Graceland (song)
1986 single by Paul Simon
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"Graceland" is the title song of the album Graceland, released in 1986 by Paul Simon. The song features vocals by the Everly Brothers. The lyrics follow the singer's thoughts during a road trip to Graceland after the failure of his marriage. Actress and author Carrie Fisher, Simon's ex-wife, said that the song referred in part to their relationship.[2] An acoustic version of the song was included as a track on The Unplugged Collection, Volume One.[3]
| "Graceland" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Paul Simon | ||||
| from the album Graceland | ||||
| B-side | "Hearts and Bones" | |||
| Released | November 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | November 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter | Paul Simon | |||
| Producer | Paul Simon | |||
| Paul Simon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A cover by Willie Nelson peaked at number 70 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1993.[4]
Reception
Billboard said that "Remarkable supporting players from his South Africa sessions make Simon's multiple-meaning musings into something subtly exotic."[5] Cashbox called it a "sparse, thin and taut" title track and praised Simon's lyricism on the song.[6]
The song won the 1988 Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It was the lowest-charting song on any of the world music charts to win Record of the Year until the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss US non-charting song "Please Read the Letter" won the same award in 2009.[citation needed] In 2004, it was listed at number 485 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs.[7] In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.[8]
Personnel
- Paul Simon – lead vocals, background vocals, acoustic guitar (uncredited)[9]
- Ray Phiri – guitar
- Demola Adepoju – pedal steel
- Bakithi Kumalo – fretless bass
- Vusi Khumalo – drums
- Makhaya Mahlangu – percussion
- The Everly Brothers – guitars, additional vocals
Charts
| Chart (1986–87) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 62 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] | 35 |
| Canada (RPM)[12] | 70 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[13] | 14 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[14] | 27 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 79 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] | 37 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 98 |
| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[18] | 38 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[19] | 81 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[20] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Sales since 2010 |
Gold | 400,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||