Graceland. The concept might seen incongruous. Why is Paul Simon’s African-steeped masterpiece titled for something so singularly American? Should’t he be going to Johannesburg or Kigali or Lake Tanganyika? But Simon is onto something important here, the subject of human pilgrimage. To your eyes maybe Graceland is the tacky home of a fallen pop singer, but for millions of people it’s the Mecca of American pop. It’s a shrine the faithful travel miles to see, a touchstone. It may be America’s greatest secular holy site, or just a holy site, a temple in the new religion of pop culture, and no less a spiritual journey for some than any trek to Jerusalem or dip in the Ganges. Paul Simon makes clear that the path to Graceland is part of the same journey that human seekers have followed for millenia, both spiritually and musically. It makes sense; Graceland is inspired by African music, a tradition as old as humanity, Graceland itself is part of that tradition, another step in the road. The music is there to guide and enlighten the seekers’ path.
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