Monday, March 5, 2012

All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints

The thing people know about fingerprints is that each person's is unique. This truth is the basis for much crime-solving and now, with the advent of tiny scanners, security and crime prevention.

The main character in this song, however, the "former talk-show host," dismisses this idea as a "myth." As he says, "I've seen them all/ And... they're all the same."

Meaning that the idea of people being unique is a myth. The host is not bragging that he has literally seen every fingerprint of every person-- not even the FBI's experts have done that. Rather, in his line of work, he has met enough people of all walks of life-- from celebrities to those of us who will never be-- to know that people are truly more alike than they are different.

The opening line, "over the mountain, down in the valley," is likely not a throw-away line by Simon, but probably a reference to Hollywood, which lies in a valley... near the mountain the famous HOLLYWOOD sign is on.

The second verse shifts the scene dramatically to "Out in the Indian Ocean somewhere," where, on some island, lies a "former Army post." We can guess that this is a relic of the Viet Nam War, but might also date back to WWII.

In any case, the host explains that this is one of the results of the myth of individuality. If we did not separate ourselves into factions, insisting upon the reality of imagined (or over-emphasized) differences, he posits, there would be no more wars. And so no need of Army posts-- they would all become "former" ones.

The last verse returns us to the talk-show host's living room couch. This pernicious myth, he concludes, doesn't only foster international conflict. It also has more a personal impact. It causes us to "live alone." We can never be truly united and truly live together, he sighs, if we continue to declare that we are as unique as our fingerprints.

As if the jump from a "talk-show host" to an "army post" wasn't enormous enough, Simon elaborates that the "myth" is pervasive throughout time and space. For time, he talks about a day, from sun-up to a sunset (either "weary" or "bloody" depending on whether we are talking about a TV show or war). He evokes the concept "since the dawn of time" by picking a thing that has been on Earth for eons-- the "watermelon."

And while he acknowledges that some reformers have asked if the myth can ever be shattered by an alternative social construct ("Somebody said, 'What's a better thing to do?'"), he admits that this is unlikely, as the problem is so pervasive. It is both interpersonal and global: "It's not just me, and it's not just you/ This is all around the world."

And so not just South Africa. The myth lead to apartheid, to be sure, but the issues of discrimination and segregation do not by any means end with the borders in which this abhorrent practice dwelt.

As many problems as the myth causes, from individual alienation to civil-rights violation to international conflagration, the myth is too appealing for anyone to want to dispense with it. (To be fair, social experiments in which millions of people were treated exactly the same-- Mao's China, for instance-- have not necessarily been successful, either.)

In a sense, this song is Simon's response to John Lennon's "Imagine." In that song, Lennon explains what if would take for humanity to "live as one." Simon responds that this goal will remain imaginary as long as we buy into the "myth" that each of us is unique.

There is no "humanity," all the with the same ancestry and DNA, each of us says. There are only us "humans" and our own snowflake-unique "fingerprints."

(OK, fine... my personal guess? I think the "former talk-show host" is Phil Donahue, but I have no proof; the character may be entirely imaginary. The whole idea of using such a figure to deliver the message of the song might simply have been Simon's attempt to find someone who would have conversed with the widest range of people.)

Musical Note:
The backing band for this track is by the very talented and wide-ranging act Los Lobos.

Sadly, there is some contention over the degree of their contribution to the track. Los Lobos is credited with playing and harmonizing, but not co-authorship. They claim that Simon did not credit them properly for coming up with the song and outright "stole" it. The album's notes credit Simon solely.

While I, of course, have no idea who is right, it seems dubious that Simon would share credit with so many others on this album-- five co-writers, on five of the 11 tracks-- and not them. Simon also points out that the first he had heard of this accusation was six months after the record had been released.

At least Los Lobos can be "comforted" by the knowledge that this track was not a hit.

IMPACT:
The song did not chart, but its title was taken for a movie. The Myth of Fingerprints is a 1997 release about a dysfunctional family on a Thanksgiving weekend. (The movie was not a hit either.)

Next Song: Changing Opinion

19 comments:

  1. When He Says "The lights come up in the black pit town" The black pit could mean a watermelon seeds which were given to others in Zulu tribes as a peace offering

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  2. Harris-- Thank you for your very useful comment! It certainly makes the "watermelon" mention much more understandable. In fact, I did not comment on the "pit" reference. Perhaps it is a pun. One of South Africa's main sources of income is its mines, and so a town that grew around one might be called a "black pit" town, akin to a "factory" town. With the watermelon in there, the word "pit" works both ways.

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  3. Hello! I think the song is 'About the commonalities shared by people around the world, despite
    historical & other differences'

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  4. Niall-- That's a good way of summarizing what I wrote, yes.

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  5. Niall-- You and Harris wouldn't happen to have a lot in common, would you? You do share a last name...

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    1. Watch Nicholson 1968 YouTube
      Transhumanism-Host in Hell Full film by Nicholson 1968
      I think Paul Simon had a lot Biblical stuff in his songs 😉
      God bless

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    2. Watch Nicholson 1968 on YouTube
      Transhumanism Hot-in Hell
      I think Paul Simon had lot meaningful stuff in songs

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    3. aussie 777-- I would have to say that after writing about his songs for almost a decade, I would have to agree.

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  6. Unknown-- I agree. Religion and the Bible, and both Christian and Jewish references, have been part of Simon's work his whole career. He also makes mention of Islam and some Eastern religious ideas.

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  7. I always found the title of this interesting - as though it's two titles fused together. And subsequently, the song is more mellow in the verses and then shifts to Rock in the chorus. There's a duality going on here that creates tension. A very curious song.

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  8. Downtowner: I always thought that "All Around the World" is one of Simon's more, if not most, cliched titles. "The Myth of Fingerprints" shows much more how creative and enigmatic he can be.
    As for the music, Simon often shifts tempos, textures, and other musical elements within one song, often to the point of one song feeling like a medley of two or more; but I agree this is one of those cases.

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  9. I think part of the reason this song was never a hit is that he went a little too cryptic with the lyrics. I love the song when it came out but I never understood what it was trying to say and never bothered to find out until now.

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  10. Unknown-- In the words of a James Taylor song title: that's why I'm here.
    As far as why the song wasn't a hit? Most songs are not hits. Most songs, no one even knows about. In the entire history of the Rolling Stones, encompassing hundreds of performed songs-- originals, covers, and originals that weren't all that original (not a slam on the Stones! Everyone has these)-- there is a 2CD set called "40 Licks." Billy Joel has been called the "33-hit Wonder" but he recorded WAY more than 33 songs.
    So the question is why this one was not a hit-- that's the default setting for any song. The question is why hits ARE hits.
    Today there are algorithms that analyze the features of hit songs, leading to songs crafted to fit those algorithms, leading so songs that all sound the same.
    So maybe the mystery of what makes a hit song is best left that-- a mystery. Some songs hit the public a certain way at a certain time. Some songs, like Satisfaction, end up being remade by everyone from Devo to Britney Spears. Some, like Fleetwood Mac's Landslide, take a while to catch on. Some songs are beloved... by hardcore fans only, like Fleetwood Mac's Silver Springs. But most songs sink without a trace.
    And no, I don't think a song's lyrics being too cryptic is a problem. People still want who know who Carly Simon thought was so vain. People still debate the meanings of passages of American Pie.
    I'l close with a note about that song, illustrating how being cryptic can actually HELP a song achieve stardom and get covered by Madonna (and parodied by Weird Al). Someone asked Don McLean what American Pie means. He smiled: "It means I never have to work again."

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  11. Los Lobos did come up with the track’s chords and arrangement, and Paul probably came up with the melody, according to a recent bio.
    So Los Lobos should have co-writing credit, or some combination of members.

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  12. Anon- A recent bio of whom? Simon or the band? If Simon did not share as much credit as was deserved, that's wrong and should be rectified. You can easily credit as song as having its lyrics by one person, but its melody by more than one (or vice versa).
    But if he did not give credit where deserved, that's also uncharacteristic of Simon. Many of his songs are credited to co-writers or co-composers (which is a way I have found out about many amazing acts!). Credit-hogging (or whatever the industry term is) has never been a charge leveled against him with any regularity to my knowledge. So if that happened this time, it does not seem to be part of a larger pattern.
    All of that said, if it needs to be fixed, it should be.

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    1. I have some more info about the situation. It seems that it was more of a misunderstanding. Los Lobos said they wanted to jam with Paul (or the other way around) and before they started jamming they decided to play him a finished song of theirs they hadn't recorded or wrote lyrics for yet. It's unclear whether they actually told him it was a finished song or not, but it seems that Paul assumes that they'd brought an unfinished song fragment that they wanted him to finish, and thus makes this song.

      In which case, one could make the argument that both parties were at fault. But if the story is true I think Paul should, at very least, share the credit with them.

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  13. Gerkuman-- Thanks for the info. I could see this being a confusing situation, with each side seeing it their way, and not understanding the others' behavior and reactions. I have certainly been in such situations myself.

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  14. In a Paul Simon bio I read a few years back Los Lobos went into a lot of detail about the sessions that produced this song. It is not very complimentary to Paul, basically saying he was an a-hole in the studio and they left thinking there was nothing usable. Then the song shows up in the album and they are not credited for coming up with the tune.

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  15. Anon-- I don't know how to respond at this point. Not having been there myself, I have no idea.
    If Simon behaved unprofessionally in that situation, then maybe he did. Nobody's perfect, and I'm sure Simon has his grievances of this nature against others... and maybe it all balances out in some karmic sense.
    This blog is about the meaning of his songs, and only delves into his personal life as much as necessary to explain the songs themselves.

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