Music Videos
Paul Simon did not like the original music video that was made, which was a performance of the song Simon gave during the monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in the perspective of a video monitor. A replacement video was conceived partly by Lorne Michaels and directed by Gary Weis, wherein Chevy Chase lip-synced all of Simon's vocals in an upbeat presentation, with gestures punctuating the lyrics. Chase, at 6'4", towered over the much shorter (5'3") Simon.
The two men enter a white-walled room, sit down, and shake hands; Simon begins to sing, but stops and looks puzzled when Chase commandeers the vocal line instead. Simon then adopts a bored expression for the remainder of the song, occasionally stepping out to bring in other instruments such as a bass guitar and conga drum for later use. He only sings to provide bass harmony on the "If you'll be my bodyguard" and "I can call you Betty" phrases during the chorus. The two men perform a rhythmic dance step in unison during the bridge, with Simon and Chase playing alto saxophone and trumpet, respectively. For the fade-out instrumental and dance, Simon switches to bass guitar and nearly hits his head against the bell of Chase's trumpet as Chase pivots toward him, prompting Simon to smile. The two men keep playing as they exit the room.
Read more about this topic: You Can Call Me Al
Famous quotes containing the words music and/or videos:
“In benevolent natures the impulse to pity is so sudden, that like instruments of music which obey the touch ... you would think the will was scarce concerned, and that the mind was altogether passive in the sympathy which her own goodness has excited. The truth is,—the soul is [so] ... wholly engrossed by the object of pity, that she does not ... take leisure to examine the principles upon which she acts.”
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—C. John Sommerville (20th century)