4. Paul Simon- Graceland

There are songs that are companions on the journey, there are songs that stick through the dark times and songs that keep you warm late at night when it has all become too much. There are songs that are too painful to listen to again and again because of the memories they evoke. There are songs that make you feel things too deeply and so are restricted listening, or songs that you want to listen to again and again and again until you can recite every lyric. I hope Mr Simon won’t be offended by this entry, the things is, I love his songs because they don’t really have that effect on me. Yes, I love them, yes some I play over and over again but they’ve never been with me in the emotional depths, or highs and for that I love listening to them.

I can happily forget how good Paul Simon is at what he does, I don’t need to listen to his songs but they are perfect for the times when I just want to love music for being music, when I don’t have to worry about the memories that will come through as a result of listening to them. Sometimes we just need music that is great for it’s own sake rather than the memories it evokes in our head, a less intense experience maybe, but needed for the moments of just getting on with it in our lives.

Now, I’m not saying they are bland songs, I’m just saying that I’ve never cried my eyes out to them and so I love rediscovering his songs from time to time because he is clearly just a musical genius (we won’t talk about some of his later stuff…). Graceland is a sublime album, I don’t think there’s a duff song on it. And the song Graceland sums up Paul Simon, the way the music gently wraps itself around you, the smooth voice, intelligent lyrics, humming rhythm and the need to head off somewhere to find some hope. “I have reason to be believe, we all will be received in Graceland.”