Paul Simon’s Graceland: The Stories, Songs and Controversies Behind the Classic Album
Paul Simon’s Graceland remains one of the most celebrated and debated albums of the 1980s. Released in 1986, the groundbreaking record brought South African musical traditions to an international audience and produced unforgettable songs including “You Can Call Me Al,” “The Boy in the Bubble,” “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes,” and the title track. In this episode of Booked On Rock, Kalvin Schmidt-Rimpler Dinh, author of Paul Simon’s Graceland from Bloomsbury’s 33⅓ Africa series, is the guest to explore how a cassette of South African accordion music inspired Simon’s creative reinvention, the musicians who helped shape the album, and the surprising studio trick behind Bakithi Kumalo’s iconic backward bass solo.
But the story of Paul Simon’s Graceland extends far beyond its music. Dinh examines Simon’s controversial decision to record in South Africa during the apartheid-era cultural boycott, his collaborations with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ray Phiri, and Linda Ronstadt, and the lingering disputes over songwriting credits and royalties involving Los Lobos and Rockin’ Dopsie. Was Graceland a triumph of cross-cultural collaboration, or did some of its contributors deserve greater recognition? Discover the fascinating history behind this landmark album in the full Booked On Rock interview, available to watch on video or listen to as an audio podcast.
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