Table of Contents
Who was on the Graceland tour with Paul Simon?
Special guest star Hugh Masekela, the exiled South African trumpeter, called for the release of imprisoned African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela in his jazz-funk anthem “Bring Him Back Home,” while singer Miriam Makeba, a fellow exile, lamented the suffering and repression in her homeland with a soulful …
What texture is Graceland?
Graceland (song)
“Graceland” | |
---|---|
Genre | Folk rock worldbeat |
Length | 4:48 |
Label | Warner Bros. |
Songwriter(s) | Paul Simon |
What is the tonality of Graceland?

Graceland is written in the key of A. Open Key notation: 4d.
What style of music is Graceland?
Graceland features an eclectic mixture of musical styles including pop, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya, rock, and mbaqanga. Mbaqanga, or “township jive”, originated as the street music of Soweto, South Africa.

What can Paul Simon’s Graceland teach us about South Africa?
The 25th anniversary reissue of Paul Simon’s Graceland shows how the album gave a human face to the perception of South Africa during apartheid by synthesizing geographically disparate musical strains that turned out to be remarkably complementary.
What makes Simon Simon’s Graceland so special?
On Graceland, his first album in three years, Simon completes his decade-long drift away from the pop mainstream with a topical dive into South African music, politics and controversy.
What is the Graceland documentary about?
Graceland was the first many of Simon’s fans had heard of South Africa’s black music. When I saw that this set included a two-hour documentary on the album, I wondered whether it would shy away from the issue of Simon’s violation of the cultural boycott on South Africa, but to its credit, it doesn’t.
What kind of music does Paul Simon play?
In his typically understated way, Paul Simon has been an ardent musical explorer since he went solo in 1972. His songs have incorporated almost every style of American music, including doo-wop, gospel, blues and jazz, as well as reggae, minimalism, salsa and South American folk.