He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956; together the two came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. The duo's blend of folk and rock music in hits like "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America", and "The Boxer" served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their career together peaked with their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), at one point the best-selling album of all time. Throughout his subsequent solo career, Simon has continued to explore an eclectic mixture of genres, including gospel, reggae, soul, and more. His celebrated 1970s output—comprising Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)—kept him in the public spotlight and saw critical and commercial acclaim, spawning the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
Across his life, Simon has intermittently reunited with Garfunkel for several tours, including the famed Concert in Central Park. The widely lauded Graceland (1986) became Simon's biggest album of his career, melding his rock sound with worldbeat flavors; its single "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's top hits. A sequel of sorts, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), preceded his own successful Concert in the Park, attended by a half-million fans. That decade, Simon focused his energies on a Broadway musical The Capeman (1997), which was poorly received. In the first quarter of the next century, Simon continued to record and tour; his later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), and Stranger to Stranger (2016), have introduced him to new generations. He retired from touring in 2018. His most recent work, Seven Psalms, will see release in May 2023.
Simon is among the most acclaimed musicians and songwriters in popular music, and one of the world's best-selling music artists, both for his solo work and with Garfunkel. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, have seen induction into National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress crowned him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit that provides medical care to children.
In an in-depth interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Simon discusses the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon. In the interview, Simon explains the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary (as well as the overarching messages of religion, spirituality and God in his lyrics). Simon explains the process of how he goes about writing songs in the interview: "The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It's like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying."
Wristband
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And maybe check my mailbox
See if I can read the screen
Then I heard a click, the stage door lock
I knew just what that meant
I'm gonna have to walk around the block
If I wanna get it in
If you don't have a wristband, my man
You don't get through the door
Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
And if you don't have a wristband, my man
You don't get through the door
I can explain it
I don't know why my heart beats like a fist
When I meet some dude with an attitude saying
"Hey, you can't do that, or this"
And the man was large, a well-dressed six-foot-eight
And he's acting like Saint Peter standing guard at the pearly
Wristband, my man
You've got to have a wristband
That you don't have a wristband
You don't get through the door
And I said wristband?
I don't need a wristband
My axe is on the bandstand, my band is on the floor
I mean it's just
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
(Wristband)
The riots started slowly
With the homeless and the lowly
Then they spread into the heartland towns
That never get a wristband
Kids that can't afford the cool brand
Whose anger is a short-hand
For you'll never get a wristband
And if you don't have a wristband
Then you can't get through the door
No you can't get through the door (wristband)
No you can't get through the door (wristband)
Say you can't get through the door, no (wristband)
(Wristband)
The song "Wristband" by Paul Simon tells a story of a musician who steps outside the backstage door to smoke, checking his mailbox and sees the door locked. He realizes he's locked out and can't get back in without a wristband. The chorus is repeated, with the line "Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband" emphasizing the importance placed on this piece of material. The song also addresses the theme of social inequality as the riots slowly commence with those who don't have a wristband becoming the poor and homeless people, and those who can't afford the cool brand being left behind.
The song depicts the struggles of the poor and the difference between the "haves" and the "have nots." It also highlights the power that people with titles can wield, and how often they use it to keep others who are deemed less important at bay. The wristband serves as a symbol of the lack of access, both literally and metaphorically, that some people have to certain spaces and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I stepped outside the backstage door to breathe some nicotine
I exited the backstage to smoke a cigarette
And maybe check my mailbox
I also intended to check my mailbox while outside
See if I can read the screen
I wanted to check if I could read the screen by the mailbox
Then I heard a click, the stage door lock
I heard the sound of the stage door locking
I knew just what that meant
I understood the implication of the door being locked
I'm gonna have to walk around the block If I wanna get it in
If I wanted to re-enter the backstage, I'd have to walk around the block
Wristband, my man, you've got to have a wristband
A wristband is required to enter the venue
If you don't have a wristband, my man You don't get through the door
Without a wristband, entry is prohibited
I can explain it
I can elaborate on what happened
I don't know why my heart beats like a fist
I don't understand why my heart is racing with intensity
When I meet some dude with an attitude saying 'Hey, you can't do that, or this'
I get anxious when confronted by someone telling me what I can't do
And the man was large, a well-dressed six-foot-eight
The man had an imposing presence, standing at six feet and eight inches, and was well-dressed
And he's acting like Saint Peter standing guard at the pearly
He was acting like Saint Peter, the keeper of the gates of heaven
Wristband, my man You've got to have a wristband
The theme of a wristband being necessary continues
And if you don't have a wristband, my man You don't get through the door
Entry is impossible without a wristband
And I said wristband? I don't need a wristband My axe is on the bandstand, my band is on the floor
I said that I had no need for a wristband as my guitar was already on stage and my band was waiting for me
The riots started slowly With the homeless and the lowly
The violence started with underprivileged people
Then they spread into the heartland towns That never get a wristband
The violence spread to locations that aren't typically given access to wristbands
Kids that can't afford the cool brand Whose anger is a short-hand
Kids who can't afford the popular brands use their anger to express themselves
For you'll never get a wristband And if you don't have a wristband Then you can't get through the door
The continued association of violence with those who lack wristbands
No you can't get through the door (wristband)
Entry is impossible without a wristband
Say you can't get through the door, no (wristband)
Reiteration that entry is prohibited without a wristband
(Wristband)
Repetition of the importance of a wristband
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Crowharp
"The riots started slowly
With the homeless and the lowly
Then they spread into the heartland
Towns that never get a wristband
Kids that can't afford the cool grand
Whose anger is the shorthand
For "You never get a wristband"
And if you don't have a wristband, my man
You don't get through the door
You don't get through the door... "
That's our man. Still brilliant, after all these years.
T Brown
Paul Simon is amazing. He takes an inanimate and mundane object like a Wristband and builds it into a great song and also has some social commentary to go with it. This song is pure genius.
Mike Ryan
A wish before I die... to shake the hand of Paul Simon for filling my head and heart of joy for decades.
Mary Jensen
Consistently great music for 50 years. An amazing poet. He should have gotten the Nobel prize. I love his stories.
gggilgameshh
Leonard Cohen should've got it. Period.
Ken Owens
Beatles,stones, kinks, nirvana, radiohead,etc.all my heroes, but this guy,50 years on still making great new music and still performing , a true genius
Anna x
Ken Owens i like the same bands xD
gabelogan56
Same for me as well. HA. Nirvana was first favorite band, Then became Radiohead, then Beatles. Ray Davies is a goddamn talented, unique and prolific legend! Simon as well.
Stephen Jones
He is always experimenting with music...that is what makes him so great.
Guadalupe Picasso
More like 60 years on!
Lucy Bellamy
Uh hum queen apart from Freddie Mercury are still performing