I sometimes let YouTube’s algorithm decide which memory lane in the multiverse to travel down by picking a song from my youth and letting the recommendation engine set the playlist.
Recently, one such excursion led me to Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” (1986). With its shiny syncopated brass section hook and entrancing South African-inspired penny whistle solo, YCCMA (linked in comments) was an off beat hit and helped Graceland win Album of the Year. The MTV video, which brilliantly paired the mismatched Paul Simon and Chevy Chase, both resplendent in Don Johnson-esqe Miami Vice garb, brought back happy memories.
It was a zany tune with a zany video and we sang its zany lyrics. Still, a few decades of lived experience since then have helped me internalize the song – about the desperate drift of middle age - somewhat differently.
Here are three life lessons from Paul Simon:
1. “I need a photo opportunity/ I want a shot at redemption”.
We all reach that point where we wonder where youthful optimism went to die; we often didn’t even notice when it slipped out the back door. Don’t mourn it. Everything looks easy when you have no idea how hard it is. Getting older, and knowing that every day is a gift – another chance to reach for something more – is precious.
2. “What if I die here/Who’ll be my role model/Now that my role model is/Gone gone”.
We put people on pedestals. It could be a parent, a teacher, a boss, a public figure. But we learn early, and often, that they all have feet of clay. The moment you realize that is devastating, because you wrestle with the mortality of knowing the things of this world are transitory. Therefore, so also are you, unless you find something more durable to put your faith in.
3. “A man walks down the street/It’s a street in a strange world/Maybe it’s the third world/Maybe it’s his first time around”.
Whether it’s work, or family, or personal life, there comes a time when the familiar becomes unfamiliar. Our priorities change; our values mature; our motivations evolve. But rather than become untethered, approach such situations with openness and wonder. If you can take each day as a gift, with a sure anchor to ground your identity, each fresh perspective is a blessing - an opportunity to do it better this time.
A final thought stems from the catchy bass guitar riff at the tail end of the song. Famously, the run played by Bakithi Kumalo was reversed by the sound engineer to make it a palindrome – forwards, then backwards. It’s a fantastic, ear-wormy musical motif. Some aspects of life involve retreading the same ground – walking backwards through the past may be inevitable. This can be sparked by a crisis, such as illness, or a personal difficulty.
It can be painful to revisit past mistakes and hurts. Face up to personal failings that have contributed in the past. It’s never too late to say sorry, or to try to make it right. And someone has to go first.
J
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