The Bass Lines of Paul Simon's Graceland
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THE BASS LINES OF PAUL SIMON’S GRACELAND By CHARLES S. DEVILLERS A RESEARCH PAPER Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Commercial Music in the School of Music of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Belmont University NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE May 2020 Submitted by Charles S. DeVillers in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Commercial Music. Accepted on behalf of the Graduate Faculty of the School of Music by the Mentoring Committee: _______________ ______________________________ Date Roy Vogt, M.M. Major Mentor ______________________________ Bruce Dudley, D.M.A. Second Mentor ______________________________ Peter Lamothe, Ph.D. Third Mentor _______________ ______________________________ Date Kathryn Paradise, M.M. Assistant Director, School of Music ii Contents Examples ............................................................................................................................ iv Presentation of Material Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Chapter One: An Overview of Paul Simon’s Graceland.........................................3 Chapter Two: Bakithi Kumalo and South African Township Music ....................14 Chapter Three: Elements of South African Music Within the Bass Lines of Graceland ..............................................................................................................22 Chapter Four: The Bass in Paul Simon’s Post-Graceland Material ......................44 Appendix: Full Transcriptions ...........................................................................................54 References ..........................................................................................................................79 iii Examples 3.1 “The Boy in the Bubble” measures 9-12 .....................................................................29 3.2 “The Boy in the Bubble” measures 25-28 ...................................................................30 3.3 “The Boy in the Bubble” measures 41-44 ...................................................................30 3.4 “Graceland” measures 9-16 .........................................................................................31 3.5 “Graceland” measures 28-32 .......................................................................................33 3.6 “I Know What I Know” measures 3-5 .........................................................................33 3.7 “I Know What I Know” measures 8-9 .........................................................................33 3.8 “Gumboots” measures 3-7 ...........................................................................................34 3.9 “Gumboots” measures 13-17 .......................................................................................35 3.10 “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” measures 1-3 ...............................................36 3.11 “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” measures 17-18 ...........................................36 3.12 “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” measures 25-27 ...........................................37 3.13 “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” measures 35-43 ...........................................37 3.14 “You Can Call Me Al” measures 3-4 ........................................................................38 3.15 “You Can Call Me Al” measures 17-20 ....................................................................38 3.16 “You Can Call Me Al” measures 122-123 ................................................................39 3.17 “Under African Skies” measures 5-8 .........................................................................39 3.18 “Under African Skies” measures 29-32 .....................................................................40 3.19 “Crazy Love, Vol. II” measures 5-6 ..........................................................................41 iv 3.20 “Crazy Love, Vol. II” measures 31-34 ......................................................................41 3.21 “Crazy Love, Vol. II” measures 79-82 ......................................................................42 v Introduction Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland is considered by many to be a highlight of the renowned American songwriter’s career, including Simon himself who cites it as “the most significant achievement in my career” (Berlinger 2012). Even upon its release, the album was seen as a high point in the singer’s catalog, and an instant classic, as is noted in a 1986 Spin review that calls the album “Paul Simon’s greatest work” (O’Brien 1986, 27). Often praised for its groundbreaking combination of South African music with American pop by fans and critics alike, the core of what makes Graceland such an interesting album is the way in which Simon incorporates these two styles to create a unique sound. Part of what makes this combination successful was Simon’s use of South African session musicians during the recording process, who add authenticity to the album’s fusion of genres. Among these session musicians was bassist Bakithi Kumalo, whose fretless bass playing lends itself to many iconic moments on the album, as well as provides a unique backbone to the album’s fusion of sounds and styles. The goal of this project will be to identify ways in which elements of South African music present within the bass lines combine with Simon’s American pop songwriting to create a sound that is unique to Graceland, and which further influenced Simon’s songwriting later in his career. In order to achieve this, the first chapter of this paper will focus on the origin of the Graceland project, how it was initially conceptualized, and how, where, and when the recording sessions occurred. This 1 2 information will provide a background to further contextualize the ways in which South African and American musical elements are combined on the record. The second chapter will focus on the background of Bakithi Kumalo and the styles of South African music he plays and is influenced by to provide context for the styles of bass playing on the album. Chapter Three will present analyses of the bass lines and identify elements of traditional and popular South African music within them. Finally, by focusing on how the role of these bass lines affect the overall sound of Graceland, and by looking at how the electric bass is involved in Simon’s post-Graceland instrumental arrangements, the last chapter will demonstrate how the bass lines of Graceland contributed to a change in how Simon utilized the instrument during the later years of his career. Chapter One: An Overview of Graceland The story of Paul Simon’s Graceland is described in the book Paul Simon: American Tune as “such a perfect piece of pop mythology that the idea that it all actually happened tends to get lost in the folklore” (Bonca 2015, 100). The beginnings of what would become Graceland can be traced to events happening in Simon’s career and personal life throughout the early 80s. By 1983, Simon was about to release his second of two critically underwhelming albums in a row, and as Cornel Bonca (2015, 100) put: “It helps to remember that one of the things that freed Simon up to experiment with something as foreign to him as African music was precisely that his career was in the dumps.” Although his 1983 release Hearts and Bones was his first album not to be certified gold, Simon’s troubles dated back even before the release of that album due to increasing tensions within his personal life (Hilburn 2018, 246). Around the time Simon was writing Hearts and Bones, he had begun seeing a psychiatrist to deal with negative thoughts and anxiety surrounding financial troubles due to his previous album and movie One Trick Pony, as well as tensions with former partner Art Garfunkel, and a short-lived marriage and divorce with movie star Carrie Fisher (Carlin 2016, 252-53). Simon himself “was so shaken when the album didn’t do better, especially coming after One Trick Pony, that it made him question his ability to continue as a successful recording artist” (Hilburn 2018, 246). Simon recalls by the time Hearts and Bones was released he 3 4 was exhausted, and didn’t do anything to promote the record which resulted in a flop (Eliot 2010, 186). As 1984 passed by, Simon did not know what to do next. He reportedly spent days in Montauk watching the house he had planned for himself and his now ex-wife Carrie Fisher being built and listening to tapes to pass the time (Hilburn 2018, 250-51). One of the tapes Simon found himself returning to often was a bootleg mixtape called Accordion Jive Hits Vol. 2, which was lent to him by fellow singer-songwriter Heidi Berg (Carlin 2016, 277-78). It was on this mixtape that Simon heard the South African township music that would become the basis for the Graceland’s sound. At this point in Simon’s career, he felt that it was time to do something besides trying to get a typical pop hit like on his previous records, and felt the freedom to “go by his instincts” as nobody thought enough of him at that point to pressure him for a hit (Hilburn 2018, 250). After listening to the tape several times, Simon realized that it was his favorite tape in his collection, and found himself not wanting to listen to anything else (Berlinger 2012). There was one song that Simon was especially interested in, and wanted to use as the basis for his upcoming project. However, the only information he had