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Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40
25 July 2026

Paul Simon’s Graceland at 40

Brendan O'Connor

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John Meagher, Music Critic and Irish Independent Senior Features Writer, explains why ‘Graceland’ was such a groundbreaking album. Simon felt he needed a change of direction in the 1980s so starting experimenting with African rhythms and township music, journeying to South Africa and making ‘Graceland’ which went onto sell 40 million copies.