The Afterlife
| "The Afterlife" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Simon & Garfunkel | ||||
| from the album So Beautiful or So What | ||||
| Released | February 25, 2011 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, afropop | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | Hear Music | |||
| Writer(s) | Paul Simon | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Ramone, Paul Simon | |||
| Simon & Garfunkel singles chronology | ||||
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"The Afterlife" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon from his twelfth studio album, So Beautiful or So What (2011). The song humorously describes a recently deceased individual standing in line to meet with his heavenly creator in Heaven.
The song peaked at number four on Billboard 's Adult Alternative Songs chart.
Background
The song concerns a man dying and getting to heaven, where he waits in line to meet with God, where everyone is "filling out forms and waiting in line to catch 'a glimpse of the divine.'"[1] While in line, he unsuccessfully hits on a woman. When he finally meets God, he is taken aback, and can only spout gibberish.[2]
Reception
Will Hermes of Rolling Stone gave the song four stars, commenting, "Packed with internal rhymes, Simon's verses flow like butter over supple lines by Cameroonian guitar master Vincent Nguini and Jim Oblon's syncopated grooves."[2] Margaret Wappler of the Los Angeles Times praised the song as memorable, commending its "zydeco-inflected shuffle" and remarking, "According to Paul Simon, the afterlife is a bureaucratic bummer as bad as the DMV."[1]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Paul Simon.
| Digital download | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | ||||||||
| 1. | "The Afterlife" | 3:39 | ||||||||
Chart positions
Weekly charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| scope="row" | US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[3] | 4 |
| scope="row" | US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[4] | 50 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Margaret Wappler (April 11, 2011). "Album review: Paul Simon's 'So Beautiful or So What'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Will Hermes (February 18, 2011). "Paul Simon "The Afterlife"". Rolling Stone (Jann Wenner). Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Paul Simon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Alternative Songs for Paul Simon. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ↑ "Paul Simon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Paul Simon. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
External links
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