Maps of Music

Hearts and Bones (1983)

Where the lyrics of Hearts and Bones take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first called Think Too Much, and Simon erased Art Garfunkel's vocals to turn the project into a solo record.

Key places

Drums recorded at the Power Station (1983)

Recording site Power Station Studio — Steve Ferrone was called to the Power Station to record drums for Think Too Much (a). This is the recording place named in the source. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Atlantic Studios (1983)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — Atlantic Studios is listed as a recording location for the album. The point is set at the city-level candidate coordinates from the source list. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Mediasound Studios (1983)

Recording site Mediasound Studios — Mediasound Studios is listed as a recording location for the album in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Regent Sound Studios (1983)

Recording site Regent Sound Studios (New York City) — Regent Sound Studios is listed as a recording location for the album in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location: Warner Bros. Studios (1983)

Recording site Amigo Studios — Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood is listed as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hearts and Bones: sixth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon
• Released in 1983 by Warner Bros. Records
• Originally intended to be titled Think Too Much
• The title song reflects Paul's relationship with actress Carrie Fisher

Background

• Written and recorded after Simon & Garfunkel's The Concert in Central Park in 1981 and the 1982–1983 world tour
• Several songs intended for Think Too Much were previewed on tour
• Mo Ostin, Warner Bros. Records president at the time, persuaded Simon to change the title to Hearts and Bones
• Art Garfunkel worked on some songs with Simon in the studio, aiming for an all-new Simon & Garfunkel studio album
• Simon felt the material was too personal for a Simon & Garfunkel album and decided it should be a solo album
• Garfunkel left the project, and the result ended any further Simon & Garfunkel studio album
• Released while expectations for a Simon & Garfunkel reunion were high, which made it a solo album in a reunion climate

Recording

• Steve Ferrone was contacted by Nile Rodgers to record drums at the Power Station for Think Too Much (a)
• Rodgers' rhythm guitar effects put the instrument out of sync with the original drum track
• Ferrone eventually achieved a satisfactory take despite Rodgers' concern about overdubbing
• Recording locations listed for the album include Atlantic Studios, Mediasound Studios, Regent Sound Studios and Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Paul Simon (born October 13, 1941, Newark, New Jersey) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• He met Art Garfunkel in elementary school in 1953 and they became known as Simon & Garfunkel in the 1960s.
• The duo's folk-rock hits such as "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America" and "The Boxer" defined the 1960s counterculture.
• Their final album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), is among the best-selling albums of all time.

Career

• As a solo artist, Simon explored gospel, reggae, soul and world music.
• Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973) and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) drew acclaim and hits such as "Mother and Child Reunion" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
• Graceland (1986), incorporating South African influences, became his most successful and acclaimed album.
• He wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman (1998), which was poorly received.
• His later albums include You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), Stranger to Stranger (2016) and Seven Psalms (2023).
• He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and won 16 Grammy Awards.

Honors

• He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and the first Library of Congress Gershwin Prize in 2007.
• He co-founded the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit providing medical care to children.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard said the album was "well worth the wait" and Simon's best work in nearly a decade
• Rolling Stone's Don Shewey concluded the album is about heart versus mind, thinking versus feeling
• Shewey called the songs subtle but said the music has a playfulness matching the album's cerebral self-consciousness

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's William Ruhlmann called Hearts and Bones Simon's most personal collection of songs, one of his most ambitious, and one of his best
• Ruhlmann praised the lyrical handling of romance and the blend of doo-wop and rock and roll roots with contemporary styles
• PopMatters' David Bloom found the album riskier, both musically and lyrically, than its predecessor One-Trick Pony
• Bloom said the album is more engrossing for that risk
• In 1986, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called the album a finely wrought dead end

Records

• Charted for 18 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 35
• Considered a relative commercial failure compared to Simon's other recordings

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was originally planned as Think Too Much before Warner Bros. president Mo Ostin persuaded Simon to change the title.
• Steve Ferrone's drum session for Think Too Much (a) was set up by Nile Rodgers, who ran effects on his rhythm guitar that made the instrument out of sync with the drum track.
• Garfunkel left the project, and Simon erased all his vocals before reworking the material into a solo album.
• The album is listed among the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
• In Norway the album reached third place on the charts, despite being a relative commercial failure overall.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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