You Can Call Me Al - Music Videos

Music Videos

Paul Simon did not like the original music video that was made, which was a performance of the song Simon gave during the monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in the perspective of a video monitor. A replacement video was conceived partly by Lorne Michaels and directed by Gary Weis, wherein Chevy Chase lip-synced all of Simon's vocals in an upbeat presentation, with gestures punctuating the lyrics. Chase, at 6'4", towered over the much shorter (5'3") Simon.

The two men enter a white-walled room, sit down, and shake hands; Simon begins to sing, but stops and looks puzzled when Chase commandeers the vocal line instead. Simon then adopts a bored expression for the remainder of the song, occasionally stepping out to bring in other instruments such as a bass guitar and conga drum for later use. He only sings to provide bass harmony on the "If you'll be my bodyguard" and "I can call you Betty" phrases during the chorus. The two men perform a rhythmic dance step in unison during the bridge, with Simon and Chase playing alto saxophone and trumpet, respectively. For the fade-out instrumental and dance, Simon switches to bass guitar and nearly hits his head against the bell of Chase's trumpet as Chase pivots toward him, prompting Simon to smile. The two men keep playing as they exit the room.