Kodachrome (song)
| "Kodachrome" | |
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| Song |
"Kodachrome" is a song written and recorded by Paul Simon. It appeared on his 1973 album There Goes Rhymin' Simon.
Description
The song is named after the Kodak 35mm film Kodachrome. He also made a reference on the line "I got a Nikon Camera". The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[1] as well as the Billboard adult contemporary chart,[2] but it was not released as a single in Britain because, according to American Top 40 host Casey Kasem, the British Broadcasting Corporation would not play the trademarked name.
Kodak required the album to note that Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak. In the late 1990s, Kodak used the song in commercials to sell film.
The lyrics on There Goes Rhymin' Simon differed in wording from those on the The Concert in Central Park and Paul Simon's Concert in the Park, August 15, 1991 albums. The former said, "...everything looks worse in black and white," but the latter said, "...everything looks better in black and white."
Development
In an interview conducted in November 2008, Paul said that what he had in mind when he was writing the song was to call it "Going Home". However, finding that 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 apparently the "most interesting" part of the song.[3] The first line runs, "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all."
Notes
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Paul Simon on "One on One" with Katherine Lanpher Thursday, November 13, at the Union Square Barnes & Noble
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