![]() But the main one, which one Gary Weis directed, features Paul Simon alongside Chevy Chase, who at the time was one of the top comedians in Hollywood. Reportedly, there is more than one music video to this song. This song was written exclusively by Paul Simon, who also produced the track. “You Can Call Me Al” is from his seventh studio album as a soloist, a project entitled “Graceland”, serving as its lead single. His most recent to date is 2018’s “In the Blue Light”. He and Art Garfunkel had their interpersonal issues, so their partnership proved somewhat short-lived when you take into account how notable they were. Thus it was also around that time, the early 1970s, that Simon really began dropping solo albums. Paul Simon, who grew up in New York City, made a name for himself as one half a Simon & Garfunkel, a musical duo that was very successful circa the late 1960s. It would appear that Simon got a kick out of the occurrence, which is why he named the song so. Instead as the story goes, Simon was once at a party with Peggy Harper, his first wife. And while there a certain musician named Pierre Boulez called Paul “Al” and Peggy “Betty” by accident. Meanwhile going back to the title/chorus, it should be pointed out that the terminology utilized in that respect doesn’t have anything to do with traveling abroad, nor it would seem a midlife crisis. ![]() Song’s Title and Chorus (“You Can Call Me Al”) On top of such settings being vastly different physically, priorities in places like Africa tend to be more grounded than those found in countries like America. And the vocalist doesn’t get into a lot of detail in that regard. But by the time all is said and done, we find him exclaiming “ amen and hallelujah!” That would imply that while in “the Third World”, he has some type of internal, edifying and spiritual epiphany. Westerners who have actually partaken of such adventures would likely attest to the fact that such experiences can prove to be perspective-changing. Meanwhile, the third verse is actually based on Paul Simon’s experiences in the Motherland (Africa). In fact “You Can Call Me Al” actually originated while he was in South Africa. the type of random chick he wouldn’t normally deal with if his confidence was at a higher level. So with that in mind the addressee in the chorus may be the kind of romantic interest he hooks up with at the end of the second verse, i.e. In other words, up until this point, life has not materialized as idealized, and now he is losing faith that it ever will. The above notion is reiterated at the beginning of the second verse, where we once again find the subject longing for “attention”, as if he wants to be famous or what have you. Beyond that, concerning his self-consciousness, it is made abundantly clear that he is a man of many worries.Īnd apparently what these various, anxiety-laced musings are meant to point to is the idea of the vocalist going through a midlife crisis. ![]() And what the vocalist proceeds to do is depict himself as someone who is, most simply put, self-conscious and a bit conceited. And yes, there is a lot of comical language being thrown around in this passage, with a lot of what’s going on reading as if it isn’t necessarily related.īut what is most discernible is how the vocalist feels about the subject (himself) as relayed at the beginning of the verse. ![]() The first verse is intended to be, in Paul’s own words, “sort of a joke”. According to Simon, songwriting is an exercise in which one must prepare the listener for what’s to come, which is why he opted to take an easygoing approach from the onset. You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al at.
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