Kodachrome (song)
"Kodachrome" | ||||
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Single by Paul Simon | ||||
from the album There Goes Rhymin' Simon | ||||
B-side | "Tenderness" | |||
Released | May 19, 1973 | |||
Genre | Pop[1] | |||
Length | 3:32 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Simon | |||
Producer(s) |
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Paul Simon singles chronology | ||||
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"Kodachrome" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his third studio album, There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), released on Columbia Records. The song is named after Kodak's now-discontinued reversal film brand Kodachrome.
Description
After a review in
Record World called it "another Simon masterpiece" and said that "perfect fare for springtime-summer radio will be hummed and whistled by millions".[5]
Development
In an interview conducted in November 2008, Simon said that what he had in mind when writing the song was to call it "Going Home". However, finding this would have been "too conventional", he came up with "Kodachrome", because of its similar sound and larger innovative potential. He also refers to its first line as the "most interesting" part of the song.[6] That first line goes, "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school ... ."
Chart performance
Four weeks after its debut on the
Two weeks later "Kodachrome" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100,[8] behind "Will It Go Round in Circles" by Billy Preston.[9] It peaked at No. 2 the Billboard adult contemporary chart as well.[10] In the United Kingdom, the song was marketed as the B-side to "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" (CBS 1578).[11] The song was banned by the BBC[12] and also by the Federation of (Australian) Radio Broadcasters.[13]
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Personnel
The musicians on this session were the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.[27]
- Paul Simon – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Pete Carr – acoustic guitar
- Jimmy Johnson – electric guitars
- David Hood – bass guitar
- Roger Hawkins – double-tracked drums
- Barry Beckett – Wurlitzer electronic piano, Hammond organ, tack piano
- Uncredited – horns
Notes
References
- ISBN 031214704X.
- ^ "Radio Action & Pick Singles" (PDF). Billboard. May 12, 1973. p. 56. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Still Creative After All These Years", interview with Daniel J. Levitin, Grammy magazine, Winter, 1997.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. May 19, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "Interviews".
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ "Top 100 Songs – Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
- ^ See label photos at 45cat.com
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ Billboard (Billboard Publications), July 7, 1973, page 53.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM100: Singles" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 19, no. 23. July 21, 1973. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ "The Programmers' Adult Contemporary Playlist" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 19, no. 23. July 21, 1973. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- Les classement single. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ "Paul Simon – Kodachrome" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ [Flavour of New Zealand, August 27, 1973]
- ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Paul Simon – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "Paul Simon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 7/14/73". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles of '73" (PDF). RPM. December 29, 1973. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". www.musicoutfitters.com.
- ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles – 1973". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "Paul Simon Greatest Hits". aln2.albumlinernotes. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010.
Sources
- Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
- Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.
External links
- Paul Simon - Kodachrome on YouTube