#32 Graceland by Paul Simon

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

32

2011 Album Rank

57

Total Points

1602

Year Released

1986

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

3

Weeks at #1

N/A

RIAA Sales Certification

5,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)

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Graceland Album Details

Released in August 1986, Graceland marked a bold creative reinvention for Paul Simon. Drawing on South African musical traditions, it fused Western songwriting with mbaqanga rhythms, Zulu choral harmonies, and American roots music. Widely acclaimed for its musical innovation and lyrical depth, the album played a major role in introducing global music to Western pop audiences and revitalized Simon's career after a commercial lull.

At its heart, Graceland is an album about displacement, healing, and rediscovery, both personal and cultural. Despite the controversy surrounding its production during South Africa's apartheid era, the album emerged as a landmark of cross-cultural collaboration. Featuring musicians like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ray Phiri, and Los Lobos, Graceland pushed creative boundaries while grappling with complex political and ethical questions.

Won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1987.

Interesting Facts about Graceland

• Simon was first inspired to explore South African music after hearing a bootleg cassette of township jive. Captivated by its sound, he traveled to Johannesburg in 1985 to begin recording with local musicians, a decision that sparked heated debate due to the cultural boycott of apartheid-era South Africa.
• The album's opening track, "The Boy in the Bubble," features accordionist Forere Motloheloa from the group Tau Ea Matsekha. The song was built around one of his rhythmic accordion riffs, looped and layered with Simon's lyrics.
• The title track, "Graceland," was written after Simon took a road trip to Elvis Presley's Memphis estate. The song uses that journey as a metaphor for emotional restoration following his divorce from Carrie Fisher.
• South African guitarist Ray Phiri and bassist Bakithi Kumalo played crucial roles in defining the album's sound. Kumalo's iconic fretless bass solo on "You Can Call Me Al" was accidentally recorded in reverse and kept that way because Simon loved its melodic shape.
• "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" was not originally on the album. After a successful performance on Saturday Night Live with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Simon decided to quickly record and add it before the album's final pressing.
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo's haunting vocals are featured prominently on "Homeless," which they co-wrote with Simon. The song juxtaposes the lush beauty of their harmonies with themes of exile and loss.
• Simon brought in Los Lobos to record "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints," but the band later claimed Simon took credit for lyrics they had written. The dispute remains unresolved, though Los Lobos were still credited as performers.
• Despite criticism from anti-apartheid activists and the UN, Simon maintained that his project helped elevate South African musicians to a global audience. Nelson Mandela later acknowledged that Graceland had a positive impact by giving voice to oppressed artists.
• Simon took extra care to compensate and credit all the South African musicians involved. Many of them, like Phiri and Kumalo, gained international careers following the album's release.
• Multiple demos and early takes exist, including alternate versions of "Crazy Love, Vol. II" and "That Was Your Mother" with different lyrics and instrumentation. These are included in the 25th Anniversary Edition.
• Simon reunited with many of the original Graceland musicians in 2012 for a documentary and anniversary tour, captured in the film Under African Skies, which re-examined the album's legacy in light of the political controversy it stirred.
• The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012 for its cultural and historical significance.

Graceland Track List

1. The Boy in the Bubble
2. Graceland - Won the Grammy award for Record of the Year in 1988.
3. I Know What I Know
4. Gumboots
5. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
6. You Can Call Me Al - Reached #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart
7. Under African Skies
8. Homeless
9. Crazy Love, Vol. II
10. That Was Your Mother
11. All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints

You Can Call Me Al Music Video

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