Chords for Paul Simon opens up about hit songs' inspiration
Tempo:
94.3 bpm
Chords used:
C
F
Bb
G
Ab
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[F] For 50 years, Paul Simon has been a leader in American pop music.
He's written dozens of classic songs like The Sounds of Silence, 50 Ways to Leave Your
Lava, [A] and of course, You Can Call Me Al.
CBS News cultural correspondent Wynton Marsalis talks with Simon, [Ab] musician to musician, about
how he became one of the most important artists of his generation.
[E]
[A] For half a century, [B] the music of Paul Simon has taken us to extraordinary places.
[E]
With insights on love,
[A] [G] longing, [C]
[G] [E] [Ab] and laughter.
His [Db] songs illuminate what we [Ab] all have in [B] common.
You don't have to create it, it's already in existence.
You just have to reveal it, [Bb] you [F] know?
Simon is a modern [C] bard whose genius is rooted [G] in the endless [Dm] possibilities of America.
[G] His first inspiration, [Bbm] [C] [Bb]
[Ab] childhood [Bb] weekends filled with [Fm] baseball and the family radio.
I would listen to, in those [Db] days, there was only one station in New York, it was 1010
Winds, now it's a new station.
But then it was a station where Alan Freed played rock and roll six days a week.
So [D] what he was playing [Ebm] was R&B vocal groups like Sonny Till and the [Ab] Orioles, Randy.
[Eb] [C] Then he'd play [Eb] maybe some [Bb] Ray Charles, maybe some Ruth [A] Brown.
[Bb] [Dm] Then all of a sudden he was playing Johnny [G] [F] Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly.
To me it was [G] all, it was all the same.
Part of one expression.
It was all absolutely the same.
This integrated [Gm] soundtrack inspired him and ignited an unquenchable spirit.
[Ab] Hello darkness [Db] my old friend.
By the mid-60s, he would dominate [Ebm] those same airwaves with a haunting anthem
that spoke directly [Db] to the national soul.
[Ebm] Of Simon.
[F] [Eb] [B] How's a 21-year-old [Dbm] person thinking about the words of that song?
I have no idea.
All I can say is at the time I [N] thought, that's better than I usually do.
I really had no concept at all about what is magical about inspiration.
And I don't think about inspiration at all.
I don't believe that you need inspiration.
I don't say I'm going to wait around until some inspiration comes.
No, if [C] I'm going to write I have to go [F] to my writing space [Bb] [C] and [F] start to write.
People say I'm crazy.
I [Bb] got [C] diamonds on the soles of my [F] shoes.
Paul's work ethic and talent [Cm] propelled him to the apex of American [E] popular music.
He's recorded 224 [Ab] songs and 17 albums.
Through it all, he's followed his greatest gift,
the ability to [Db] engage human fundamentals deeper than [Ab] music itself.
[Eb] These songs are true, [Db] these days [Eb] are ours, these tears [Ab] are free.
[A] It's a [G] rare skill that leads him to cross the borders of [F] genre and culture
in creating new [G] and meaningful [B] collaborations.
[C] I [G] find musicians, I'm sure you feel the same way,
all around the world are very, very open to a dialogue of music.
You're playing what you love and you want to hear what they love and what they play.
Well, cultural barriers fall to an amazing [F] degree.
[Bb] As [C]
[F] [Bb] [F] a result, his [Fm] music is a seamlessly woven tapestry of [A] diverse [Gm] grooves, [Fm] melodies, timbres and techniques.
Everything, songs, recordings and performances are so [C] well executed as to appear [F] effortless.
But in truth, he is a meticulous craftsman.
Four felt too short, but eight feels too long, so why don't we try [C] six?
Who honors the sacred [G] pact between artist and audience by giving [C] everything [F] all of the time.
[C] [Bb] [F]
You Can Call Me Al, you know, which is called the national anthem because everybody stands up.
[Gm]
[C] As soon as you play You Can Call Me Al, everybody, everybody, all of a sudden everybody stands up, you know.
It's not my favorite [F] song to sing.
I could call you [Bb] Betty, [F] Betty, Betty.
It's usually the song that makes me stop touring.
Somewhere in the middle of a tour, I'm doing You Can Call Me Al and I say to myself, what am I doing here, man?
I'm just imitating a guy singing You Can Call Me [G] Al.
I got to get out of here.
That's true.
Even at 70, the integrity of his artistry remains steadfast.
[D] War is [C] passion [D] for the woman.
[C] Retaining its initial vitality as the [N] music continues to evolve.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, really, pretty much when if I thought a song was really good and I liked it, so did everybody else.
That's not the case anymore.
But I'm past that point in my life.
[Bb] I'm only concentrating on what can I make and how [Cm] can I do this without lying?
[Bb] [Eb] [Bb] Today,
[Cm] his [G] classic and [Cm] enlightened [Eb] lyrics speak to new generations.
[Abm] [Eb]
[Gm] Still seducing [C] the country [G] more than half a century [C] later.
He's written dozens of classic songs like The Sounds of Silence, 50 Ways to Leave Your
Lava, [A] and of course, You Can Call Me Al.
CBS News cultural correspondent Wynton Marsalis talks with Simon, [Ab] musician to musician, about
how he became one of the most important artists of his generation.
[E]
[A] For half a century, [B] the music of Paul Simon has taken us to extraordinary places.
[E]
With insights on love,
[A] [G] longing, [C]
[G] [E] [Ab] and laughter.
His [Db] songs illuminate what we [Ab] all have in [B] common.
You don't have to create it, it's already in existence.
You just have to reveal it, [Bb] you [F] know?
Simon is a modern [C] bard whose genius is rooted [G] in the endless [Dm] possibilities of America.
[G] His first inspiration, [Bbm] [C] [Bb]
[Ab] childhood [Bb] weekends filled with [Fm] baseball and the family radio.
I would listen to, in those [Db] days, there was only one station in New York, it was 1010
Winds, now it's a new station.
But then it was a station where Alan Freed played rock and roll six days a week.
So [D] what he was playing [Ebm] was R&B vocal groups like Sonny Till and the [Ab] Orioles, Randy.
[Eb] [C] Then he'd play [Eb] maybe some [Bb] Ray Charles, maybe some Ruth [A] Brown.
[Bb] [Dm] Then all of a sudden he was playing Johnny [G] [F] Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly.
To me it was [G] all, it was all the same.
Part of one expression.
It was all absolutely the same.
This integrated [Gm] soundtrack inspired him and ignited an unquenchable spirit.
[Ab] Hello darkness [Db] my old friend.
By the mid-60s, he would dominate [Ebm] those same airwaves with a haunting anthem
that spoke directly [Db] to the national soul.
[Ebm] Of Simon.
[F] [Eb] [B] How's a 21-year-old [Dbm] person thinking about the words of that song?
I have no idea.
All I can say is at the time I [N] thought, that's better than I usually do.
I really had no concept at all about what is magical about inspiration.
And I don't think about inspiration at all.
I don't believe that you need inspiration.
I don't say I'm going to wait around until some inspiration comes.
No, if [C] I'm going to write I have to go [F] to my writing space [Bb] [C] and [F] start to write.
People say I'm crazy.
I [Bb] got [C] diamonds on the soles of my [F] shoes.
Paul's work ethic and talent [Cm] propelled him to the apex of American [E] popular music.
He's recorded 224 [Ab] songs and 17 albums.
Through it all, he's followed his greatest gift,
the ability to [Db] engage human fundamentals deeper than [Ab] music itself.
[Eb] These songs are true, [Db] these days [Eb] are ours, these tears [Ab] are free.
[A] It's a [G] rare skill that leads him to cross the borders of [F] genre and culture
in creating new [G] and meaningful [B] collaborations.
[C] I [G] find musicians, I'm sure you feel the same way,
all around the world are very, very open to a dialogue of music.
You're playing what you love and you want to hear what they love and what they play.
Well, cultural barriers fall to an amazing [F] degree.
[Bb] As [C]
[F] [Bb] [F] a result, his [Fm] music is a seamlessly woven tapestry of [A] diverse [Gm] grooves, [Fm] melodies, timbres and techniques.
Everything, songs, recordings and performances are so [C] well executed as to appear [F] effortless.
But in truth, he is a meticulous craftsman.
Four felt too short, but eight feels too long, so why don't we try [C] six?
Who honors the sacred [G] pact between artist and audience by giving [C] everything [F] all of the time.
[C] [Bb] [F]
You Can Call Me Al, you know, which is called the national anthem because everybody stands up.
[Gm]
[C] As soon as you play You Can Call Me Al, everybody, everybody, all of a sudden everybody stands up, you know.
It's not my favorite [F] song to sing.
I could call you [Bb] Betty, [F] Betty, Betty.
It's usually the song that makes me stop touring.
Somewhere in the middle of a tour, I'm doing You Can Call Me Al and I say to myself, what am I doing here, man?
I'm just imitating a guy singing You Can Call Me [G] Al.
I got to get out of here.
That's true.
Even at 70, the integrity of his artistry remains steadfast.
[D] War is [C] passion [D] for the woman.
[C] Retaining its initial vitality as the [N] music continues to evolve.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, really, pretty much when if I thought a song was really good and I liked it, so did everybody else.
That's not the case anymore.
But I'm past that point in my life.
[Bb] I'm only concentrating on what can I make and how [Cm] can I do this without lying?
[Bb] [Eb] [Bb] Today,
[Cm] his [G] classic and [Cm] enlightened [Eb] lyrics speak to new generations.
[Abm] [Eb]
[Gm] Still seducing [C] the country [G] more than half a century [C] later.
Key:
C
F
Bb
G
Ab
C
F
Bb
[F] For 50 years, Paul Simon has been a leader in American pop music.
He's written dozens of classic songs like The Sounds of Silence, 50 Ways to Leave Your
Lava, [A] and of course, You Can Call Me Al.
CBS News cultural correspondent Wynton Marsalis talks with Simon, [Ab] musician to musician, about
how he became one of the most important artists of his generation.
_ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] For half a century, [B] the music of Paul Simon has taken us to extraordinary places.
[E] _ _ _
With insights on love, _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ [G] longing, [C] _ _ _
[G] _ _ [E] _ [Ab] and laughter. _ _
_ His [Db] songs illuminate what we [Ab] all have in [B] common.
You don't have to create it, it's already in existence.
You just have to reveal it, [Bb] you [F] know?
_ _ Simon is a modern [C] bard whose genius is rooted [G] in the endless [Dm] possibilities of America. _
_ [G] His first inspiration, [Bbm] _ [C] _ [Bb] _
[Ab] childhood [Bb] weekends filled with [Fm] baseball and the family radio.
I would listen to, in those [Db] days, there was only one station in New York, it was 1010
Winds, now it's a new station.
But then it was a station where Alan Freed played _ rock and roll six days a week.
So [D] what he was playing [Ebm] was R&B vocal groups like Sonny Till and the [Ab] Orioles, Randy.
[Eb] _ [C] Then he'd play [Eb] maybe some [Bb] Ray Charles, maybe some Ruth [A] Brown.
[Bb] [Dm] Then all of a sudden he was playing Johnny [G] [F] Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly.
To me it was [G] all, it was all the same.
Part of one expression.
It was all absolutely the same.
_ _ _ This integrated [Gm] soundtrack inspired him and ignited an unquenchable spirit.
[Ab] Hello darkness [Db] my old friend.
By the mid-60s, he would dominate [Ebm] those same airwaves with a haunting anthem
that spoke directly [Db] to the national soul.
_ [Ebm] Of Simon.
[F] _ _ [Eb] [B] How's a 21-year-old [Dbm] person thinking about the words of that song?
I have no idea.
All I can say is at the time I [N] thought, _ that's better than I usually do. _
_ _ I really had no concept at all about what is magical about _ inspiration.
_ And I don't think about inspiration at all.
I don't believe that you need inspiration.
I don't say I'm going to wait around until some inspiration comes.
No, if [C] I'm going to write I have to go [F] to my writing space [Bb] [C] and [F] start to write.
People say I'm crazy.
I [Bb] got [C] diamonds on the soles of my [F] shoes.
Paul's work ethic and talent [Cm] propelled him to the apex of American [E] popular music.
He's recorded 224 [Ab] songs and 17 albums.
Through it all, he's followed his greatest gift,
the ability to [Db] engage human fundamentals deeper than [Ab] music itself.
[Eb] These songs are true, [Db] these days [Eb] are ours, these tears [Ab] are free.
[A] It's a [G] rare skill that leads him to cross the borders of [F] genre and culture
in creating new [G] and meaningful [B] collaborations.
[C] I [G] find musicians, I'm sure you feel the same way,
all around the world are very, very open to a dialogue of music.
You're playing what you love and you want to hear what they love and what they play.
Well, cultural barriers fall to an amazing [F] degree.
[Bb] As [C] _
_ _ [F] _ _ [Bb] _ [F] a result, his [Fm] music is a seamlessly woven tapestry of [A] diverse [Gm] grooves, [Fm] melodies, timbres and techniques.
Everything, songs, recordings and performances are so [C] well executed as to appear [F] effortless.
But in truth, he is a meticulous craftsman.
Four felt too short, but eight feels too long, so why don't we try [C] six?
Who honors the sacred [G] pact between artist and audience by giving [C] everything [F] all of the time.
[C] _ [Bb] _ [F] _
_ You _ Can Call Me Al, you know, which is called the national anthem because everybody stands up.
_ _ [Gm] _
[C] As soon as you play You Can Call Me Al, everybody, everybody, all of a sudden everybody stands up, you know.
It's not my favorite [F] song to sing.
I could call you [Bb] Betty, [F] Betty, Betty.
It's usually the song that makes me stop touring.
Somewhere in the middle of a tour, I'm doing You Can Call Me Al and I say to myself, what am I doing here, man?
I'm just imitating a guy singing You Can Call Me [G] Al.
I got to get out of here.
That's true.
Even at 70, the integrity of his artistry remains steadfast.
[D] War is [C] passion [D] for the woman.
[C] Retaining its initial vitality as the [N] music continues to evolve.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, really, pretty much when if I thought a song was really good and I liked it, so did everybody else.
That's not the case anymore.
_ But I'm past that point in _ my life.
_ [Bb] I'm only concentrating on what can I make and how [Cm] can I do this without lying?
_ _ _ [Bb] _ [Eb] [Bb] Today, _
_ _ _ _ [Cm] _ _ his [G] classic and [Cm] enlightened [Eb] lyrics speak to new generations.
[Abm] _ _ [Eb] _
[Gm] Still seducing [C] the country [G] more than half a century [C] later. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
He's written dozens of classic songs like The Sounds of Silence, 50 Ways to Leave Your
Lava, [A] and of course, You Can Call Me Al.
CBS News cultural correspondent Wynton Marsalis talks with Simon, [Ab] musician to musician, about
how he became one of the most important artists of his generation.
_ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] For half a century, [B] the music of Paul Simon has taken us to extraordinary places.
[E] _ _ _
With insights on love, _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ [G] longing, [C] _ _ _
[G] _ _ [E] _ [Ab] and laughter. _ _
_ His [Db] songs illuminate what we [Ab] all have in [B] common.
You don't have to create it, it's already in existence.
You just have to reveal it, [Bb] you [F] know?
_ _ Simon is a modern [C] bard whose genius is rooted [G] in the endless [Dm] possibilities of America. _
_ [G] His first inspiration, [Bbm] _ [C] _ [Bb] _
[Ab] childhood [Bb] weekends filled with [Fm] baseball and the family radio.
I would listen to, in those [Db] days, there was only one station in New York, it was 1010
Winds, now it's a new station.
But then it was a station where Alan Freed played _ rock and roll six days a week.
So [D] what he was playing [Ebm] was R&B vocal groups like Sonny Till and the [Ab] Orioles, Randy.
[Eb] _ [C] Then he'd play [Eb] maybe some [Bb] Ray Charles, maybe some Ruth [A] Brown.
[Bb] [Dm] Then all of a sudden he was playing Johnny [G] [F] Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly.
To me it was [G] all, it was all the same.
Part of one expression.
It was all absolutely the same.
_ _ _ This integrated [Gm] soundtrack inspired him and ignited an unquenchable spirit.
[Ab] Hello darkness [Db] my old friend.
By the mid-60s, he would dominate [Ebm] those same airwaves with a haunting anthem
that spoke directly [Db] to the national soul.
_ [Ebm] Of Simon.
[F] _ _ [Eb] [B] How's a 21-year-old [Dbm] person thinking about the words of that song?
I have no idea.
All I can say is at the time I [N] thought, _ that's better than I usually do. _
_ _ I really had no concept at all about what is magical about _ inspiration.
_ And I don't think about inspiration at all.
I don't believe that you need inspiration.
I don't say I'm going to wait around until some inspiration comes.
No, if [C] I'm going to write I have to go [F] to my writing space [Bb] [C] and [F] start to write.
People say I'm crazy.
I [Bb] got [C] diamonds on the soles of my [F] shoes.
Paul's work ethic and talent [Cm] propelled him to the apex of American [E] popular music.
He's recorded 224 [Ab] songs and 17 albums.
Through it all, he's followed his greatest gift,
the ability to [Db] engage human fundamentals deeper than [Ab] music itself.
[Eb] These songs are true, [Db] these days [Eb] are ours, these tears [Ab] are free.
[A] It's a [G] rare skill that leads him to cross the borders of [F] genre and culture
in creating new [G] and meaningful [B] collaborations.
[C] I [G] find musicians, I'm sure you feel the same way,
all around the world are very, very open to a dialogue of music.
You're playing what you love and you want to hear what they love and what they play.
Well, cultural barriers fall to an amazing [F] degree.
[Bb] As [C] _
_ _ [F] _ _ [Bb] _ [F] a result, his [Fm] music is a seamlessly woven tapestry of [A] diverse [Gm] grooves, [Fm] melodies, timbres and techniques.
Everything, songs, recordings and performances are so [C] well executed as to appear [F] effortless.
But in truth, he is a meticulous craftsman.
Four felt too short, but eight feels too long, so why don't we try [C] six?
Who honors the sacred [G] pact between artist and audience by giving [C] everything [F] all of the time.
[C] _ [Bb] _ [F] _
_ You _ Can Call Me Al, you know, which is called the national anthem because everybody stands up.
_ _ [Gm] _
[C] As soon as you play You Can Call Me Al, everybody, everybody, all of a sudden everybody stands up, you know.
It's not my favorite [F] song to sing.
I could call you [Bb] Betty, [F] Betty, Betty.
It's usually the song that makes me stop touring.
Somewhere in the middle of a tour, I'm doing You Can Call Me Al and I say to myself, what am I doing here, man?
I'm just imitating a guy singing You Can Call Me [G] Al.
I got to get out of here.
That's true.
Even at 70, the integrity of his artistry remains steadfast.
[D] War is [C] passion [D] for the woman.
[C] Retaining its initial vitality as the [N] music continues to evolve.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, really, pretty much when if I thought a song was really good and I liked it, so did everybody else.
That's not the case anymore.
_ But I'm past that point in _ my life.
_ [Bb] I'm only concentrating on what can I make and how [Cm] can I do this without lying?
_ _ _ [Bb] _ [Eb] [Bb] Today, _
_ _ _ _ [Cm] _ _ his [G] classic and [Cm] enlightened [Eb] lyrics speak to new generations.
[Abm] _ _ [Eb] _
[Gm] Still seducing [C] the country [G] more than half a century [C] later. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _