“You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon
It can be said that “You Can Call Me Al” boasts some relatively-complex lyrics for a mainstream song, even if it is classified by some as a rock track. That is in part because what is being put forth is actually pretty deep.
Verse 1
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. 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.
But what is most discernible is how the vocalist feels about the subject (himself) as relayed at the beginning of the verse. And what the vocalist proceeds to do is depict himself as someone who is, most simply put, self-conscious and a bit conceited.
Verse 3
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.
And apparently what these various, anxiety-laced musings are meant to point to is the idea of the vocalist going through a midlife crisis. In other words, up until this point, life has not materialized as idealized, and now he is losing faith that it ever will.
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. the type of random chick he wouldn’t normally deal with if his confidence was at a higher level.
Verse 3
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.
Westerners who have actually partaken of such adventures would likely attest to the fact that such experiences can prove to be perspective-changing. 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.
Song’s Title and Chorus (“You Can Call Me Al”)
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. 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. It would appear that Simon got a kick out of the occurrence, which is why he named the song so.
What this song is all about
The subject of this song (who is apparently a westerner) finds himself sadly going through a serious midlife crisis. However, when he visits the Third World (Africa to be specific), he suddenly experiences a new lease on life.
According to Paul Simon, this song tells the tale of somebody like himself who travels to Africa and while there encounters a spiritual experience so extraordinary that his life is instantly edified.
Paul Simon
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. 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. His most recent to date is 2018’s “In the Blue Light”.
“You Can Call Me Al” is from his seventh studio album as a soloist, a project entitled “Graceland”, serving as its lead single.
Facts about “You Can Call Me Al”
This song was written exclusively by Paul Simon, who also produced the track.
Reportedly, there is more than one music video to this song. 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.
“You Can Call Me Al” charted in a handful of countries and performed extremely well in all of them, with the exception of the United States, where it reached 23rd place on the Billboard Hot 100. By contrast it peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, in addition to achieving double-platinum status across the pond.
This track was recorded in New York but traces its origins back to Paul spending time in South Africa.
This track utilizes an instrument known as a penny whistle, which was once quite popular in South Africa. In fact on “You Can Call Me Al”, said device is played by a South African musician named Morris Goldberg.
Al Gore used this song during his successful bid for the Democratic Vice Presidential seat in 1992. And seemingly, this was a case in which a politician actually utilized a track with the artist’s approval.
This tune serves as the unofficial theme song for the University of Florida’s basketball team.
When was “You Can Call Me Al” released?
This Paul Simon classic was officially made public by Warner Bros. Records on 5 September 1986. And for the record Simon, who was born in 1941, was 44 years old at the time.
It was the first of five singles that was birthed by “Graceland” – an album considered one of the greatest of all time. Aside “You Can Call Me Al” and another very famous song from the album is “Graceland“. Then there is also the iconic song, “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”.
