Disillusionment? Travelling abroad? Tall doofy guys playing the sax? Betty Grable and Al Capone?
The video:
That was an awesome video! I’ve never seen it before. Thanks!
That’s not the original video, and I hadn’t seen it before. The original started out with a closeup of Chevy Chase, who looks a lot like Paul Simon (especially if that’s who you’re expecting), then pans back to show both of them after the opening verses.
That’s the video I remember.
There is some insight here
It’s a great video.
I think it’s about alienation and regret, and about friendship as an irrational and hapless–yet inexplicably, almost magically, successful–attempt to stave them off.
The first two verses are fairly standard meditations on middle-age alienation and regret. The chorus depicts friendship as a kind of contract entered into in hopes of redeeming these regrets and the ending the alienation. The arbitrary and calculated nature of the act of making this contract makes it seem kind of a hapless and desperate act. But the tone of the song as a whole, as well as the text of the third verse (which reinforces the alienation theme but ends on an almost tacked-on positive note) indicate that what is in fact a hapless grasping manages, somewhat magically, to actually work. (I think precisely because of the haplessness of the act, since this in itself lends a shared pathos and hence a shared struggle to those entering into the friendship depicted in the song.)
-FrL-
Wow Frylock, that’s one of the best answers to a 'splain this song questions yet!
Perhaps I dreamed it.
Watch the table.
Maybe…the linked version is the one that got heavy MTV rotation when it came out.
Wiki says there was a different original video that Paul didn’t like. When he hosted SNL he also made this, more popular, one.
In addition to what Frylock said, it’s also part autobiographical, like much of Paul Simon’s other stuff. The cartoon in a cartoon graveyard line is him not wanting to end up in a group tour of oldies acts or playing Branson, MO until he dies. The third verse reflects his experience traveling to Africa when working on the Graceland album.
There’s also a line from “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” that goes “Say, don’t you remember, they called me Al?” Don’t know if there’s a connection, but that struck me this morning, listening to the NPR piece.
I’ve always heard it was about Dante’s Divine Comedy. “Al” being Dante "Al"ighieri, and “Betty” being Beatrice Portinari.
I have no answer for the OP, but that brought back fond memories. Graceland is one of the best albums ever. Gotta dig mine out for a little reminiscing.
The short doofy guy was actually playing the sax. Chevy mimed playing the trumpet.
Actually, his embouchure was kinda passable, in that really low-compression-ratio-youtube-way 
Ditto. I’ll dig mine out when I get home tonight. Great album!
I’ve heard the same. In fact, I think it was brought up here many, many years ago. I have absolutely no idea what the conclusion of that discussion was though, at this point.
Wrong thread.