Paul Simon’s second new song from his forthcoming album has popped up on the internet at http://stereogum.com/632822/paul-simon-the-afterlife-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/
“The Afterlife” comes from the album, “So Beautiful, So What” which Concord releases on April 12th. It follows “Getting Ready for Christmas Day,” which we heard last month–follows it also on the track listing and musically. It does seem like “So Beautiful So What” might be a theme album–yikes–very much agains the tide in these days of downloading singles.
Here are some of the lyrics:
“After I died and the makeup had dried/ I went back to my place /No moon that night, but a heavenly light shown down on my face/Still I thought it was odd there was no sign of God just to usher me in/Then a voice from above sugarcoated with love said, “Let us begin”
You got to fill out a form first/
And then you wait in the line”
Paul Simon is the greatest American lyricist of the pop era, maybe ever. I can only hope that this album is marketed right, and that the public responds, that the standard of understanding hasn’t been so diminished that Simon isn’t embraced as he should be.
