Lokacin rani na shekarar 1984 ne, kuma al'amura ba su tafiya daidai ga Paul Simon ba. Shekarar da ta gabata, wani gagarumin rangadin Simon da Garfunkel ya ƙare cikin gardama. Ko da yake waƙarsa ta 1980 mai suna "Late in the Evening" ta shiga cikin manyan waƙoƙi goma na Amurka, kundin sa guda biyu na ƙarshe ba su sayu sosai ba, kuma aurensa da Carrie Fisher ya fara rugujewa. A tsakiyar waɗannan abubuwan, wannan mashahurin mawaƙin folk mai shekaru 43 yana aiki tuƙuru a kan gina wani gida a bakin teku a ƙarshen Long Island.
Yawancin tafiye-tafiyen Simon daga Manhattan zuwa Montauk suna tare da wani kaset ɗin bootleg na mbaqanga mai yawan accordion—wani salon kiɗan Afirka ta Kudu mai jazz rhythms da kuma sautin guitar mai haske—wanda wani abokinsa ya ba shi. A cikin waɗannan tafiye-tafiyen ne aka shuka iri na Graceland, babban jigon kundin kiɗan Simon. "Da yawa daga cikinmu, a wancan zamanin, mun sami lokacin tunani—na iya shiga zurfin cikin kanmu—lokacin da muke cikin mota a kan waɗannan tafiye-tafiyen," in ji Ashley Kahn, wanda sabon littafinsa, Days of Miracle and Wonder, ya biyo bayan yadda aka yi Graceland. "Idan ba rediyo ba, to kaset ne."
Shekaru arba'in bayan haka, Graceland ya kasance mafi kyawun kundi mai daɗi da farin ciki da Simon ya taɓa yi. An gina shi ne a kan gudunmawar mawaƙan Afirka ta Kudu waɗanda "township jive" ɗinsu ya tunatar da Simon waƙoƙin rock da doowop na farko da ya ji yana yaro a Queens. Akwai ire-iren hanyoyin kiɗa daban-daban—tafiya zuwa Louisiana ta sa Simon ya yi rikodi tare da ƙungiyar zydeco Rockin' Dopsie da Zydeco Twisters, yayin da waƙar "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints" ta ƙunshi haɗin norteño da rock na Los Lobos. Simon ya fi kyau a lokacin da yake aiki da rhythms masu ƙarfi daga Johannesburg.
Da yake wahayi daga kaset ɗin bootleg, Simon ya shirya zaman jam a Johannesburg tare da ƙungiyoyi daban-daban—General MD Shirinda da Gaza Sisters, Tao Ea Matsekha, Boyoyo Boys—inda ya haɓaka waƙoƙi kuma ya rubuta kalmomi yayin da injiniya Roy Halee ke rikodin sautin ƙungiyoyin. Wasu daga cikin waƙoƙin da suka ƙare a kan Graceland an gina su ne a kan waƙoƙin da waɗannan ƙungiyoyin suka riga suka gama, kamar "Gumboots," wani abin shaƙatawa mai daɗi wanda Simon ya fara ji a matsayin kiɗan kayan aiki a wancan kaset ɗin. Ga Simon, wanda yawanci yakan fara da guitar acoustic, wannan babban canji ne a yadda yake fuskantar sana'arsa. "Yana neman hanyar ginawa daga rhythm zuwa sama; wannan, a gare shi, sabon abu ne mai zurfi," in ji Kahn, wanda ya kwatanta sabuwar hanyar Simon da hip-hop: "Fara da beat kuma daidaita kalmomi da beat."
A cikin waɗannan zaman na Fabrairu 1985, Simon ya sami ƙarfin wahayi, amma munanan gaskiyar mulkin wariyar launin fata na Afirka ta Kudu suna nan a bayan ƙofar studio. Bayan faɗuwar rana, ba a ƙyale mawaƙan Baƙi su yi tafiya a titunan Johannesburg, kuma ba a ƙyale su su yi amfani da sufurin jama'a ba. Sakamakon haka, ranar rikodin za ta kai ga "wani lokaci mara daɗi inda ƴan wasa ba za su iya mai da hankali ba har sai sun san cewa akwai mota da za ta kai su gida," in ji Simon ga Rolling Stone a 1986. A wata alama ta sukar da Graceland zai fuskanta daga baya, manajan Soul Brothers ya gaya wa Simon cewa ya yi imani yin rikodi a Afirka ta Kudu ya saba wa dokar kauracewa ta Majalisar Dinkin Duniya ta 1980, wadda aka zartar don hana gwamnatin Afirka ta Kudu amfani da al'adu a matsayin farfagandar mulkin wariyar launin fata.
Kahn ya yi imani cewa Simon yana da haƙƙin aikin mawaƙan a zuciyarsa. "Ya so su shiga, ya so a ba su yabo, kuma ya so a biya su," in ji Kahn, yana nanata cewa Simon ya biya mawaƙan Afirka ta Kudu sau uku na kuɗin da ake biyan mawaƙa na ƙungiyoyin kwadago na Amurka. "Shin ya yi shi daidai? A'a. Amma babu wata ƙayyadaddiyar hanya ta yadda za a fuskance wannan." Simon har yanzu yana fuskantar suka game da Graceland a tsawon shekaru. Ƙididdigar rubuta waƙoƙin Paul Simon a kundin ya haɗa da mawaƙa da yawa waɗanda suka yi a kansa, kamar Los Lobos, Rockin' Dopsie da Zydeco Twisters, har ma da mawaƙin guitar Ray Phiri, wanda ya taimaka wajen tsara waƙar take. Dangane da zarge-zargen al'adun gargajiya, magoya bayan Graceland sun yi jayayya cewa aikin Simon a Afirka ta Kudu ya taimaka wajen kawo ƙungiyoyi kamar Ladysmith Black Mambazo—waɗanda suka fito sosai a waƙar "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"—ga mafi yawan masu sauraro.
Kafin zaman rikodin na farko a Ovation Studios a Johannesburg, Simon ya tattauna da tsohon mawaƙin calypso Harry Belafonte, wanda ya ba shi shawarar ya tuntuɓi African National Congress. Da yake ya yi imani cewa ƙarfin fasaha ya fi ƙuntatawa na siyasa, Simon ya zaɓi kada ya bi shawarar Belafonte. Watanni bayan an fitar da Graceland, kwamitin musamman na Majalisar Dinkin Duniya game da wariyar launin fata ya soki Simon kuma ya shirya ƙara shi cikin jerin mawaƙan da suka karya dokar kauracewa. "Suna neman saƙo mai haɗin kai da kuma turawa mai haɗin kai, shi ya sa kauracewa ya zama babban batu," in ji Kahn. Majalisar Dinkin Duniya daga baya ta sauya shawararta bayan Simon ya rubuta wa kwamitin, yana bayyana cewa ya fahimci haramcin ya shafi yin wasa ne kawai, ba rikodi ba, kuma ba shi da shirin yin wasa a Afirka ta Kudu.
Wani tashin hankali na tsawon rayuwa tsakanin ɓangaren tunani da na tattaunawa na Simon yana gudana a cikin Graceland. Ya guji rubuta waƙoƙin zanga-zangar adawa da wariyar launin fata a fili, amma rashin kwanciyar hankali daga lokacinsa a Afirka ta Kudu yana shiga cikin waƙoƙi kamar "Homeless" da "The Boy in the Bubble," wanda ya buɗe da hoton "sojoji a gefen hanya" yayin da haɗin accordion na famo da bass ke nuna wani abu mai ban tsoro a gaba. Duk da haka, matsalolin Simon na kansa—aurensa da ya gaza, tsoron kasancewarsa bayan lokacinsa, da damuwarsa game da zamanin bayanai—shi ne ya fi zurfafa bincike a kan Graceland, sau da yawa ta hanyar hotuna masu ban mamaki (kamar "lasers in the jungle") ko kuma haruffa masu girma fiye da rayuwa (kamar "Fat Charlie the Archangel").
"Wani hoto da yakan zo a zuciyata shi ne Paul a cikin daki da ƙwallon roba—yana buga shi, yana buga shi, yana buga shi—don ya kai wani yanayi na natsuwa inda kalmomi suka fara kwarara," in ji Kahn. "Ya riga ya yi tunanin rubuta waƙa. Kalmomin suna nan. Kawai yana buƙatar ya kwantar da duk sauran hayaniyar a zuciyarsa."
Ƙaunar da ke cikin Graceland a hankali, wani lokaci ana bayyana ta cikin kalmomi masu sauƙi kamar "Ba ka jin za ka iya ƙaunata amma ina jin za ka iya," ta ba da abubuwan ban mamaki na motsin rai. A kan mafi kyawun waƙoƙin kundin, akwai kwararar ji a cikin kalmomin Simon. Wannan ya fi bayyana a waƙar take, inda kalmar "Graceland" da farko take kawai a matsayin wurin riƙewa. A hankali ta zama wurin neman alama ga Simon yayin da yake ƙoƙarin warkar da zuciyarsa da ta karye bayan aurensa da Fisher ya ƙare. "Idan na karkata sosai ga tunani, ina cikin haɗarin zama mai ruɗi ko mai girman kai," in ji Simon a 1986. "Idan na karkata sosai ga zuciya, ina cikin haɗarin zama mai son rai. Ina jin tsoron duka biyun. Ina rawa a yankin da ke tsakaninsu. Wannan shine abin farin ciki. Idan ya yi daidai, ina jin shi."
Yawancin gyare-gyare da ƙari sun faru a Amurka, gami da sautin guitar-synth na Adrian Belew da kuma ganguna masu yawan reverb na Steve Gadd a "All Around the World." Ga wani zaman, gami da wanda aka sake rikodin "You Can Call Me Al," Simon ya tashi da Phiri, Bakithi Kumalo—wanda bass ɗinsa mara natsuwa yanzu yana da alaƙa sosai da kundin Graceland—da kuma mai buga ganguna Isaac Mtshali zuwa New York, inda Simon kuma ya gaya musu ci gabansa. Ya yi aiki da David Byrne, Cyndi Lauper, da Philip Glass. Yakan kunna kaset ɗin waƙar kayan aiki, ya kusantar da su, ya rera waƙoƙin ko kalmomin da ya rubuta. Kahn ya ce, "Gaskiyar cewa Paul ya buɗe don raba tsarin da mutane da yawa yana nuna ƙarfi na gaske, da kuma yarda ya ce, 'Zan iya yin kuskure,' ko 'Zan iya yin kyau.'"
Tasirin Graceland a matsayin kundi mai haɗa nau'ikan kiɗa da al'adu daban-daban ya kai ko'ina, yana zaburar da mawaƙa kamar Vampire Weekend da Lorde, har ma da wani abin koyi na salon Simon. Amma suka ta biyo kundin kusan tun farko: shekaru ashirin kafin ya fara samarwa wa Beyoncé da Eminem, wani matashi Mark Batson ya kalubalanci Simon a wani taron tambaya da amsa na Howard University, yana tambayarsa yadda zai iya ba da hujjar "ɗaukar wannan kiɗan," kuma yana nuna yadda ake "satar" fasahar Baƙi da fararen fata akai-akai. Yabo ne ga waƙoƙin Graceland masu daɗi da kuma rhythms masu farin ciki cewa ba a watsar da shi a matsayin tsohon abu mai kunya ba, kuma cewa waɗannan muhawara har yanzu suna da muhimmanci. Kahn ya ce, "Duk waɗannan tambayoyi game da ƙwace al'adu, wariyar launin fata na tsari, da masu gata da marasa gata—ba za su taɓa ƙarewa ba. Abin da Graceland ya yi shi ne ya ba mu hanyar magana game da shi."
Yana da wuya a yi imani yanzu cewa Graceland bai zama abin bugu nan take ba lokacin da ya shigo shaguna a ƙarshen Agusta 1986. Ya sami masu sauraronsa ne saboda kyawawan sharhi, wasanni a Saturday Night Live, kuma daga baya nasarar Grammy. (Ya fara a matsayi na 94 a Billboard 200 a Satumba 1986, sannan ya haura zuwa matsayi na 3 a watan Afrilu mai zuwa, fiye da wata ɗaya bayan Grammy.) Ƙarshe ya zo daga masu shirya rediyon pop, waɗanda suka rikice game da sauye-sauyen salon kundin. A cikin bazara bayan fitowar sa, gidajen rediyo sun kama waƙar farko, "You Can Call Me Al," tare da neman ceto a cikin "mala'iku a cikin gine-gine." Wannan misali ne na al'ada na "daga baya fiye da ba a taɓa ba": "Wani damisa ne," in ji Kahn. "A cikin gidan namun kiɗa, ba su san wane keji za su sa shi ba."
Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland na Ashley Kahn ya fito yanzu.
Tambayoyin da Aka Yi Yawa
Ga jerin tambayoyin da aka yi yawa game da tasirin kundin Graceland na Paul Simons wanda aka fi sani da "damisa" a masana'antar kiɗa saboda nasararsa mai wuya da kuma gadonsa mai rigima.
Tambayoyi na Farko
1 Menene ainihin maganar "damisa" game da Graceland
Yana nufin ra'ayin cewa kundin ya kasance abu mai wuya da ba zai taɓa faruwa ba. Damisa wani abu ne na tatsuniya da ba kasafai ake samu ba. A kiɗa, ana kallon Graceland a matsayin damisa saboda ya kasance babban nasarar kasuwanci da kuma nasarar masu suka wanda kuma ya karya duk wata doka—kundi ne na haɗin kiɗan duniya wanda ya yi watsi da iyakokin nau'ikan kiɗa, ya fito da mawaƙan Afirka ta Kudu da ba a san su ba, kuma an yi rikodinsa ba tare da bin shawarar siyasa ba. Babu wanda ya yi tunanin zai yi aiki amma ya yi aiki sosai.
2 Me ya sa Graceland ya kasance mai rigima sosai
Babban rigimar ita ce kauracewa al'adu na Afirka ta Kudu. A cikin 1980s, duniya ta sanya takunkumi a kan Afirka ta Kudu don yaƙar wariyar launin fata. Paul Simon ya yi watsi da wannan kauracewa ta hanyar yin rikodi a Johannesburg da kuma yin aiki tare da mawaƙan Baƙi na Afirka ta Kudu. Masu suka sun zarge shi da karya kauracewa da kuma mulkin mallaka na al'adu—ɗaukar kiɗan Afirka da cin riba daga gare shi yayin da mawaƙan har yanzu suna cikin zalunci.
3 Menene ma'anar "groundbreaking" a wannan mahallin
Yana nufin kundin ya canza yanayin kiɗa gaba ɗaya. Ya gabatar da sautin mbaqanga accordion da bass ga babban masu sauraro na Yamma. Ya tabbatar da cewa kiɗan da ba na Amurka da Burtaniya ba zai iya zama abin bugu na duniya, yana buɗe hanya ga haɗin kiɗan duniya na gaba.
4 Wanene Ladysmith Black Mambazo da nake ji akai-akai
Ƙungiya ce ta mawaƙan maza daga Afirka ta Kudu karkashin jagorancin Joseph Shabalala. Waƙoƙinsu na murya sune mafi shaharar sauti a Graceland. Simon ya fito da su sosai a kundin kuma haɗin gwiwarsu ya mayar da su taurari na duniya, inda suka ci Grammy don kundin nasu jim kaɗan bayan haka.
5 Menene mafi shaharar waƙa a kundin
Waƙar take "Graceland" ita ce mafi shahara. Waƙa ce mai motsawa game da tafiya zuwa gidan Elvis Presley. Sauran waƙoƙin da suka yi fice sun haɗa da "You Can Call Me Al" da "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes."
Ci Gaba
