I love Paul Simon. Always have. Some of my favorite songs are:
***Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard
***50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
***Kodachrome
***American Tune
***Something So Right
***Loves Me Like a Rock
***Slip Slidin' Away
Treat yourself, and check them out on iTunes. They're classics that will live on.
There's a new documentary about Paul and the making of his Graceland album in 1985, when he went to South Africa and, and defying a boycott, used local musicians. This time was fraught with the reprehensible treatment of the native blacks and the danger that apartheid presented to them in their daily lives.
I'm sure this movie will be fascinating. I can't wait to have the opportunity to see it.
You can find an opinion piece about this in the New York Times today. The link follows:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/opinion/friedman-paul-simon-takes-us-back.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general
I was drawn to this article for two reasons:
First, I love Paul Simon. Yes, I realize I'm repeating myself, but it bears repeating.
Second, having just visited South Africa, I feel I will have a better understanding of what the native black South African musicians - who were vital to the making of this album - went through.
There are no songs from the Graceland album that landed on my favorite list, but it was a breakthrough recording on so many levels.
It took courage for Paul to go against the grain of South Africa, and the African National Congress, who imposed the cultural ban.
He joins many courageous folks for standing up for what was right, in the face of serious opposition.
It's interesting how music provides the soundtrack of our lives. In every important movement in the US, there were musicians who recorded the emotions of the time.
The Civil Rights Movement comes immediately to mind, and the great music from that era.
The Women's Movement, produced some incredibly powerful anthems on our liberation.
The Vietnam War, saw the making of many protest songs, that spoke of the anguish we were feeling as a nation.
This is a compelling argument for the support of the arts, because it is the arts, and especially music, that helps to define who we are at any given moment in history.
What does today's music say about us?
***Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard
***50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
***Kodachrome
***American Tune
***Something So Right
***Loves Me Like a Rock
***Slip Slidin' Away
Treat yourself, and check them out on iTunes. They're classics that will live on.
There's a new documentary about Paul and the making of his Graceland album in 1985, when he went to South Africa and, and defying a boycott, used local musicians. This time was fraught with the reprehensible treatment of the native blacks and the danger that apartheid presented to them in their daily lives.
I'm sure this movie will be fascinating. I can't wait to have the opportunity to see it.
You can find an opinion piece about this in the New York Times today. The link follows:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/opinion/friedman-paul-simon-takes-us-back.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general
I was drawn to this article for two reasons:
First, I love Paul Simon. Yes, I realize I'm repeating myself, but it bears repeating.
Second, having just visited South Africa, I feel I will have a better understanding of what the native black South African musicians - who were vital to the making of this album - went through.
There are no songs from the Graceland album that landed on my favorite list, but it was a breakthrough recording on so many levels.
It took courage for Paul to go against the grain of South Africa, and the African National Congress, who imposed the cultural ban.
He joins many courageous folks for standing up for what was right, in the face of serious opposition.
It's interesting how music provides the soundtrack of our lives. In every important movement in the US, there were musicians who recorded the emotions of the time.
The Civil Rights Movement comes immediately to mind, and the great music from that era.
The Women's Movement, produced some incredibly powerful anthems on our liberation.
The Vietnam War, saw the making of many protest songs, that spoke of the anguish we were feeling as a nation.
This is a compelling argument for the support of the arts, because it is the arts, and especially music, that helps to define who we are at any given moment in history.
What does today's music say about us?
No comments:
Post a Comment