New music books take on Paul Simon's 'Graceland' and the history of music and prison

NPR's Book of the Day

This episode of NPR's Book of the Day explores two new music books: Ashley Kahn's 'Days of Miracle and Wonder,' which delves into the making and cultural impact of Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album

Key takeaways

• Paul Simon's 'Graceland' marked a radical shift in his songwriting process, prioritizing rhythm over lyrics and collaborating directly with South African musicians.
• The album was inspired by a bootleg cassette of South African music, particularly the track 'Gumboots,' which influenced multiple songs on the record.

Main topics

• Paul Simon's Graceland album
• South African music in global culture

Notable quotes

"It's a music that was called Umbakanga, but the idea here is that Paul decided that he didn't want to recreate this music with New York studio musicians. His intent was to record it with the musicians who were on that cassette."

Conclusion

The episode highlights how music can transcend borders and politics while also reflecting deep societal contradictions.

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:01) Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Big music acts are often masters at self-mythology. Each album cycle presents a new opportunity for an artist to reintroduce themselves, to either reject or reinforce their reputations. Today, we've got two books that deal with musicians crafting their persona. In a bit, we'll talk about how prison can make or break someone's career. depending on the artist. But first, Paul Simon's Graceland was a career-defining album. It brought South African music to the U.S. mainstream audience, and it remains an influence on music today. There's a new book about the history of the album titled Days of Miracle and Wonder by Ashley Kahn. Uphead, Kahn tells NPR's A. Martinez that the album was a new direction for Simon, one his career desperately needed. That's after the break. Speaker 2 (0:51) On All of It with me, Alison Stewart, we'll talk about art, music, theater, literature, history, food. Well, all of it. Hear in-depth, insightful interviews with authors like Zadie Smith, musicians like Steve Earle, actors like Kate Winslet, and beyond. That's All of It, available wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 3 (1:14) Big news stories don't always break on your schedule. But with the NPR app, news, culture, and podcasts are ready when you want them. In your pocket. Download the NPR app today. Speaker 5 (1:33) The 1986 album Graceland is considered Paul Simon's signature album. It introduced South African music to a global audience, and it revitalized Simon's stagnant career. A Speaker 8 (1:45) man walks down the street, he says, why am I soft in the middle now? Why am I soft in the middle? The rest of my life is so hard. The Speaker 5 (1:53) new book explores how the album was made and its cultural impact. It's called Days of Miracle and Wonder, Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland. Writer Ashley Kahn says the album came just at the right time for Paul Simon, who in the mid-1980s was struggling artistically and Speaker 7 (2:10) commercially. Paul was coming off of a less than stellar performance by the album called Hearts and Bones. It had not been a huge commercial hit. It was critically welcomed, but it wasn't exactly the album that he wanted. Speaker 8 (2:35) Seems Speaker 5 (2:37) like Paul Simon definitely was in a stage in his life and in his career where change was probably needed. Speaker 7 (2:45) Absolutely. You know, and change came to him in a very kind of offhand way. A bootleg cassette of South African music is what really inspired Paul in a totally new direction. What was on that cassette? The cassette was called Gumboots. Accordion Jive Volume 2. And there was one tune in particular by an accordionist named Johnson McAulally from South Africa. And so that song inspired what would become Gumboots on the album Graceland. Speaker 8 (3:31) I was having this discussion in a taxi heading downtown. Rearranging my position on this friend of mine who had a little bit of a breakdown. Speaker 5 (3:42) It is the inspiration for that song Gumboots, but I also hear You Can Call Me Al. That's the song that I think most people would know from Graceland, but it seems like the DNA from that cassette is in a Speaker 7 (3:52) lot of those songs. It's a music that was called Umbakanga, but the idea here is that Paul decided that he didn't want to recreate this music with New York studio musicians. His intent was to record it with the musicians who were on that cassette. Speaker 5 (4:11) How did Graceland change the way Paul Simon composed music? Speaker 7 (4:16) Well, Graceland was pretty much a kind of a 90-degree shift for him as far as how he approached songwriting, building songs up, starting with a rhythm track as opposed to starting with a lyric. One of the best examples has to be You Can Call Me Al, a tune that was written about an old dinner party and... Paul was mistakenly referred to throughout the evening by one of the celebs at the party as Al. And he took a tune that was a studio jam that really doesn't