# What is You Can Call me Al about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872 "2008-11-15T16:40:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/1 "2008-11-15T16:40:14Z")
Disillusionment? Travelling abroad? Tall doofy guys playing the sax? Betty Grable and Al Capone? The video: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HOiVaE-pKqM/hqdefault.jpg "Paul Simon - You can call me Al") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOiVaE-pKqM) ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/2 "2008-11-15T16:58:43Z")
> [@wikipedia](#): > > The lyrics describe a man experiencing an identity crisis[1] (“Where’s my wife and family? What if I die here? Who’ll be my role model?”) which is ultimately resolved when he takes a trip to “the Third World”. That was an awesome video! I’ve never seen it before. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/3 "2008-11-15T17:14:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/4 "2008-11-15T17:21:17Z")
That’s the video I remember. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/5 "2008-11-15T17:40:15Z")
There is some insight [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Can_Call_Me_Al) It’s a great video. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/6 "2008-11-15T17:51:05Z")
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- ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/7 "2008-11-15T18:21:24Z")
Wow **Frylock** , that’s one of the best answers to a 'splain this song questions yet! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/8 "2008-11-15T18:32:08Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > That’s the video I remember. Perhaps I dreamed it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/9 "2008-11-15T18:47:28Z")
Watch the table. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/10 "2008-11-15T18:58:40Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Perhaps I dreamed it. Maybe…the linked version is the one that got heavy MTV rotation when it came out. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/11 "2008-11-15T19:21:34Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Perhaps I dreamed it. Wiki says there was a different original video that Paul didn’t like. When he hosted SNL he also made this, more popular, one. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/12 "2008-11-15T19:39:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/13 "2008-11-15T22:41:23Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/14 "2008-11-15T23:04:01Z")
I’ve always heard it was about Dante’s Divine Comedy. “Al” being Dante "Al"ighieri, and “Betty” being Beatrice Portinari. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/15 "2008-11-16T06:07:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/16 "2008-11-16T09:06:34Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Disillusionment? Travelling abroad? Tall doofy guys playing the sax? Betty Grable and Al Capone? > > The video: > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOiVaE-pKqM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOiVaE-pKqM) The short doofy guy was actually playing the sax. Chevy mimed playing the trumpet. ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/17 "2008-11-16T09:58:21Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > 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 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/18 "2008-11-16T19:26:01Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > 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. Ditto. I’ll dig mine out when I get home tonight. Great album! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/19 "2008-11-16T23:16:37Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I’ve always heard it was about Dante’s Divine Comedy. “Al” being Dante "Al"ighieri, and “Betty” being Beatrice Portinari. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872/20 "2008-11-16T23:19:18Z")
Wrong thread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-you-can-call-me-al-about/472872.md?page=2)