"You Can Call Me Al" is a song by Paul Simon, the first single released from his album Graceland. The song originally charted in the U.S. at No. 44 in October 1986 but it was reissued with greater promotion in March 1987 and hit No. 23. In the UK it peaked at No. 4, while in Sweden and the Netherlands it reached No. 2.
The lyrics can be interpreted as describing a man experiencing a midlife crisis ("Where's my wife and family? What if I die here? Who'll be my role model?"). However, as Paul Simon himself explained during the Graceland episode of the Classic Albums documentary series, by the third verse the lyrics move from a generic portrait-like perspective to a personal and autobiographical one, as he describes his journey to South Africa which inspired the entire album.
The song features a bass run performed by Bakithi Kumalo (whose birthday was on the day of recording the track); the solo is palindromic as only the first half was recorded, and was then played backwards for the second half. The pennywhistle solo was performed by jazz musician Morris Goldberg.
The names in the song came from an incident at a party that Simon went to with his then-wife Peggy Harper. French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, who was attending the same party, mistakenly referred to Paul as "Al" and to Peggy as "Betty", inspiring Simon to write a song.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo provided the "Mmmm Mmmm" backup vocals in the song, but are uncredited.
Read more about You Can Call Me Al: Music Videos, Credits, Cover Versions, Appearances in Other Media, Use of Song in Live Sport Events, Political Campaigns, Etc., Charts, Certifications
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