1986 · Behind the Songs
A midlife laugh with a world-class groove.
“You Can Call Me Al” is the jester of the Graceland album — a droll midlife crisis set to an irresistible groove. Over pennywhistle, pumping bass, and horns, Paul Simon plays a man who has lost his bearings and found the joke in it. The video, with Chevy Chase lip-syncing Simon’s part, made it an MTV staple and one of the most beloved clips of the decade.
Under the comedy, the craft is flawless: the famous bass break, the whistled hooks, the lyric’s deadpan self-mockery. It’s the sound of a songwriter confident enough to laugh at himself.
Few hits prove that humor, played perfectly, is its own kind of genius. Call him Al — he’ll answer.