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
"Getting Ready for Christmas Day"
(2010)
"The Afterlife"
(2010)

"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. 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. 2.0 2.1 Will Hermes (February 18, 2011). "Paul Simon "The Afterlife"". Rolling Stone (Jann Wenner). Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  3. "Paul Simon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Alternative Songs for Paul Simon. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  4. "Paul Simon Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Paul Simon. Retrieved September 24, 2014.

External links