Paul Simon was first convinced his 1986 song was “awful”. Now, it has been streamed 42,000,000 times
Paul Simon initially disliked the lyrics he had written for ‘The Boy in the Bubble’ and nearly abandoned the song. He discarded most of the words and rewrote them, creating the opening track of his 1986 album *Graceland*, which has since become one of his best-known songs.
The article says the music was already taking shape, with Forere Motloheloa’s accordion and Bakithi Kumalo’s bass and Vusi Khumalo’s drums giving the track its distinctive, driving sound. In a 2011 interview, Simon said he could not remember the original lyrics, though he may have kept a line or two; the song has now been streamed 42 million times.
In short
- Simon thought the original lyrics were awful.
- He rewrote most of ‘The Boy in the Bubble’.
- The song has been streamed 42 million times.
Explained simply
Paul Simon is an American singer and songwriter who first became famous as one half of Simon & Garfunkel before building a solo career. In the 1980s, he travelled to South Africa to record with local musicians, drawing on styles and performers that were less familiar to many of his listeners.
Those sessions produced Graceland, an album released in 1986, with The Boy in the Bubble as its opening track. The song’s sound was shaped by musicians including accordion player Forere Motloheloa, bassist Bakithi Kumalo and drummer Vusi Khumalo.
The album brought South African music to a wider international audience, while also prompting debate about recording in apartheid-era South Africa. Knowing that context helps explain why Graceland is discussed both as a musical collaboration and in relation to the politics of its time.