“You Can Call Me Al” is one of Paul Simon’s most beloved songs, and it’s not hard to figure out why. The synth melody in this track is instantly catchy, and the lyrics match the song’s rhythm-forward approach. It’s ear candy if there ever was such a thing. But what was the driving force behind this song’s easy appeal? As it turns out, it was actually Simon’s relinquishing of control that made this song what it is. Learn more about the birthday present favor Simon delivered while recording that was actually the unexpected key to making “You Can Call Me Al” a hit, below.
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‘Graceland’ Recording Sessions
Simon recorded Graceland in South Africa, borrowing its sights and sounds. Many people have a negative view of this album because of this. Simon infamously went to Johannesburg amid the UN boycott of Apartheid. Many thought Simon undermined the efforts to dismantle the division.
Despite the controversial means of making this record, it remains one of Simon’s most popular efforts. He used African beats to give each song on this record a specific groove, diversifying his sound. “You Can Call Me Al” is very different from many of the songs Simon released prior to Graceland, but is all the better for the newfound folk approach he used in the 80s.
“You Can Call Me Al”
Simon relied heavily on collaborators, local musicians, and even his own band to create this song and the rest of the album. On “You Can Call Me Al” in particular, Simon let his bass player, Bakithi Kumalo, run wild on the track. According to the South African musician, it was a birthday gift from the folk icon that gave him free rein in the studio.
“That was my idea,” Kumalo once said of the distinctive bass solo in this song. “We were recording that song on my birthday, and there was space to fill, so Paul said, ‘Go ahead, Bakithi, do what you like.’ I just played – and they loved it. It was one take. Listening back, I didn’t know what happened; I thought it was from God, you know? I never planned it.”
Letting someone else take over the song for a bit proved to be an apt choice for Simon. It earned him a wildly popular song with an unshakeable rhythm, which likely wouldn’t have been possible without Kumalo. Revisit the iconic bass solo in “You Can Call Me Al” below.
(Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns)
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