Still Crazy After All These Years

Still Crazy After All These Years
Studio album by Paul Simon
Released	October 1975
Recorded	1975
Genre	Rock
Length	36:25 (original album) 45:32 (2004 CD reissue)
Label	Columbia, then Warner Bros.
Producer	Paul Simon, Phil Ramone
Paul Simon chronology
Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin' (1974) Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) Greatest Hits, Etc. (1977)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(B)
Rolling Stone	(mixed)

Still Crazy After All These Years is the fourth studio album by Paul Simon. Recorded in 1975, the album produced four US Top 40 hits, "Gone at Last" (#23), "My Little Town" (#9, credited to Simon & Garfunkel), "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" (#1) and the title track (#40). It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1976. In Simon's acceptance speech for the Album of the Year award, on February 28, he jokingly thanked Stevie Wonder, who had won the award the two previous years for Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale, for not releasing an album that year . (Wonder won the award again for Songs in the Key of Life in 1977.)

The liner notes for "My Little Town" contain this quote from "Crow" by Ted Hughes:

To hatch a crow, a black rainbow

Bent in emptiness

over emptiness

But flying

"My Little Town" reunited Simon with former partner Art Garfunkel on record for the first time since 1970.

Simon credits studio drummer Steve Gadd with creating the unique drum beat that became the hook for "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".

Simon came up with the phrase "Still Crazy After All These Years" for the title track. He then created a story to go with it. The song's unusual chord changes were inspired by bassist and composer Chuck Israels with whom Simon was studying with at the time.^{[citation needed]}

Rosemary Clooney recorded a jazz-flavored version of "Still Crazy After All These Years" for her album Still on the Road (1993).

Karen Carpenter covered the song for her self-titled solo album (1996).

The song was also covered by Willie Nelson on the Soundtrack of the motion picture Space Cowboys (2000).

Track listing

All songs were written by Paul Simon.

1. "Still Crazy After All These Years" – 3:26
2. "My Little Town" – 3:51
3. "I Do It for Your Love" – 3:35
4. "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" – 3:37
5. "Night Game" – 2:58
6. "Gone at Last" – 3:40
7. "Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy" – 3:14
8. "Have a Good Time" – 3:26
9. "You're Kind" – 3:20
10. "Silent Eyes" – 4:12

Bonus tracks 2004 CD reissue

11. "Slip Slidin' Away" (Demo) – 5:30
12. "Gone at Last" (Original Demo) w/ The Jessy Dixon Singers – 4:38

Personnel

• Paul Simon - vocals, guitar
• John Tropea - electric guitar
• Patti Austin - background vocals
• Art Garfunkel - vocals on "My Little Town"
• Phoebe Snow - background vocals, vocals on "Gone at Last"
• Joe Beck - electric guitar
• Michael Brecker - saxophone soloist
• Bob James - electric piano
• David Sanborn - saxophone
• Grady Tate - drums
• Pete Carr - electric guitar
• Sivuca - accordion, vocals
• Ralph MacDonald - percussion
• Chicago Community Choir - background vocals
• Barry Beckett - electric piano
• Eddie Daniels - saxophone
• Gordon Edwards - bass
• Jerry Friedman - electric guitar
• Steve Gadd - drums
• Roger Hawkins - drums
• David Hood - bass
• The Jessy Dixon Singers - background vocals
• Tony Levin - bass
• Hugh McCracken - guitar
• Leon Pendarvis - piano
• Valerie Simpson - background vocals
• Richard Tee - piano
• Toots Thielemans - harmonica
• Phil Woods - saxophone
• Kenny Ascher - organ, electric piano
• Dave Matthews - horn arrangements

Chart positions

Year	Country	Chart	Position
1975	United States	The Billboard Pop Albums	1
	United Kingdom	UK Albums Chart	6
	Canada	Canadian Albums Chart	8
	Norway	VG-lista	8
	Sweden	Swedish Albums Chart	9
	Holland	Mega Charts	11
	New Zealand	New Zealand Albums Chart	24
	Finland	Suomen virallinen lista	29

References

Preceded by Rock of the Westies by Elton John

Billboard 200 number-one album December 6 - December 12, 1975

Succeeded by Chicago IX - Chicago's Greatest Hits by Chicago