:Cite news</ref> At a launch party for Graceland, Simon said of the criticism: "I'm with the artists. I didn't ask the permission of the ANC. I didn't ask permission of Buthelezi, or Desmond Tutu, or the Pretoria government. And to tell you the truth, I have a feeling that when there are radical transfers of power on either the left or the right, the artists always get screwed."<ref name="tg12" />

James Victor Gbeho, the former Ghanaian ambassador to the UN, was critical, saying: "When he goes to South Africa, Paul Simon bows to apartheid. He lives in designated hotels for whites. He spends money the way whites have made it possible to spend money there. The money he spends goes to look after white society, not to the townships."<ref name="10 Things2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Simon denied that he went to South Africa to "take money out of the country", saying he paid the black artists well and split royalties with them, and was not paid to play to a white audience.<ref name="10 Things2" /> The South African guitarist Ray Phiri said: "We used Paul as much as Paul used us. There was no abuse. He came at the right time and he was what we needed to bring our music into the mainstream."<ref name="10 Things2" />

Some criticized Simon for not addressing apartheid in his lyrics. Simon responded: "Was I supposed to solve things in a song?" He said he was not good at writing protest songs in the vein of Bob Dylan or Bob Geldof, and felt that although it was not overtly political, Graceland was its own political statement: "I still think it's the most powerful form of politics, more powerful than saying it right on the money, in which case you're usually preaching to the converted. People get attracted to the music, and once they hear what's going on within it, they say, 'What? They're doing that to these people?'"<ref name="10 Things2" />

The United Nations Anti-Apartheid Committee supported Graceland, as it showcased black South African musicians and offered no support to the South African government, but the ANC protested it as a violation of the boycott.<ref name="jones" /> The ANC voted to ban Simon from South Africa and he was added to the United Nations blacklist.Template:Sfn He was removed from the blacklist in January 1987,Template:Sfn and announced that he had been cleared by the ANC, but the Artists Against Apartheid founder, Dali Tambo, denied this. The Graceland concert at London's Royal Albert Hall prompted protests from Dammers, Weller and Bragg. In 2012, the controversy was revived when Simon returned to London for a 25th-anniversary concert.<ref name="tg12" />

Graceland introduced some of the musicians, especially Ladysmith Black Mambazo, to global audiences.<ref name="tg12" /> Hugh Masekela, one of South Africa's most prominent musicians and an exiled opponent of apartheid, praised Simon for encouraging black South African music.<ref name="denselow" /> The South African jazz musician Jonas Gwangwa criticized the notion that Simon deserved praise: "So, it has taken another white man to discover my people?"<ref name="tg12" />

Some critics viewed Graceland as colonialist, with Simon appropriating the music of another culture to bring to the global market.<ref name="nj" /> The Star-Ledger reporter Tris McCall wrote in 2012: "Does it complicate matters to realize that these musicians were second-class citizens in their own country, one groaning under the weight of apartheid? How could Simon approach them as equal partners when their own government demanded that they treat him as a superior?"<ref name="nj">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2012, Andrew Mueller of Uncut wrote: "Apartheid was of course a monstrosity, but it would be absurd to suggest that Simon's introduction of South Africa's music to the world prolonged it and quite plausible to suggest that it did some small amount to hasten its undoing."<ref name="uncut">Template:Cite news</ref>

Linda Ronstadt

File:LindaRonstadtPerforming.jpg

Simon was criticized for working with Linda Ronstadt (pictured in the 1970s), as she had performed in South Africa.

Simon's choice to feature the American singer Linda Ronstadt on "Under African Skies" was criticized, as three years earlier she had accepted $500,000 to perform at Sun City, a South African luxury resort.<ref name="10 Things"/> Nelson George of Billboard said her inclusion on Graceland was like "using gasoline to put out birthday candles", and Robert Christgau wrote: "Even if the lyric called for total US divestiture, Ronstadt's presence on Graceland would be a slap in the face to the world anti-apartheid movement."<ref name="10 Things" />

Simon defended Ronstadt, saying: "I know that her intention was never to support the government there ... She made a mistake. She's extremely liberal in her political thinking and unquestionably antiapartheid."<ref name="Odyssey" /> He told Spin he did not think Ronstadt would play at Sun City again, and did not think she was "incompatible" with the record.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Simon had refused to perform on the 1985 antiapartheid single "Sun City", as the demo had included a list of names shaming artists who had performed at the resort, including Ronstadt's, and as he felt Graceland would be "my own statement".<ref name="Odyssey" /> He said he had refused two offers to perform at Sun City,<ref name="Odyssey" /> and drew a distinction between going to South Africa to perform for a segregated audience, which he felt was unacceptable, and going to record.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Threats against Simon

The cultural boycott against South Africa was lifted in 1991, five years after Graceland's release. At the invitation of the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela and with the support of the African National Congress, Simon and his band played five shows, beginning at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. Before the first concert, hand grenades were thrown into the office of the promoter, Attie van Wyk, who had booked the shows. A sect of the militant Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO) claimed responsibility for the attack, which destroyed the office but caused no injuries.<ref name="10 Things" />

Simon held a clandestine meeting with AZAPO representatives, offering them proceeds from the tour, but no agreement was reached. At a press conference, AZAPO said there was "potential for violence" if the show proceeded. Though hundreds of protesters threatened violence at one concert, it was protected by 800 policemen and proceeded without incident.<ref name="10 Things" />

According to the guitarist Steven Van Zandt, who was involved in the anti-apartheid movement and met with AZAPO representatives, Simon had been "at the top" of AZAPO's assassination list. Van Zandt said he persuaded them that murdering Simon would not help them achieve their goals, and mollified them by saying he was attempting to unite the music community against apartheid.<ref name="10 Things" />

Legacy

The New York Times writer Jon Pareles said Graceland popularized African rock in the west, alongside albums such as Peter Gabriel's So (1986) and Talking Heads' Remain in Light (1980).<ref name="pareles">Template:Cite news</ref> A 2012 documentary film, Under African Skies, was directed by Joe Berlinger for the album's 25th anniversary, and includes archival footage, interviews, discussion of the controversy, and coverage of an anniversary reunion concert.<ref>"THIRTEEN's Great Performances Chronicles Paul Simon's Graceland Journey", press release, WNET THIRTEEN, New York</ref><ref name="PATLEDGER">McCall, Tris, "Paul Simon's 'Graceland' boxed set revisits controversial and brilliant album", The Star-Ledger, June 3, 2012</ref>

Advocates for Graceland feel its music transcends the racial and cultural barriers of its production. Andrew Leahey of American Songwriter wrote that "Graceland was never just a collection of songs, after all; it was a bridge between cultures, genres and continents, not to mention a global launching pad for the musicians whose popularity had been suppressed under South Africa's white-run apartheid rule."<ref name="as12"/> Presenting the album in a modern context, Tris McCall of the Star-Ledger wrote: "In a sense, Simon was ahead of his time: the curatorial approach he took to assembling full tracks from scraps of songs and pre-existing recordings is closer in execution to that of Kanye West than it is to any of his contemporaries."<ref name="nj"/> In 2012, Rolling Stone wrote that it was "hard to even remember the charges of cultural imperialism that greeted Graceland when it was released".<ref name="Rosen-2012" /> Pitchfork wrote that "it was unique in its total, and totally natural, synthesis of musical strains that turned out to be not nearly as different from each other as its listeners might have expected, and the result resonated strongly around the world and across generations".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The album has influenced musicians including Regina Spektor, Bombay Bicycle Club, Gabby Young, Casiokids, the Very Best,<ref name="influences">Template:Cite news</ref> Givers,<ref name="givers">Template:Cite news</ref> Lorde and Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend faced criticism that their 2008 debut album was too similar to Graceland, due to its origins in African music. Simon defended them, saying: "In a way, we were on the same pursuit, but I don't think you're lifting from me, and anyway, you're welcome to it, because everybody's lifting all the time. That's the way music grows and is shaped."<ref name="vw">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Simon said in 2013:

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Track listing

All tracks written by Paul Simon, except where noted. Template:Track listing Template:Track listing

Personnel

Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of this album.

• Paul Simon – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 9), acoustic guitar (1, 2, 11), Synclavier (3, 4), guitars (3, 5, 7), six-string bass (6)

Additional musicians

• Bakithi Kumalo – bass (1, 2, 5, 6, 7)
• Adrian Belew – guitar synthesizer (1, 6, 9), guitars (7)
• Rob Mounsey – synthesizers (1, 6), horn arrangements (6) [uncredited on album]Template:Citation needed
• Vusi Khumalo – drums (1, 2)
• Makhaya Mahlangu – percussion (1, 2)
• Forere Motloheloa – accordion (1)
• Ray Phiri – guitars (2, 5, 6, 7, 9)
• Demola Adepoju – pedal steel guitar (2)
• The Everly Brothers – vocals (2)
• The Gaza Sisters – vocals (3)
• Ralph MacDonald – percussion (4, 6, 7)
• The Boyoyo Boys
  • Jonhjon Mkhalali – accordion (4)
  • Daniel Xilakazi – lead and rhythm guitar (4)
  • Petrus Manile – drums (4)
  • Lulu Masilela – tambourine (4)
  • Barney Rachabane – saxophone (4)
  • Mike Makhalemele – saxophone (4)
  • Teaspoon Ndelu – saxophone (4)
• Michelle Cobbs – vocals (4)
• Diane Garisto – vocals (4)
• Isaac Mtshali – drums (5, 6, 7, 9)
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo – vocals (5, 6, 8)
• Youssou N'Dour – percussion (5)
• Babacar Faye – percussion (5)
• Assane Thiam – percussion (5)
• Alex Foster – alto saxophone (5)
• Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophone (5)
• Earl Gardner – trumpet (5)
• Ronnie Cuber – baritone and bass saxophones (6)
• Morris Goldberg – penny whistle (6), soprano saxophone (9)
• Dave Bargeron – trombone (6)
• Kim Allan Cissel – trombone (6)
• Randy Brecker – trumpet (6)
• Jon Faddis – trumpet (6)
• Alan Rubin – trumpet (6)
• Lew Soloff – trumpet (6)
• Linda Ronstadt – lead vocals (7)
• Joseph Shabalala – lead vocals (8)
• Lloyd Lelosa – bass (9)
• Good Rockin' Dopsie and the Twisters
  • Alton Rubin, Sr. – accordion (10)
  • Sherman Robertson – guitars (10)
  • Alonzo Johnson – bass (10)
  • Alton Rubin, Jr. – drums (10)
  • Johnny Hoyt – saxophone (10)
  • David Rubin – washboard (10)
• Los Lobos
  • David Hidalgo – accordion, guitars, vocals (11)
  • César Rosas– guitars, vocals (11)
  • Conrad Lozano – bass (11)
  • Louie Pérez – drums (11)
  • Ralph MacDonald – percussion (11)
  • Steve Berlin – saxophone (11)
• Steve Gadd – additional drums (11)

Technical

• Paul Simon – producer, arrangements, liner notes
• Ray Phiri – co-arrangements
• Roy Halee – engineer
• Mark Cobrin – assistant engineer (1–7, 9, 11)
• Peter Thwaites – assistant engineer (1–4, 9)
• Steven Strassman – assistant engineer (2, 7, 11)
• Andrew Fraser – assistant engineer (8)
• Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
• Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff – art direction
• Jeri McManus – art direction
• Kim Champagne – design
• Mark Sexton – front cover photography
• Gary Heery – back cover photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Original release

Chart (1986–87)	Position
Australian Kent Music Report Chart<ref name="bb861101">Template:Cite book</ref>	1
Austrian Albums Chart<ref name="atchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Canadian Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Dutch Albums Chart<ref name="nlchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
European Top 100 Albums<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	1
Finnish Albums Chart<ref name="FINchart">Template:Cite book</ref>	6
French Albums Chart<ref name="frchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Japanese Albums Chart<ref name="Jachart1">Template:Cite book</ref>	46
New Zealand Albums Chart<ref name="nzchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Norwegian Albums Chart<ref name="nochart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	13
Spanish Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	15
Swedish Albums Chart<ref name="sechart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	13
Swiss Albums Chart<ref name="chchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
US Billboard Pop Albums<ref name="USchart">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	3
West German Albums Chart<ref name="dechart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Zimbabwean Albums Chart<ref>* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000</ref>	1

25th Anniversary Edition

Chart (2012)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)<ref name="beVlchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	43
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)<ref name="bewachart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	31
Croatian Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	29
Danish Albums Chart<ref name="nzchart" />	24
Dutch Albums Chart<ref name="nlchart2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
German Albums Chart<ref name="dechart2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	91
Irish Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Japanese Albums Chart<ref name="Jachart2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	167
New Zealand Albums Chart<ref name="nzchart"/>	15
Norwegian Albums Chart<ref name="nochart"/>	6
Spanish Albums Chart<ref name="spanishchart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	37
Swedish Albums Chart<ref name="sechart"/>	4
UK Albums Chart<ref name="ukchart2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	4
US Billboard 200<ref name="BillboardBIZ">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	51
US Billboard Top Catalog Albums<ref name="USchart"/>	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1986)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart2">Template:Cite book</ref>	22
Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
Canadian Albums Chart<ref name="CAYearend86">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	21
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	20
UK Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	4
Chart (1987)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart2"/>	4
Austrian Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12
Canadian Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	4
Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
French Albums Chart<ref name="frayearend">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
Swiss Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
UK Albums Chart<ref name="UKYearend87">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
US Albums Chart<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	2
Chart (2012)	Position
Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	89
Swedish Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	84

Decade-end charts

Chart (1980–89)	Position
Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart2"/>	11
UK Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	13

References

Works cited

• Template:Cite book