The third new studio album of
Paul Simon's post-
Simon & Garfunkel career was a musical and lyrical change of pace from his first two,
Paul Simon and
There Goes Rhymin' Simon. Where
Simon had taken an eclectic approach before, delving into a variety of musical styles and recording all over the world,
Still Crazy found him working for the most part with a group of
jazz-pop New York session players, though he did do a couple of tracks (
"My Little Town" and
"Still Crazy After All These Years") with the
Muscle Shoals rhythm section that had appeared on
Rhymin' Simon and another (
"Gone at Last") returned to the
gospel style of earlier songs like
"Loves Me Like a Rock." Of course,
"My Little Town" also marked a return to working with
Art Garfunkel, and another Top Ten entry for
S&G. But the overall feel of
Still Crazy was of a jazzy style subtly augmented with strings and horns. Perhaps more striking, however, was
Simon's lyrical approach. Where
Rhymin' Simon was the work of a confident family man,
Still Crazy came off as a post-divorce album, its songs reeking of smug self-satisfaction and romantic disillusionment. At their best, such sentiments were undercut by humor and made palatable by musical hooks, as on
"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," which became the biggest solo hit of
Simon's career. But elsewhere, as on
"Have a Good Time," the singer's cynicism seemed unearned. Still, as out of sorts as
Simon may have been, he was never more in tune with his audience:
Still Crazy topped the charts, spawned four Top 40 hits, and won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Vocal Performance. ~ William Ruhlmann
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