After Peter Gabriel’s Biko, it seemed like everyone wanted to make some kind of some kind of anti-Apartheid statement against the government of South Africa. The most enduring product of musical awareness was not particularly a protest album, but an introduction to contemporary African culture in a way that most Westerners had not experienced.
Paul Simon, know for being one half of the 1960s duo Simon and Garfunkle, had been a solo artist for a few years with mixed results up to 1986. His last album failed to capture the public’s imagination, so when Simon heard a cassette from a South African band called The Boyoyo Boys, he became inspired to produce an album that incorporated his distinctive folk style with exotic African rhythms.
The result was Graceland, easily one of the best albums of the 1980s. By the middle of the decade South African tribute albums had become all the rage, each of them protesting the Apartheid government. Simon would record much of Graceland in South Africa, using native musicians on an collection of songs that mixed exotic African beats and sounds with Western pop norms.
In all Graceland would have four singles with ‘You Can Call Me Al’ and ‘Boy in the Bubble’ being the most notable. ‘Boy in the Bubble’ became one of the years most surprising dance songs as it deftly combined earthy African funk, pop hooks and clever post modern inspired lyrics. It’s cutting edge video used computer generated composites of still images, adding to the exotic nature of the song.
In addition to including African musical styles, Graceland would also feature American regional styles like TexMex and Zydeco. The enormous personnel list for Graceland include contributions from artist as diverse as Los Lobos, Adrian Belew, Linda Ronstadt and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Graceland initially stirred up some controversy of its own. Artists like Paul Weller of the Style Councle and Billy Bragg (among others) all claimed that Simon had broken the cultural ban of South Africa imposed by much of the Western world. In the end Graceland was seen for what it was, an album that exposed African musicians to the world in a project that fused Western and native styles to great effect. There was no political agenda or songs blessing or condemning the government whatsoever.
The exposure to African art provided by Graceland may have done more good toward shortening Apartheid’s grip on South Africa than anything from Artists United Against Apartheid. Simon had effectively taken a political cause and made it more personal mainstream pop music.
The distinction was awarded with numerous accolades including Grammys for ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best Recording’ in 1987 and 1988 respectively. The title track earned a Grammy for “Song of the Year” in 1988. Simon’s next release was comprised of previously recorded material, but his next studio album ‘The Rhythm of the Saints‘ would take the basic concept of Graceland and go global in 1990.
Beatopolis 