Four decades ago, Paul Simon broke out of a middle-age slump with a collaborative project few saw coming. Join Chris Molanphy as he explores the musical brilliance, polarizing legacy—and of course, the chart history—of 1986’s Graceland.
Captivated by a borrowed mixtape of South African music, Simon defied a UN cultural boycott and traveled to apartheid-era South Africa to collaborate and record with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and other musicians. The result was polarizing, critically beloved and, eventually, a chart smash. Graceland also set a new precedent for aging pop stars.
For an even deeper dive on the controversies behind the album, check out Ashley Kahn’s new book Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland. And for more on the anti-apartheid movement in pop, listen to Hit Parade’s episode on the rise and fall of the charity megasingle.
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