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Paul Simon: You're The One

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Warner Bros. Records
Released: 2000.10.03
Time:
 44:04
Category: Pop/Folk
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.paulsimon.com
Appears with: Simon & Garfunkel
Purchase date: 2000.09.30
Price in €: 13,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] That's where i belong (Paul Simon) - 3:12
[2] Darling Lorraine (Paul Simon) - 6:38
[3] Old (Paul Simon) - 2:19
[4] You're the one (Paul Simon) - 4:27
[5] The teacher (Paul Simon) - 3:36
[6] Look at that (Paul Simon) - 3:54
[7] Senorita with a necklace of tears (Paul Simon) - 3:41
[8] Love (Paul Simon) - 3:50
[9] Pigs, sheep and wolves (Paul Simon) - 3:58
[10] Hurrican eye (Paul Simon) - 4:12
[11] Quiet (Paul Simon) - 4:17

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


PAUL SIMON - Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Sitar Guitar, Arrangement, Producer

VINCENT NGUINI - Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
MARK STEWART - Cello, Electric Guitar, Dobro, Sitar Guitar, Pedal Steel Gong, Banjo, Tromba Doo
LARRY CAMPBELL - Pedal Steel Guitar
BAKHITI KUMALO - Bass
PETER HERBERT - Upright Bass
ABRAHAM LABORIEL - Bass
STEVE GADD - Drums
JAMEY HADDAD - Percussion
STEVE SHEHAN - Percussion
ALAIN MALLET - Wurlitzer Piano, Pump Red Organ
EVAN ZIPORYN - Bass Clarinet
JAY ELFENBEIN - Vielle, Vihuela
CLIFFORD CARTER - Celeste, Keyboard Glockenspiel
STEVE GORN - Bamboo Flute
HOWARD LEVY - Harmonica
SKIP LA PLANTE - 96-tone Harp, Whirly Pipe, Rubbed Steel Bowl
DAN DUGGAN - Hammer Dulcimer

ANDY SMITH - Recording, Mixing
STEVE SCHWEIDEL - Assistant Engieer
CLAUDIUS MITTENDORFER - Assistant Engieer
BOB MURPHY - Assistant Engieer
BOB LUDWIG - Mastering
JIM CORONA - Music technician, Logistic
LYNN GOLDSMITH - Photography, Art direction
GREG FOLEY - Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2000 CD Warner Brothers 47844
2000 CS Warner Brothers 47844
2000 CD Wea International 10809
2001 DVA Warner Brothers 47844

Recorded at The Hit Factory, New York, New York. If you discount his musical theater endeavor THE CAPEMAN, as many are quick to do, YOURE THE ONE ended a 10-year silence in the recording career of Paul Simon. The wait was not in vain; this album unites GRACELANDs effervescence (guitar and bass chores are handled by Simons South African accomplices from that era), RHYTHM OF THE SAINTS free-floating poetry and languid cool, and the mix of humor and introspection that made HEARTS & BONES Simons most underrated album. Darling Lorraine is a devastatingly poignant portrait of a turbulent relationship, where language and melody are somehow simultaneously liquid and cutting. Old finds the pushing-60 Simon casting a humorous eye on humanitys relative age in the universe, over backing that mates South African fluidity with the 50s rock & roll of Simons youth. Throughout the album, Simon continually manages to wring new emotional truths out of words and music without ever sounding labored; the mark not only of a seasoned vet, but also of a true artist in full flower.



Sehen Sie sich einmal an, wie ein Superstar auf einen Rückschlag reagiert, und Sie wissen sehr viel über ihn. Einige setzen sich in den Kopf, dass die Welt nun aus den Fugen geraten ist -- und sie sind natürlich die einzigen, die es bemerkt haben. Andere ziehen sich in ihren Schmollwinkel zurück und an einen Aufstieg ist nicht mehr zu denken. Und ein anderer Typ kehrt wieder an den Punkt zurück, von dem sein Erfolg ausging: Genau das ist die Marschroute von Paul Simon bei seiner ersten Veröffentlichung seit seinem missglückten Debüt am Broadway mit Capeman. Der Titel ist bereits sehr vielsagend. You're The One ist so bescheiden wie nur möglich; dieses Mal ist Simon ein Sänger und Songschreiber und kein Komponist. Daher erinnert You're The One eher an die anfänglichen Alben der Phase nach Simon & Garfunkel wie There Goes Rhymin' Simon und Still Crazy After All These Years als an das umfassend angelegte Graceland. Ohne den Ehrgeiz, neues Terrain zu erobern, hat Simon eine Sammlung geschaffen, deren Reiz in elf gekonnten, eingängigen Melodien liegt, die alle mit Geist und Witz präsentiert werden, besonders bei solchen Songs mit eindeutigem Profil wie "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves", "Darling Lorraine" und "Old". Und die Moral von der Geschicht': Man braucht keine Broadway-Produktion über des Lebens kleine Freuden und Sorgen abzuliefern; diese passen auch wunderbar in einen kleinen Vier-Minuten-Song.

Steven Stolder - Amazon.de



In one way or another, much of You're the One consists of Paul Simon angsting about aging. But who's he kidding? The man was once married to Princess Leia and is currently married to Edie Brickell, a woman a quarter of a century his junior. Besides, even in his youth, his music hinted at a wisdom beyond his years. Toning down the tribal vibe of 1987's Graceland and producing an album great enough to make you forgive him for 1997's Capeman musical, Simon continues crafting timeless folk songs with delicate and warm storytelling. Soft percussion, the sentimentality of early American R&B, lively Caribbean guitar playing and good ol' hand-clappers go hand in hand here. Just ignore the spry 58-year-old when, on "Old," Simon compares his age to that of the Bible, the Universe and God. The guy's got a lot of life left.

Copyright © 2001 E! Online, Inc. All rights reserved.



The disaster of The Capeman hit Paul Simon particularly hard, so he decided to quickly record a new album, his first proper collection of songs since 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints — his first album in ten years, really. Nevertheless, if this album has a relative, its 1982's Hearts and Bones, since it's a deliberately low-key, insular record, especially when compared to the sweeping worldbeat explorations of Graceland and Rhythms. But where Hearts and Bones was a singer/songwriter album, no two ways about it, You're the One illustrates the influence of its predecessors, but it's not showy about it. The African and South American rhythms are as much a foundation of Simon's music as folk is, and his compositions reflect it, boasting surprisingly tricky rhythms that carry through to his melodies themselves. That, combined with Simon's determination to meet aging head-on, makes You're the One a bit of an acquired taste, especially since its compositions are never overtly accessible and melodic — they're all tone-poems, driven as much by tone and lyric as song itself. This all results in a record that may be a little too deliberately low-key and elliptical for most tastes, especially since it demands full concentration even from serious fans. But this does reward close listening, and even if it doesn't shine as brilliantly as Hearts and Bones (his most underappreciated record), it does share some similarities in that it's a unassumingly intellectual record that feels like it was made without an audience in mind. Which means its more interesting than successful, but interesting can have its own rewards.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide
© 1992 - 2001 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



From the groundbreaking 1964 Simon & Garfunkel debut album, Wednesday Morning 3 A.M., to the present, Paul Simon has always offered great songwriting. Unfortunately, his last two albums, Rhythm Of The Saints and Capeman, seemed forced. However, You're The One, easily his best solo effort since 1986's Graceland, follows a pure pop ethos that is refreshingly, and sometimes painfully, honest. At 59 years old, Simon's subject matter has changed since his days with Art Garfunkel, but his outstanding ability to write memorable melodies and lyrics that are simultaneously personal and universal has not. "Darling Lorraine," a lonely tale about rushing into marriage because of a strong need for companionship, conjures up notions of Simon's first wife, actress Carrie Fisher. "Old" reflects upon exciting memories of listening to Buddy Holly and smoking pot for the first time. Naturally, these topics cause Simon to feel his age, but he takes humorous comfort in it by comparing his years with the dawn of man and religion.

David M. Avery - Oct 23, 2000
College Media Inc. - CMJ New Music Report Issue: 688



World music poses unique challenges. By definition it's without limit, a genre beyond genre, unbound by provincial conventions. In too many cases this spaciousness tempts artists down trails of vague inspiration, forcing them to compensate with glistening production and artifacts plundered from cultures along the way.

For some artists, such as Peter Gabriel, passion and genius have provided shelter from these distractions. Paul Simon hasn't done quite as well; some of his earlier experiments reflect a dilettante mentality -- a sprinkle of zydeco here, some township jive there. It's taken him a while, but on You're the One Simon succeeds, by building the music around his artistry rather than being dazzled again by the bells and baubles of distant lands.

Not that diversity is lacking here, but more than on previous albums Simon puts it into a persuasive context. On the opening track, "That's Where I Belong," over a bed of broad African rhythms, his voice floats in and out of falsetto, riding a feathery melody through words that celebrate the spirit in music. And where he once was content to mimeograph this or that style, he now balances disparate fragments, as on "Darling Lorraine," a beautifully sad rumination enhanced by celeste, shimmering African guitar, and cello.

In the hushed modal vocals of the title track, in the blue-note mantra and Ganges drone of "Quiet," in the fatalistic humor of the rockabilly-driven "Old" and the poignant images of "Love" and the slapstick cynicism of "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves," Simon flaunts undiminished lyrical gifts and rejuvenated vocal powers. No other singer, not even his former partner, can match Simon's marriage of intelligence, quiet ecstasy, intimacy, and sheer musicality. But then, few are able to work with this kind of material. It's official: Simon is the one.

Robert L. Doerschuk - October 3, 2000
Copyright © 1995-2000 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved.



Returning from the debacle of The Capeman-- his quickly closed, controversial Broadway play -- Paul Simon is back to his old standbys: negotiations and love songs. A guy in love with words, and with a penchant for trying the unconventional, Simon aims his melodies outside the box this time around, incorporating world-beat rhythms and working his sublimely dour mood to best advantage.

"Old" is a two-minute, Buddy Holly romp that attempts to make light of Simon's encroaching age, something Randy Newman does often, and to much better effect. The leadoff line of the title track ("May 12 angels guard you while you sleep / Maybe that's a waste of angels / I don't know") continues this thread and similarly rings false.

Sincerity is Simon's strong suit: "That's Where I Belong" has the melancholy longing of his '70s work. "Senorita with a Necklace of Tears" features Spanish guitars and an ambivalent plea for spiritual salvation. "Darling Lorraine" chases a relationship from romantic bliss to marital discord to death. Sadly, the insistent, busy song dynamics are a considerable distraction.

Simon's impulses always seem to be at war with his intellect. He makes the simplest of emotions difficult, and his music follows suit. There's always an extra, jarring rhythm or bizarre chord. Simon long ago left the easy road behind. Now, it's just a question of whether or not his listeners will follow.

Rob O'Connor - October 2, 2000
CDNOW Contributing Writer
Copyright © 1994-2001 CDnow Online, Inc. All rights reserved.



The manner in which a superstar responds to a setback says a great deal about the artist. Some choose to conclude that the world is simply off its orbit and they're the only ones who've noticed. Others cower in semiretirement and never again climb to great heights. And another bunch go back to what brung 'em, which is the route Paul Simon has opted to take with his first outing since his misbegotten Broadway debut, Capeman. The title of this 11-song collection says it all. You're the One is as understated as they come; this time out, Simon is a singer-songwriter, not a composer. As such, You're the One is more reminiscent of initial insular post-Simon & Garfunkel LPs like There Goes Rhymin' Simon and Still Crazy After All These Years than the expansive Graceland. With no new lands to conquer, Simon has fashioned a collection whose appeal lies with its 11 crafty, catchy tunes, all of which are delivered with spirit and wit, particularly on the character-driven likes of "Pigs, Sheep and Wolves," "Darling Lorraine," and "Old." The lesson is that you don't need to make a Broadway production of life's little joys and heartaches; they fit quite nicely into a four-minute song.

Steven Stolder - Amazon.com



Having untangled himself from the albatross of 1997’s The Capeman musical, Paul Simon presents You’re The One, a pleasantly restrained batch of ethnologically tinged compositions and lyrical meanderings. Many would no doubt love to hear Simon redeploy the overblown afro-world-rock concoctions of Graceland and The Rhythm Of The Saints, but the mellower focus of this set is much more in keeping with the reflective nature of Simon’s new contemplations on the Autumn of his life ("Quiet", "Old"), and love ("Love"). Though enriched by a varied selection of instruments (pump organs, thumb pianos, acoustic guitars, percussion, etc), lyrically the collection finds Simon at his most corny – for example, playing the part of witchdoctor-storyteller on the cringe worthy "Teacher". Overall this is a pleasant enough album, but it’s unlikely to set the world alight.

The Rough Guide Rock



One of the most durable performers of the rock era, with a recording career that goes back 43 years, Paul Simon has also been one of the most influential. In the mid-1960s, he and Art Garfunkel were the quintessential Sixties folk-rock group, with Simon penning songs that became virtual anthems for a generation. In the 1970s, he continued to enjoy success on his own as his songs reflected the stages of life through which he and his generation moved. Then in 1986, Simon created one of the most innovative and influential pop albums of that decade, Graceland which introduced American audiences to the joys of African music, and was an important catalyst for the emergence of the World Music scene in the US. He followed that with another ambitious, though somewhat less seminal recording The Rhythm of the Saints which brought in some contemporary Brazilian influences.

In 1997, Simon directed his attention to another equally large project, a Broadway production written with South African poet Derek Walcott called The Capeman. It was an intriguing and musically worthwhile production, but it did not last long on Broadway.

Now Paul Simon is out with another new project, and interestingly, it is his first recording since 1983's Hearts and Bones not intended to be a concept album or part of a larger project. It's called You're The One, and it turns out to be his best album since Graceland and probably one of the best of his career.

Another distinctive feature of You're the One is that it is performed by a regular band, with a few guests, rather than a large cast of musicians brought in for specific pieces. However, it retains the world music influence that goes back to Graceland, with a delightful and often seductive mix of African rhythms and intriguing percussion.

Lyrically, Simon says that he looks upon this as a collection of stories, some seemingly autobiographical, and some decidedly allegorical. He examines love, relationships, family, and his own place and age in the world, in words that outwardly seem optimistic but can be bittersweet when re-considered. He sings the songs in a gentle, almost reverential style, while the group around him delivers multicolored instrumental pastels.

The band on the CD includes guitarist Vincent Nguini, with whom Simon worked on Rhythm of the Saints, bassist Bakithi Kumalo from the Graceland album, drummer Steve Gadd who played with Simon in the 1970s on Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, and percussionists Steve Shehan and Pocono-based Jamie Haddad, well known regionally for his work with the David Liebman Group, featured on our Homegrown Music series. Haddad is known for his brilliant percussion work, and he adds much to this CD, with wonderful percussive colors and some fascinating rhythmic approaches. To the core group are added guests playing unexpected instruments like steel guitar, pump organ, bamboo flute and harp.

You're the One gets under way with That's Where I Belong, which in turn begins with a New Age-like drone before the contemplative lyrics make their entrance with a suitably gentle but eclectic musical setting.

One of the more whimsical tracks is Old in which Simon again considers his age, as he did a quarter century ago on Still Crazy After All These Years. This time, he weaves a musical setting that hints at Buddy-Holly-style-rock woven with world percussion. Simon this time points out things that are older than those of his generation, and how durable those things are.

Thoroughly intriguing is the piece called The Teacher which seems to be about charismatic cult leaders who lead their followers to destruction. The spacey but unsettling steel guitar, played by Larry Campbell, added to Haddad and Shehan's worldly percussion creates a unusual and fascinating track.

The title piece You're the One is another interesting mix, a complex love song set into a kind of rumba beat.

Simon said that his three young children influenced him quite a bit in the writing of this album. That is apparent on Look at That, with its metaphors of childlike innocence.

A song simply called Love, is a definite highlight of the album. The piece started out as an instrumental, but Simon took its gorgeous musical setting and wove into a philosophical reflection on the topic so-often considered in song.

For me, the album's masterpiece is Darling Lorraine a lengthy track which also started out as an instrumental. The lyrics Simon added form a narrative on a relationship from the first love, through the ups and downs of marriage, to her early death. The musical setting is superb with its blend of world music influences that evolve and shift through the various sections of the composition.

Though Simon says his kids influenced his writing on this album, his composition called Pigs, Sheep and Wolves is not exactly a children's song. It becomes an metaphor for the criminal justice system.

The album ends much as it begins with a drone-like sequence. Quiet is a reflective piece that is a unexpected blend of an old-fashioned hymn and Eastern meditation.

Paul Simon's new CD You're The One marks his first release in seventeen years that was not an ambitious concept album part of a larger work, and yet it's one of the most intriguing recordings of his career and no doubt the best since his ground-breaking world music release Graceland. This time working with a regular band of blue-chip players, but retaining the world music influence, and with the freedom to take the songs where he wished, Simon creates a subtle masterpiece. The fascinating musical setting, some of Simon's best lyric writing in a long time, contrasted with the generally contemplative mood of the recording makes this an album that you'll find yourself coming back to time after time, and discovering something new each time.

Our sound quality grade is a solid "A," with engineer Andy Smith nicely capturing the distinctive instrumentation, and enhancing the mood of the recording. Even the dynamic range is pretty respectable for a major-label release.

Paul Simon has enjoyed many hits in his career, but he has also known some commercial disappointments. Music as subtle, deep and musically eclectic as You're the One has almost no chance to reach the top of the commercial music charts these days dominated by the likes of Eminem and Britney Spears. But despite his occasionally expressed desire to have another hit, Simon made no compromises on his new album. The result is a brilliant record that stands as one of the finest so far in 2000, and in Simon's own 40 year recording career.

© Copyright 2000 George D. Graham. All rights reseved.



Pushing 60 and in his fifth decade of recording, Paul Simon is still making interesting music. You're The One combines Hearts and Bones' introspection and Rhythm Of The Saints' exotic rhythms for a CD devoted largely to quiet, thoughtful examinations of the mysteries and delights of love. You're The One is nothing new but it has great musicianship and concise, vivid writing.

You're The One starts with a statement of purpose. On That's Where I Belong, Simon tells us he's still "bound to tell a story" in the moment where, "in a burst of glory, sound becomes a song." He expresses domestic happiness, finding in "every ending a beginning" but also belongs in an alien world where "a spiny little island man plays a jingling banjo" walking "to a river where the water meets the sky." The music is ethereal, opening with a bamboo flute and carried forward by evocative percussion and Vincent Nguini's delicate guitar. Darling Lorraine is reminiscent of Rhythm Of The Saints, with a hint of Hearts and Bones' sad "arc of a love affair." The sound starts dreamily, as Simon sings about the exciting mystery of a relationship's start, then has Proof's cheekiness as Simon's character expresses shock then feigns indifference to Lorraine's threat to leave. The song ends with sad restraint as he begs her to stay. Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears, which could be called That's How I Want It To Be, has Hearts and Bones' reflective feel but also is quietly optimistic. Simon riffs on being born again, finding "a cure for all the suffering that mankind must endure" and writing a song that could repent the sins he's committed. Look At That has good texture from steady percussion layered with chimes and guitar. Look At That is a pleasantly meandering appreciation of life until it gets to a good hook: "ask somebody to love you, takes a nerve."

You're The One is almost always interesting but it could have used more of the feisty energy of the amusingly cranky Old, a fun, compact rocker. Simon pays tribute to Peggy Sue in the lyrics and the song's Bo Diddley beat, singing "Buddy Holly still goes on" but adding "his catalog was sold" and also that "genocide still goes on." He resents friends saying he's old. Then he argues the length of our lives is irrelevant compared to how long God and the universe have been around. He dismisses mundane squabbles with: "Disagreements? Work 'em out" then abruptly and impudently ends the song, "take your clothes off, Adam and Eve." Simon's 80's travels, besides leading to one excellent and one very good record, introduced Simon to musicians who are sometimes better than he deserves. They make the sound appealing even when Simon's self analysis loses interest. Bakithi Kumalo's bass, Nguini's guitar and percussion give the title track the light buoyancy of Late In The Evening or You Can Call Me Al. Simon sings he'd do anything to keep his love safe then makes himself crazy thinking she's waiting for things to go wrong, blames her for making him cry then realizes he makes her cry.

You're The One is weakest when Simon gets too serious. Nguini and Kumalo's light touch is missing on The Teacher, a pedantic attempt at myth making. Over good percussion, Simon sings about being in a tribe, walking into the unknown and looking to a master for guidance. Like on Rhythm Of The Saints, Simon's writing on You're The One is stripped down and simplified, sometimes to the point there's not much to it. Love is sweet but fairly pointless. But just when it seems totally innocuous, the music brightens on a bridge where, with Nguini's help, Simon's voice poignantly bends as he sings "we think it's easy" but "we should be grateful" for love. Pigs, Sheep and Wolves' fairy tale about a pig framing a wolf for murder is a well meaning allegory condemning the death penalty but Simon's cutesy delivery undermines its power. Hurricane Eye isn't particularly meaningful but it's appealingly loose limbed. It starts with a banjo and, with good percussion and guitar, easily flows into different musical forms. You're The One ends strikingly with the stark Quiet. It's a little like Bridge Over Troubled Water but instead of offering to ease another's mind, Simon seeks release from his own stress.

You're The One doesn't have Hearts and Bones' depth and emotional heft or Graceland's novelty and transcendence but it combines an adult maturity with Simon's desire to still grow and try new things. After the not bad, but commercially unsuccessful, doo wop flavored Capeman experiment, Simon is back on comfortable ground. You're The One could have used a little more juice but it's filled with good, minimal, well made and very listenable songs.

Review by LarryG



Paul Simon's first newly recorded material since 1990's "The Rhythm Of The Saints" finds the legendary singer-songwriter taking a step back from his journey of discovery.

This journey began in 1986 with "Graceland," as Simon assimilated South African influences to great effect, producing his biggest solo album and securing an Album Of The Year Grammy. Four years later, "The Rhythm Of The Saints," another multi-platinum seller, had Simon experimenting with Brazilian music.

"You're The One," if you like, is the sound of a man coming home.

Musically, "You're The One" is a more straightforward proposition compared to the complexities of the last two albums, but no less powerful.

The opening "That's Where I Belong" sets the agenda, depicting Simon's role as storyteller. The rest of "You're The One" seldom strays from this premise, from the jazzy "Darling Lorraine" to the Latin-inflected "Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears," from the nostalgia-tinged "Old" to the nursery-rhymed hillbilly "Pigs, Sheep And Wolves," Simon pays equal attention to words and music, to dazzling effect.

Still vibrant even at 59, Paul Simon has turned in a superb record.

Kevin Mathews



Simon changes course with 'You're the One'

Unlike his albums of the past 17 years, Paul Simon's latest, "You're The One" follows no particular theme

October 5, 2000
Web posted at: 11:50 a.m. EDT (1550 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Paul Simon broke some old ground this week with the release of "You're the One."

The CD is the first disc Simon's released in 17 years that's not dominated by a theme or concept. "Graceland" (1986), for example, is marked by South African influences. "Rhythm of the Saints" (1990) is known for its Brazilian undercurrents.

This time, says Simon, the 11 songs on his latest effort are linked only by "their flow and shape."

Simon, who'll be 60 on October 13, recently rehearsed with his 11-piece touring band at a sound stage just blocks from the Brill Building, where he and his teen-aged pal, Art Garfunkel, tried to get their songs published in the late 1950s. He took a few moments to reflect on music, touring and his latest album.

CNN: You seem not to have lost a step as a songwriter. Has writing songs always been relatively easy for you?

Paul Simon: Well, it has always been there: I don't know if it is relatively easy; sometimes it is hard. This album was particulary easy. though. It was easy in a sense that it came very quickly, and that is unusual for me. But -- I don't know -- I guess I have experienced periods of block, writers block. ... Every time I finish and a year goes by ... I'll wonder if I will have another idea.

CNN: Does this album have some sort of underlying theme, or is it just a collection of diverse songs?

Simon: Oh, I don't know. ... It is, of course, what I learned -- what has come out and what experiences come out. But most of it is just imaginary, you know.

(T)here isn't a theme except that ... the music has a flow and a shape and ... I was very conscious of that -- that it should have a shape, and that it should be able to be listened to as an entire piece of 44 minutes, and that you won't be bored.

CNN: The sequencing of the tracks has something to do with it?

Simon: The sequencing, and the color, and keys and tempo. And there are a lot of elements that play into what keeps our attention span from exploding and dissappearing. ... So I was keeping an ear our for that -- trying my best.

CNN: So people will say, "This CD is just a collection of songs."

Simon: That's essentially true. It's not about any other culture. It's about stories, and has much more of me playing the guitar than it has in the last ... decade-and-a-half. It's a collection of songs; that's right.

CNN: Did you learn anything when you toured on a shared bill with Bob Dylan?

Simon: That was a lot of fun. ... I'm not sure that I learned anything. I hadn't toured in a long time before that. It was good to go out and get in front of an audience again. ...

We're different, but there's something that made a lot of sense for the pairing (of us). ... I liked his band, he liked my band, I liked singing duets with him; they were hilarious. ... For a brief amount of time that was fun, and maybe we'll do it again sometime.

CNN: You're doing a fall swing through Europe, is that the understanding?

Simon: Yeah, I am going to go and do about seven weeks of touring. ... I haven't been and played in Europe in 10 years. And then I will come back and play in the (United States) a little bit. It is not a big tour.

CNN: Will this culminate in a PBS special of some sort?

Simon: They're going to shoot the shows that we do in Paris and that will be shown on PBS.

By Mark Scheerer
CNN Correspondent
 

 L y r i c s


THAT'S WHERE I BELONG

Somewhere in a burst of glory
Sound becomes a song
I'm bound to tell a story
That's where I belong

When I see you smiling
When I hear you singing
Lavender and roses
Every ending a beginning

The way you turn
And catch me with your eye
Ay ay ay
That's where I belong

When I see you smiling
When I hear you singing
Lavender and roses
Every ending a beginning

That's the way it is
I don't know why
Ay ay ay
But that's where I belong

A spiny little island man
Plays a jingling banjo
He's walking down a dirt road
Carrying his radio
To a river where the water meets the sky
Ay ay ay
That's where I belong


DARLING LORRAINE

The first time I saw her
I couldn't be sure
But the sin of impatience
Said, "she's just what you're looking for"

So I walked right up to her
And with the part or me that talks
I introduced myself as Frank
From New York New York

She's so hot
She's so cool
I'm not
I'm just a fool in love with darling Lorraine

All my life I've been a wanderer
Not really, I mostly lived near my parents' home
Anyway Lorraine and I got married
And the usual marriage stuff
Then one day she says to me

From out of the blue
Frank, I've had enough
Romance is a heartbreaker
I'm not meant to be a homemaker
And I'm tired of being darling Lorraine

What - you don't love me anymore?
What - you're walking out the door?
What - you don't like the way I chew?
Hey let me tell you

You're not the woman that I wed
You say you're depressed but you're not
You just like to stay in bed
I don't need you darling Lorraine

Darling Lorraine
Lorraine
I long for your love

Financially speaking
I guess I'm a washout
Everybody's buy and sell
And sell and buy and
And that's what the whole thing's all about
If it had not been for Lorraine
I'd have left here long ago
I should have been a musician
I love the piano
She's so light
She's so free
I'm tight, well, that's me
But I feel so good
With darling Lorraine

On Christmas morning frank awakes
To find Lorraine has made a stack of pancakes
They watch the television, husband and wife
All afternoon "it's a wonderful life

What - you don't love me anymore?
What - you're walking out the door?
What - you don't like the way I chew?
Hey let me tell you
You're not the woman that I wed
Gimme my robe I'm going back to bed
I'm sick to death of you Lorraine

Darling Lorraine
Lorraine
Her hands like wood
The doctor was smiling
But the news wasn't good
Darling Lorraine
Please don't leave me yet
I know you're in pain
Pain you can't forget
Your breathing is like an echo of our love
Maybe I'll go down to the corner store
And buy us something sweet
Here's an extra blanket honey
To wrap around your feet

All the trees were washed with April rain
And the moon in the meadow
Took darling Lorraine


OLD

The first time I heard "Peggy Sue"
I was 12 years old
Russians up in rocket ships
And the war was cold
Now many wars have come and gone
Genocide still goes on
Buddy Holly still goes on
But his catalog was sold

First time I smoked
Guess what paranoid
First time I heard "Satisfaction"
I was young and unemployed
Down the decades every war
Summer leaves and my birthday's here
And all my friends stand up and cheer
And say man you're old

Getting old
Old
Getting old

We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas day
And Buddha found nirvana along the lotus way
About 1,500 years ago the messenger Mohammed spoke
And his wisdom lire a river flowed
Through hills of gold

Wisdom is old
The Koran is old
The bible's old
Greatest story ever told

Disagreements?
Work 'em out

The human race has walked the earth for 2.7 million
And we estimate the universe about 13-14 billion
When all these numbers tumble into your imagination
Consider that the lord was there before creation

God is old
We're not old
God is old
He made the mold

Take your clothes off
Adam and Eve


YOU'RE THE ONE

May twelve angels guard you
While you sleep
Maybe that's a waste of angels I don't know
I'd do anything to keep you safe
From the danger that surrounds us

Little by little
Bit by bit
Little bit by little bit
Now you got it that's it
What're you thinking?
Things'll go sour?
Take its temperature every hour
Nervous when you own it
Nervous when it's gone
What do you think has been going on
For so long?

Bridge:
You are the air
Inside my chest

Chorus:
You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry

You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
You're the one

But when I hear it from the other side
It's a completely different song
I'm the one who made you cry
And I'm the one who's wrong
In my dream you spoke to me
And you said


Chorus:

You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
You're the one


Verse:

Nature gives us shapeless shapes
Clouds and waves and flame
But human expectation
Is that love remains the same
And when it doesn't
We point our fingers
And blame blame blame


Chorus:

You're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
And I'm the one
I broke your heart
I made you cry
And you're the one
You broke my heart
You made me cry
We're the ones


THE TEACHER

There once was a teacher of great renown
Whose words were like the tablets of stone
Because it's easier to learn than unlearn
Because we've passed the point of no return
Gather your goods and follow me
Or you will surely die

Verse:

I was only a child of the city
My parents were children of immigrant stock
So we followed as followers go
Over a mountain with a napkin of snow
And ate the berries and roots
That grow along the timberline
Deeper and deeper the dreamer of love sleeps on a quilt of stars


Bridge:
It's cold
Sometimes you can't catch your breath
It's cold

Verse:
Time and abundance thickened his step
So the teacher divided in two
One half ate the forests and fields
The other half sucked all the moisture from the clouds
And we, we were amazed at the power of his appetite
Deeper and deeper the dreamer of love sleeps on a quilt of stars

Verse:
Sometimes we don't know who we are
Sometimes force overpowers us and we cry
My teacher carry me home

Carry me home my teacher
Carry me home
Carry me home my teacher
Carry me home


LOOK AT THAT

Look at that
Look at this
Drop a stone in the abyss
Then walk away and know that anything can happen
Just like that
Just like this

Look at that
Look at this
Gimme a hug, gimme a kiss
Then hey, hey, off to school we go
You might learn something
Yeah you never know

Look at that
Look at this
Lovers merge and make a wish
They close their eves and now their dreams are legal
Over the mountain the eagle flies
Through clouds of fire
Swoop and glide
You can't believe it,
You can't decide

Ask somebody to love you
Takes a lot of nerve
Ask somebody to love you
You got a lot of nerve
Ask somebody to love you
Takes a lot of nerve
Ask somebody to love you
Ma ma ma ma
Ma ma ma ma
Da da da da
Da da da da
La la la la
La la la la
Oom bop a doom

Look at that
Look at this
This is near enough to bliss
Then over the top we go and down
Down to the bottom
If you're looking for worries
You got 'em

Ask somebody to love you
You got a lot of nerve
Ask somebody to love you
Takes a lot of nerve
Tih tih tih tih
Tih tih tih tih
Gur gur gur gur
Gur gur gur gur
Lih lih lih lih
Lih lih lih lih
Oom sop a doom

Come awake, come alive
Common sense we survive
Then hey, hey, down the road we go
You might learn something
Yeah you never know
But anyway you've got to go


SENORITA WITH A NECKLACE

I have a wisdom tooth
Inside my crowed face
I have a friend who is born again
Found his savior's grace
I was born before my father
And my children before me
We are born and born again
Like the waves in the sea
That's the way it's always been
And that's how I want it to be

Nothing but good news
There is a frog in South America
Whose venom is a cure
For all the suffering that mankind
Must endure
More powerful than morphine
And soothing as the rain
A frog in South America
Has the antidote to pain
That's the way it's always been
And that's the way I like it

Some people never say no
Some people never complain
Some folks have no idea
And others will never explain
That's the way it's always been
And that's the way I like it
And that's how I want it to be
That's the way it's always been
And that's the way I like it
And that's how I want it to be

If I could play all the memories
In the neck of my guitar
I'd write a song called
"Se?orita with a necklace of tears"
And every tear a sin I'd committed
Oh these many years
That's who I was
That's the way it's always been

Some people always want more
Some people are what they lack
Some folks open a door
Walk away and never look back
I don't want to be a judge
And I don't want to be a jury
I know who I am
Lord knows who I will be
That's the way it's always been
And that's the way I like it
And that's how I want it to be
That's the way it's always been
And that's the way I like it
And that's how I want it to be


LOVE

Cool me
Cool my fever high
Hold me when I cry
I need it so much
Makes you want to get down and crawl like a beggar
For its touch
And all the while it's free as air
Like plants the medicine is everywhere

Love
Love
Love

We crave it so badly
Makes you want to laugh out loud when you receive it
And gobble it like candy

We think it's easy
Sometimes it's easy
But it's not easy
You're going to break down and cry
We're not important
We should be grateful
And if you're wondering why

Love
Love
Love

The price that we pay
When evil walks the planet
And love is crushed like clay
The master races, the chosen peoples
The burning temples, the weeping cathedrals


PIGS, SHEEP AND WOLVES

Big and fat
Pig's supposed to look like that
Barnyard thug
Sleeps on straw and calls it a rug
Yeah that's a rug, ok
Se's walking down the street
And nobody's gonna argue with him
He's a half-a-ton of pig meat

Up in the hills above the farm
Lives a pack of wolves
Never did no harm
Sleep all day
Hunt till four
Maybe catch a couple of rodents
You know carnivore

Sheep in the meadow
Nibbling on some clover
One of the sheep wanders over
Sits by a rock
Separated from the flock
He's just sitting by a rock

Where'd he go? Don't know
Well he was here a minute ago
I don't know
Sheep's dead
Got a gash as big as a wolf's head
Oh god
Big and fat
Pig's supposed to look like that
Wallowing in lanolin
He's rubbing it into his pigskin
Police going crazy
Let's get him
Let's get that wolf
Let's get him
Let's get that wolf
Let's get him
Let's kill him, let's get him
Let's kill him

Court-appointed lawyer wasn't very bright
Oh maybe he was bright
Maybe he just had a late night
Yeah it was just a late night
And he files some feeble appeal
And the governor says forget it
It's a done deal
Election, i don't care, election
Let's give that wolf a lethal iniection
Let's get him, yeah get him,
Let's kill him, let's get him
Let's kill him, let's get him, kill him
Let's get him and kill him

Whew, slow
Here comes the media
Setting up their camera
Asking everyone's opinion


About pigs, sheep and wolves

Big and fat
Pig's supposed to laugh like that
This is hilarious
What a great time
I'm the pig who committed
The perfect crime

All around the world
France, Scandinavia
There's candle light vigils
Protesting this behavior
It s animal behavior
Animal behavior
Its pigs, sheep and wolves
Pigs, sheep and wolves
Pigs, sheep and wolves
It's animal behavior
It's pigs, sheep and wolves


HURRICANE EYE

Tell us all a story
About how it used to be
Make it up and write it down
Just like history
About goldilocks and the three bears
Nature in the cross hairs
And how we all ascended
From the deep green sea
When it's not too hot
Not too cold
Not too meek
Not too bold
When it's just right and you have sunlight
Then we're home,
Finally home
Home in the land of the homeless
Finally home

Oh what are we going to do
I never did a thing to you
Time peaceful as a hurricane eve
Peaceful as a hurricane eye

A history of whispers
A shadow of a horse
Faces painted black in sorrow and remorse
White cloud, black crow
Crucifix and arrow
The oldest silence speaks the loudest
Under the deep green sea

When speech becomes a crime
Silence leads the spirit
Over the bridge of time

Over the bridge of time
I'm walking with my family
And the road begins to climb
And it's oh lord how we going to pray
With crazy angel voices
All night
Until it's a new day

Peaceful as a hurricane
Peaceful as a hurricane
Peaceful as a hurricane eye
Peaceful as a hurricane
Peaceful as a hurricane
Peaceful as a hurricane eye
Peaceful as a hurricane eye

You want to be a leader?
You want to change the game?
Turn your back on money
Walk away from fame
You want to be a missionary?
Got that missionary zeal?
Let a stranger change your life
How does it make you feel?
You want to be a writer
But you don't know how or when
Find a quiet place
Use a humble pen

You want to talk talk talk about it
All night squawk about
The ocean and the atmosphere
Well i've been away for a long time
And it looks like a mess around here
I'll be away for a long time
So here's how the story goes
There was an old woman
Who lived in a shoe
She was baking a cinnamon pie
She fell asleep in a washing machine
Woke up in a hurricane eye


QUIET

I am heading for a time of quiet
When my restlessness is past
And I can lie down on my blanket
And release my fists at last

I am heading for a time of solitude
Of peace without illusions
When the perfect circle
Marries all beginnings and conclusions

And when they say
That you're not good enough
Well the answer is
You're hot
But who are they
Or what is it
That eats at what you've got
With the hunger of ambition
For the change inside the purse
They are handcuffs on the soul, my friends
Handcuffs on the soul
And worse

I am heading for a place of quiet
Where the sage and sweetgrass grow
By a lake of sacred water
From the mountain's melted snow

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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