GREAT PERFORMANCES: PAUL SIMON’S GRACELAND JOURNEY: UNDER AFRICAN SKIES
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
This 2012 documentary film, directed by Joe Berlinger, premiered on A&E, and was included in the deluxe Graceland 25th-anniversary box set. But if you didn’t catch it there, make sure to catch it here. It’s the behind-the-scenes story of Paul Simon’s biggest-selling album, the 1986 Graceland, for which he sought out South African rhythms – and musicians. Simon talks about the political fallout of going to South Africa to recruit and record, and stories about how he massaged the music tracks and wrote lyrics to fit. Simon usually is reluctant to talk about his lyric inspirations and procedures – but here, he’s both eloquent and honest, and his story about how the song “Graceland” came about is fascinating. So is the rest of this documentary, a worthy companion to the LP itself. In addition to rehearsal footage from the original recording and a recent reunion tour, it includes new interviews with the record’s musicians, as well as with Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Quincy Jones and others. The clip of Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, previewing “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” on Saturday Night Live, is called “the perfect moment” by producer Lorne Michaels – and he’s right. Check local listings.