Graceland

Simon and Roy Halee recorded the basic tracks with South African musicians at Ovation Studios in Johannesburg in February 1985, then edited, overdubbed and mixed at the Hit Factory in New York, with further sessions with Los Lobos in Los Angeles and Rockin' Dopsie in Louisiana and Under African Skies completed at Abbey Road. Halee said the bassline is what the album is all about. Rob Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone called it lovely, daring and accomplished, and William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote that it became the standard for later musical experiments by major artists.

It won Album of the Year at the 1987 Grammys, entered the National Recording Registry in 2006, and stood at 46 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the greatest albums. Steve Berlin of Los Lobos said Simon took All Around the World from the band, which Simon denied. A 25th-anniversary edition added demos, a concert film and a documentary, and Joe Berlinger's film Under African Skies (2012) returned to the story.