Classical Composer reacts to PAUL SIMON: GRACELAND | The Daily Doug (Episode 859)

#paulsimon #graceland

In this edition of #thedailydoug, I'm sharing a previously recorded reaction featuring Paul Simon's Graceland, the title track from his monumental 1986 album. This was originally recorded this past summer as part of our Fan Favorites episode featuring our favorite road trip songs over on my Patreon site. I hope you enjoy!

🎶 Full album reactions and MUCH more on my Patreon! 🎶

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[Ericandroy]

This is one of those seminal albums, which sounds as fresh as ever, and will never not be iconic for its craftsmanship

[parachutejjs]

Graceland and Peter Gabriel’s So both from the summer of 1986. Such groundbreaking and spectacular albums. We were very spoiled back then.

[TootlinGeoff]

Definitely listen to the whole album. You'll be in for a treat. As someone else has said, not a bad song on it. The South African musicians he worked with created a unique sound.

[synkraut]

The Mississippi delta is shining like a national guitar must be one of the best lines in music history

[stevenwitt]

One of those perfect albums. I love it from beginning to end.

[gibby]

Paul Simon deserves his place among the great songwriters of my will sound as fresh 500 years from now as it still sounds was a world music musical genius who is also a fine fingerpicker and

[chrisb.]

What a fantastic album. Not a weak song on it. Graceland and Rythm of the Saints are my favourite Paul Simon albums. I saw him live in the early 90's in Munich performing with a band of 16! musicians, including Steve Gadd, Randy Brecker and artists from Africa and Brazil. One of the best concerts I've ever witnessed.

[SpookyLuvCookie]

The whole album needs to be one meal. A masterwork.

[AJBrimmers]

They played this at my dad's funeral in 2006 when I was 17. My dad loved this song - "losing love is like a window in your heart; everybody sees you're blown apart". Thank you for the lovely reaction.

[abody]

I was eager to see if you'd react to that pickup note. But now that you've listened critically to the track, don't be surprised if it brings a big grin to your face every time you hear that bass note kick in.

There's so much sunshine on that album. The live concert in Zimbabwe was incredible too.

[markdeloria]

I've heard this song many times over the years, but never really LISTENED to it until just now. I never realized how "effervescent" it sounds. That bass is absolutely on point.

[RastaSaiyaman]

About the drums, in the "Classic albums" series Paul said that they were recorded for a different song but that he liked the groove. So he ended up looping the drums (Which is why there are no cymbals or drum fills.) and wrote a completely new song around that groove. It also freed Bakhiti Kumalo to fill in the bass part as he pleased.

To this day, Paul says that this is the best song he ever wrote, and who are we to disagree with him on that?

[martinsmith]

I remember being in a Jo'burg recording studio back in '99. There was a burnt piece of wood hanging on the wall. It turned out to be the charred remnants of the fretless bass from this album!

[jmcosmos]

01:12 WhenEVER my family starts out on a road trip, we INVARIABLY play the _Graceland_ album as a talisman. We love the image of the Mississippi Delta "shining like a National guitar, " feeling ourselves the "poor boys and pilgrims with families" going to wherever it is we're going now.

Yes, as far back as _One Trick Pony_ (1980) Paul had been recording songs to sum up and make up his life unto that time, getting ready for a truly NEW thing ... and _Graceland_ was that thing.

mba!qanga (mm-ba-<click>KAHN-gah) means "everyday bread" in Zulu, implying the music is so interwoven with everyday life, it's as essential as bread.

[WayneKitching]

South African here. My wife is a music teacher and choir conductor. She told me that black people who grew up listening and performing mostly traditional music struggle to sing semitones. I also h heard that vocal groups like Ladysmith Black Mambazo who also appear on this album, struggle with minor chords.

You should listen to "Call me Al." Fabulous arrangement, but the bass is even better. Bakhiti Khumalo plays an iconic bass break in the song.

[Paul_C]

Oh wow, that takes me back to way back. Paul Simon invited Miriam Makeba resulting in Under African Skies, which was on the album.

[nickgraham]

Absolutely love this album. There's no average song on this album. I have to say though that this album really turned me on to the bass. Just an outstanding use of the fretless bass.

[lcassamas]

You should look into some of Paul’s 21st century work. Anything from You’re the One; Surprise; So Beautiful, So What; or Strander to Stranger. All masterworks. His most recent, Seven Psalms, is a 33-minute song cycle that is dense with meaning and reflections of past glories. Amazing.

[zinckensteel]

One of my all-time favorite albums. I started listening to it shortly after its release as my mother had purchased a copy for herself (I was 7) - and to this day I will passionately sing along to every song if given the chance to not care about how I sound ;-)

[mournblade]

Such a great album. "Boy in the Bubble" in particular is amazing.