#6 hit single by Neil Diamond in 1981
A Place for Music Fans!
You Can Call Me Al > Wiki
"You Can Call Me Al" is a song by Paul Simon, the first single released from his album Graceland. The song originally charted in the U.S. at No. 44 in October, 1986 but it was reissued with greater promotion in March, 1987 and hit No. 23. In the UK it peaked at No. 4, while in Sweden and the Netherlands reached No. 2.
The lyrics can be interpreted as describing a man experiencing a midlife crisis[1] ("Where's my wife and family? What if I die here? Who'll be my role model?").
The song features a bass run performed by Bakithi Kumalo, whose birthday it was on the day of recording the track; the second half of the solo is the first half played backwards.
The names in the song came from an incident at a party that Simon went to with his then-wife Peggy Harper. The host of the party mistakenly called Paul "Al", and Peggy "Betty", inspiring Simon to write a song.[2]
Related Topics
#27 hit single by Billy Joel in 1984
#7 hit single by Michael Jackson in 1983
#2 hit single by Madonna in 1985
Active questions about this song
- About Lunch
- Press
- FAQs
- Contact Us
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Sitemap
- Report Abuse
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.