Paul Simon’s Graceland was released the same year I was born, so even though I’ve been listening to it and loving it for a long time, I was only partly aware of the history and the controversy surrounding it. Enter Ashley Kahn’s Days of Miracle and Wonder Paul Simon and the Trial and Triumps of Graceland, to help fill in the gaps in my knowledge. Kahn, a music journalist who used to work as a tour manager for acts including both Paul Simon and his collaborators Ladysmith Black Mambazo, takes his readers all the way through the process, from inspiration to recording studio to the end of the Graceland tour and beyond, into the album’s enduring cultural legacy.
Kahn details how the album was sparked by a cassette tape a friend passed along to Simon, featuring South African street music. Simon, who was in both a career and personal downturn after the lackluster response to the album Hearts and Bones and the end of his marriage to Carrie Fisher, was so inspired by the music on the tape that he traveled to South Africa to record with local musicians. These sessions formed the basis for what became Graceland, though there were additional recordings in Los Angeles as well.
The album was released to critical acclaim, winning the Grammy for Album of the Year, and eventually became a big seller after the awards success and the video for the single “You Can Call Me Al” took off. But all along, Graceland was the center of controversy, for obvious reasons. South Africa was still under apartheid at the time, and the United Nations had imposed a cultural boycott on the country in order to exert pressure on the government to change, Other artists had been severely criticized for performing in South Africa despite the boycott, especially at the notorious Sun City resort. (One of these artists, Linda Ronstadt, would also be featured on Graceland.)
Simon, who publicly declared himself anti-apartheid, did not believe he was in violation of the cultural boycott because he was recording not performing. He had sought out advice from Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte, who urged him to go to Johannesburg, as well as seeking out the approval of the black musician’s union, though he explicitly did not ask the ANC for permission as he did not want his trip to be political.
Kahn presents both sides of the argument fairly, though he clearly is on Simon’s side, perhaps due to their prior relationship. Kahn also does a good job presenting the more nebulous argument against Graceland, that it was an act of cultural appropriation. Kahn is pretty convinced by the notion that the Graceland sessions were a true collaborative effort, with the South African musicians paid handsomely (triple American scale) for their contributions. The album certainly helped expose the musicians to a much larger worldwide audience.
However you feel about Paul Simon or Graceland, Kahn’s book is a compelling look at a slice of time and history through the lens of a pivotal work of art, and can be enjoyed by a mass audience.
