Wristband (song)

"Wristband"
Single by Paul Simon
from the album Stranger to Stranger
ReleasedApril 7, 2016
Genre
Length3:17
LabelConcord
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Paul Simon singles chronology
"The Afterlife"
(2011) 		"Wristband"
(2016) 		"Cool Papa Bell"
(2016)

"Wristband" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the first single from his album Stranger to Stranger (2016), released on Concord Records.

Background and composition

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Simon collaborates with the Italian electronic dance music artist Clap! Clap! on "Wristband". Simon was introduced to him in 2015 by his son Adrian, who was a fan of his work[clarification needed]. "Wristband" tells a narrative about a rock musician unable to gain entry into his own concert because he lacks the wristband required.[1] The singer tries to persuade the security guard to let him in, and cannot even gain admittance to the backstage without the right pass. The song eventually transitions into a larger symbol of outrage of underprivileged people "whose anger is a shorthand / For you'll never get a wristband." Peter Ames Carlin writes, "It is an archetypal Paul Simon move: bridging the personal and the social, the silly with the serious, the frivolous and the absolutely essential."[2] "It's not a true story," said Simon. "But I know plenty of people with this story and there have been times where I've been stopped backstage and asked to [show] a pass."[1]

The song is composed in the key of E♭ major (Mixolydian mode), with Paul Simon's vocal range spanning from E♭4 to E♭5, according to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.[3]

Release and reception

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Simon premiered the song on the National Public Radio series Live from Here with Chris Thile on February 6, 2016.[4] "Wristband", as the first single from Stranger to Stranger, was released online on April 7, 2016.[5] The song peaked at #14 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart on May 21.[6] Simon performed the song on Austin City Limits in September, a performance that National Public Radio praised as a "playfully infectious version of the song."[7] Stereogum described the song as "a rhythmic groove that finds Simon spinning a tale of getting locked out of a venue while taking a smoke break into a meditation on the perpetuation of social inequality."[8]

Personnel

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  • Paul Simon – lead and backing vocals
  • Keith Montie – backing vocals
  • Carlos Henrique – bass
  • Clap! Clap! – electronic drums, synthesizer, samples
  • Jamey Haddad – handclaps, percussion
  • Nino de los Reyes – handclaps, percussion
  • Oscar de los Reyes – handclaps, percussion
  • Sergio Martínez – handclaps, percussion
  • Andy Snitzer – saxophone, backing vocals
  • C.J. Camerieri – trumpet

References

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  1. ^ a b Andy Greene (April 7, 2016). "Inside Paul Simon's Genre-Bending New Album Stranger to Stranger". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  2. ^ Carlin 2016, p. 371.
  3. ^ "Digital Sheet Music – Paul Simon – Wristband". Musicnotes.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing. 11 September 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  4. ^ "Wristband – Paul Simon: Live from Here with Chris Thile". National Public Radio. February 6, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  5. ^ Colin Stutz (April 7, 2016). "Paul Simon Announces New Album 'Stranger to Stranger;' Hear First Single, 'Wristband'". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "Paul Simon Wristband Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  7. ^ Hilton, Robin (September 29, 2016). "Watch Paul Simon's Ageless And Animated Performance Of 'Wristband'". National Public Radio. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  8. ^ Helman, Peter (7 April 2016). "Paul Simon – 'Wristband'". Stereogum. Retrieved June 6, 2018.

Bibliography

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