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My Top Ten Lyrics from Graceland

In The Lightyears, as I’m sure is the case with many bands, we’re all a bit obsessed with Paul Simon. I can honestly say that the number of times I’ve listened to Graceland absurdly outweighs any other album in my collection.

And in honour of Paul’s Graceland reunion performance in Hyde Park last Sunday (marred only, according to the reviews, by a suspiciously quiet sound system possibly resulting from Saturday night’s Springsteen-gate – read my rant about this here), I thought I’d publish my Top Ten Lyrics From Graceland.

Because, to be frank, even though he’s kinda short and these days looks a bit like a potato, I’d probably still bloody marry Paul Simon.

Here we go then. In a sort of approximate, backwards order.

10. “The Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar”
from Graceland
– This simple line sums up everything that’s awesome about Paul Simon. He has this ability to write lyrics that mean absolutely nothing, and absolutely everything, at the same time.

9. “Cattle in the marketplace, scatterlings and orphanages”
from You Can Call Me Al
–  Paul evokes details and scenes like a novelist. The words themselves are musical – not just the chords and melodies behind them.

8. “He sees angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity”
from You Can Call Me Al
– How to make buildings sound like poetry.

7. “She was physically forgotten but then she slipped into my pocket with my car keys”
from Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
– First of all, not many people could sing ‘physically forgotten’ with panache, and secondly – that car keys image is just magic.

6. “Hey, don’t I know you from the cinematographer’s party?”
from I Know What I Know
– This shouldn’t work as a lyric. It just shouldn’t. But somehow, it does. And that’s the man’s genius – conversational off-the-cuffs turned into classic lines.

5. “He’s a poor boy, empty as a pocket”
from Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
– I love this, because for eight small words this line does so much work. In the empty pocket is the possibility of a full pocket – and so you learn that, although he’s poor, this boy has dreams, aspirations and ambition.

4. “There is a girl in New York City who calls herself the human trampoline”
from Graceland
– You think ‘oh yeah, I get that, she’s a slapper, that’s clever and funny’. And it is. But then he twists the meaning in the lyrics that follow – look it up and you’ll see what I mean.

3. “I am following the river down the highway through the cradle of the civil war”
from Graceland
– Evoking centuries of history, casually, in just a few words. Amazing.

2. “She makes the sign of the teaspoon, he makes the sign of the wave”
from Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
– Reminds me of my good friends Emily & Skinny (from our song, Emily), and how sometimes people just fit together. Always makes me smile.

And the inevitable winner…

1. “He ducked down the alley with some roly-poly little bat-faced girl”
from You Can Call Me Al
– Nobody else writes lyrics like this, and even if they tried to they’d never get away with it.

Have I missed any out…?!

Tickets on sale for Lightyears in Spring City USA

Tickets are now on sale for our show at Chaplin’s in Spring City, USA, on Friday 31 July. Buy yours now by clicking here.

This year’s whirlwind US tour will be taking us to three states – New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania – over a jam-packed week that is in danger of ripping a massive hole in the rock-time continuum.

Chaplin’s Music Cafe in Spring City, just outside Phoenixville, is famous for hosting the man himself, Mr Charlie Chaplin, as part of a travelling revue back in 1916. Little did he know that his big-trousered antics would later manifest themselves in popular youth culture in the guise of MC Hammer. Had he known, would he have continued? Would he have simply worn smaller trousers? We simply can’t say.

If you’re a New Yorker, you can catch us for free on Thursday 30 July headlining Union Square’s “Music In The Square” summer season. Fans in Philly can also catch us at Milkboy Coffee on Saturday 1 August and Burlington Amphitheatre on Sunday 2 August.

For full details, click here to visit the gigs page.

As for you Londoners, don’t forget we’re playing The Troubadour on Friday 24 July. Demand for tickets has been high and it’s advisable to buy in advance to avoid disappointment. Click here to buy yours.

Anybody who comes to the gigs in both London and New York (bear in mind that they’re within the same week) gets five free copies of our album, a signed poster and a big kiss.*

*Tony, that doesn’t include you.

New date added to US tour

On 31 July this year we’ll be playing a stage in Pennsylvania once graced by Charlie Chaplin! The aptly-named Chaplin’s in Spring City, PA, is the latest addition to our 2009 USA Tour, joining dates in Burlington, Ardmore and New York City.

Chaplin’s Music Cafe is just a few miles from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The venue is famous for playing host to the big-trousered movie legend as part of a travelling revue in 1916 and these days features performances from national and international recording artists every Friday and Saturday night.

For full details, click here to visit the GIGS page.

To read about our last tour to the USA, click here to visit the TOUR DIARY page. 

To see photos from the last tour, click here to visit the GALLERY page.

LYs to tour East Coast USA

This summer we will be returning to America to play three states – New York City, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

On Thursday 30 July we’ll be playing the “Summer In The Square” series in Union Square, Manhattan. This will be followed on Saturday 1 August by a headline show at Milkboy Coffee in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and an afternoon performance at Burlington Amphitheatre in New Jersey on Sunday 2 August. For full details visit the GIGS page.

Whilst in the USA we are also hoping to secure a slot on WXPN radio’s legendary “Free At Noon” broadcast at the World Cafe in Philadelphia. This is an incredibly prestigious show – recent performers include Gomez, Damien Rice and Adele and the broadcast goes out to a national audience of several million people. We performed live on Matt Reilly’s WXPN show back in 2007 and so the next step up is to be part of the station’s weekly live concert. Here’s the fun though – YOU can help us secure the slot by visiting the WXPN website and requesting our track “Sleepless” for airplay on the station. Click here to visit the WXPN website and request “Sleepless”! It’ll totally rock our world if you do, we promise.

This will be our fourth visit to the USA and we’re excited to be seeing our US fans again. Click here to read my tour diary from our last Stateside visit.