} Whether the "role model" is actually a person, or just a metaphor for old habits or old values or cultural expectations, etc., etc., the gist of the second verse is that the narrator is throwing off corrupt influences. There was an aquaintance at the party that kept calling Paul - Al and Carrie - Betty. The result is that in the second verse he is in transition, unnervingly ungrounded. Artist: Paul Simon. Then on a personal, noncommercial whim, he heads off to southern Africa (Third World at least for the Bantu population) and hooks up with this vibrant music scene that gets him going again. to a 1- or 2-sentence description about the Colbert appearance, say a slight fleshing out of Simon appeared on a Late Show with Steven Colbert episode, as "Alan", leader of a supposed Paul Simon tribute band named " Troubled Waters ", who, being addressed as "Alan" by Colbert, responded The album's hit track, "You Can Call Me Al" is a story of resilience and redemption. Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time. The African languages spoken as first tongues by the majority of the population—including Zulu, the country's most widely-spoken language—received no official recognition from the apartheid-era state. And he realizes he should have done so long ago ("All along along / There were incidents and accidents / There were hints and allegations"). What he realizes he really needs is a new "role model", now that his old life is gone. To pursue someone, often romantically. To ask one to come to a particular place. I remember everyone I knew thinking he must have been in drugs when he wrote this song because it just made no sense at all. I can call you Betty, And Betty, when you call me, You can call me Al! And look at the buildings – there’s angels in the architecture. Because there’s been a structure, and those abstract images, they will just come down and fall into one of the slots that the mind has already made up about the structure of the song. You don’t have to kill them; you don’t have to grab them by the throat with the first lineIn fact, you have to wait for the audience. I’ve already been the audience.”, “But if I make it up,” he continued, “knowing where it’s going, it’s not as much fun. ." Lyrics to 'You Can Call Me Al' by Paul Simon: A man walks down the street He says, Why am I soft in the middle now? In Response to Eure22: Mike from Philadelphia, Nj The "Al" in Paul Simons song "You can call me Al" is Albert Tancredi a former employee of Chevy Chase's. The first stanza introduces us to the man, bemoaning his fate and foolishly wishing for his "photo opportunity" and "shot at redemption". "Betty" may represent the Betty Ford Clinic, a well-known alcoholism clinic in the US made famous for its treatment of some well-known celebrities. So “You Can Call Me Al” is an example of that kind of writing. And interestingly enough, the man who was mangling Paul and Carrie's names was none other than the prolific French Conductor and Composer, Pierre Boulez (who was clearly a bit out of touch with the American pop music world.). Toggle navigation. Buddy, can you spare a dime? On the meaning behind the lyrics in "Call On Me" "The song was basically a song that I wrote in my bedroom, and it was about me wanting to quit music, and walk away from my dream. It was the lead single from his seventh studio album, Graceland (1986), released on Warner Bros. Records. Maybe it's his first time around. Many have speculated that "Betty" and "Al" were actually misnomers given to him and his wife (of the time) Carrie Fisher from a diplomatic party they both attended. Simon brought those recordings back to his New York City home, where he allowed the energy of the music to inspire the lyrics and melodies. A man walks down the street He says why am I soft in the middle now Why am I soft in the middle The rest of my life is so hard Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an award-winning musician whose talents in composing, performing, and vocal harmony placed him at the forefront of the singer-songwriters on an international scale. There is no way that can be coincidence. ], It’s like a baseball diamond; there’s more and more space out here as opposed to like [motions an inverted road growing more narrow], because if it’s like this at this point in the song, you’re out of options.So you want to have that first line that has a lot of options to get you going. And by the time you get to the third verse, and people have been into the song long enough, now you can start to throw abstract images. Maybe it's the Third World. And as a lyricist, my job is to find out what it is that I’m thinking. I don’t have to question it. Brother, can you spare a dime? Nothing Simon does is random. _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-inverted-img'); He doesn't speak the language, He holds no currency. I looked up this dialog to get some insight into the song. ("Who will be my role model, now that my role model is gone?") Will you go call in the kids? Is it possible that the chorus is a comical, nonsensical reference to Chevy Chase's Caddyshack dealings with Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) and Danny Noonen, to whom Chevy says, "I like you Betty." Al and Betty, while may have a double meaning as a reference to alcoholism, are derived from a party attended by Paul and his then wife Peggy (not Carrie Fisher). You Can Call Me Al Lyrics. Simon wrote the song using a new approach to lyrics, which combined colloquial speech with abstract, “enriched” language. Since it's apartheid South Africa, if anyone asks why they're together, Betty's supposed to say that Al's just a "long lost pal". The strongest image for me was the roly poly little bat-face girl, whom I saw as Yoko Ono. /* TFP - lyricinterpretations */ Troubled Waters, mock Paul Simon tribute band whose leader said "You can call me 'Al'." “[“Rene & Georgette] Magritte” has more of that. document.write('');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.clickfuse.com/showads/showad.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; I always have this image in my mind of a road that goes like this: [motions with hands to signify a road that starts narrow and gets wider as it opens out], so that the implication is that the directions are pointing outward. } catch(e) {}, by A man walks down the streetIt’s a street in a strange worldMaybe it’s the third worldMaybe it’s his first time aroundDoesn’t speak the languageHe holds no currencyHe is a foreign manHe is surrounded by the sound, the soundCattle in the marketplaceScatterings and orphanagesHe looks around, aroundHe sees angels in the architectureSpinning in infinityHe says, “Amen and Hallelujah!”If you’ll be my bodyguardI can be your long lost palI can call you BettyAnd Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al. if ( localStorage.getItem(skinItemId ) ) { } catch(e) {}, try { I think in Hearts and Bones, you could feel it was coming. All lyrics are property and copyright of their owners. Then it has a chorus that you can’t understand what is he talking about –  “You can call me Betty, and Betty, you can call Me Al.”  You don’t know what I’m talking about, but I don’t think it’s bothersome. You Can Call Me Al Songtext von Paul Simon mit Lyrics, deutscher Übersetzung, Musik-Videos und Liedtexten kostenlos auf Songtexte.com It's completely different than anything he's ever experienced, and he's disconcerted by what he sees: people speaking a language that he can't understand, the sound (and, no doubt, smell) of livestock ("cattle") in the marketplace, and the "scatterlings" of orphan children. I always understood this song as SEMIautobiographical. When it happens and I’m the audience and I react, I have faith in that because I’m already reacting. Beerbelly, BeerbellyGet these mutts away from meYou know, I don’t find this stuff amusing anymoreIf you’ll be my bodyguardI can be your long lost palI can call you BettyAnd Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al2. About You Can Call Me Al "You Can Call Me Al" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Become a member. That said: I was stunned just now, listening to "brother can you spare a dime". _g1.setAttribute('srcset', _g1.getAttribute('data-srcset')); (function() { The second verse is really a recapitulation of the first: A man walks down the street he says… another thing. That is why so many songs have lyrics that are not written in every day normal English but a strange coded type of wording most don't understand. Directed by Gary Weis. And that is bitchy. The guy in the third verse thinks, “Maybe it’s the third world, maybe it’s his first time around…” I thought it was interesting to combine what was on my mind with that music. The lyrics shift from the ordinary language of the first verse to a third verse imbued with enriched imagery, ... “You Can Call Me Al,” Live in Hyde Park, London, UK. And Hallelujuh!" "You Can Call Me Al" is een nummer van de Amerikaanse zanger Paul Simon. You can't analyse it too closely) Paul had just had his first real flop (One-Trick Pony) and was feeling at loose ends, probably not as bad off as Al in the first two verses but you get the mood. Because as soon as your mind knows that it’s on, and it’s supposed to produce some lines, either it doesn’t or it produces things that are very predictable.And that’s why I say I’m not interested in writing something that I thought about; I’m interested in discovering where my mind wants to go or what object it wants to pick up. How is "Carrie" similar to "Betty"? When Paul Simon was introduced to Al Tancredi as Chevy's chef Paul Simon said "your chef he looks like your body guard". 1. And the other thing that I try to remember, especially if a song is long, is: You have plenty of time. A noun or pronoun can be used between "call" and "in." Without a capo one would have to transpose this tab +3 steps to match the original key of F major. Paul Simon - You Can Call Me AlAlbum: GracelandYear: 1986Album: © Feyenoord Jazz musician Morris Goldberg played the other solo on the song on a penny whistle. As he was leaving he said goodnight to his hosts, calling Paul and his wife Al and Betty. Boulez introduced them to his guests as “Al and Betty.” It was the first single from Graceland, and became a hit, launched by the famous music video with Chevy Chase. And that’s the end of the song. adunit_id: 100001411, The rest is just Paul Simon and his way of melding what he's seen and heard into lyrics that fit into the music he writes. "Al" (supposedly a white man) needs a "bodyguard", a "role model" in this land he's in. "Dogs in the moonlight...Get these mutts away from me". The lyrics shift from the ordinary language of the first verse to a third verse imbued with enriched imagery, the “angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity…” That progression is not random. Paul Simon - Call Me Al Lyrics. He has realized that his alcoholism ("Mr. Beerbelly, Beerbelly") and his problems (the "mutts") are quickly doing him in, and that he's "soft in the middle"; he doesn't have the self-will to get out of the situation himself. Call Me by Blondie song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position. [The mind] always picks up on something true. A man walks down the streetHe says, “Why am I soft in the middle, now?Why am I soft in the middle?The rest of my life is so hardI need a photo-opportunityI want a shot at redemptionDon’t want to end up a cartoonIn a cartoon graveyard”Bonedigger, BonediggerDogs in the moonlightFar away from my well-lit doorMr. Because Virgil is not a Christian, he cannot lead Dante into Paradise. I simply chalk most of the strange lyrics up to that as it's got to be one of the strangest songs I've ever heard and most annoying as far as the lyrics go. So now you have this guy who’s no longer thinking about the mundane thoughts, about whether he’s getting too fat, whether he needs a photo opportunity or whether he’s afraid of the dogs in the moonlight and the graveyard,  and he’s off in: “Listen to the sound, look what’s going on… there’s cattle and scatterlings…And these sounds are very fantastic. It was Simon's low-key way criticizing apartheid by highlighting the ridiculous ruse the two men had to fabricate, just so they could sit together, most likely. Why am I soft in the middle? Paul Simon is a genius. It’s whimsical, rhythmically infectious, poetic and conversational, all before it expands into a whole other realm. Paul Simon and his wife at the time Carrie Fisher were throwing a party (or attending a party I can't remember). 2. To ask someone to answer a question, as in a classroom or other academic setting. They’re going to sit down, get settled in their seat. To request one's aid or expertise. Buddy, can you spare a dime? The progression is backward, from the current, stagnant situation through the fear of facing life to the innocence of first coming to the world without many former lives and no experience. How does "dogs in the moonlight" mean someone's problems and how the heck is anyone supposed to even remotely know what that is supposed to mean? try { Simon verzorgde zelf de muzikale productie, met Roy Halee als opnametechnicus. I dare you not to find their marriage as both a tonic and poison to him. 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