Kodachrome (song)
Encyclopedia
"Kodachrome" is a song
written and recorded by Paul Simon
. It appeared on his 1973 album
There Goes Rhymin' Simon
.
. For the week ending May 19, 1973, "Kodachrome" made it onto the Billboard Hot 100
chart and five weeks later, the song moved to number nine, just ahead of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
" by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
and just behind "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
" by George Harrison
. The song then became a major hit in the United States, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart as well as the Billboard adult contemporary chart
, but it was not released as a single in Britain
because, according to American Top 40
host Casey Kasem
, the British Broadcasting Corporation would not play the trademarked name.
Eastman Kodak Co. required the album to note that Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak, and to include the registered trademark symbol
(®) after the song's title. In the late 1990s, Kodak used the song in commercials to sell film.
The lyrics on There Goes Rhymin' Simon differed in wording from those on the The Concert in Central Park
and Paul Simon's Concert in the Park, August 15, 1991
albums. The former said, "...everything looks worse in black and white," but the latter said, "...everything looks better in black and white."
The song was featured in the films Coneheads
and Cops & Robbersons.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written and recorded by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
. It appeared on his 1973 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
There Goes Rhymin' Simon
There Goes Rhymin' Simon
There Goes Rhymin' Simon is the third solo studio album by American musician Paul Simon rush-released on May 5, 1973. It contains songs covering several styles and genres, such as gospel and dixieland . It received two nominations at the Grammy Awards of 1974, including Best Male Pop Vocal...
.
Description
The song is named after the Kodak 35mm film KodachromeKodachrome
Kodachrome is the trademarked brand name of a type of color reversal film that was manufactured by Eastman Kodak from 1935 to 2009.-Background:...
. For the week ending May 19, 1973, "Kodachrome" made it onto the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and five weeks later, the song moved to number nine, just ahead of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
" by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Tony Orlando and Dawn
Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "He Don't Love You ".-History:...
and just behind "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
"Give Me Love " is a song by George Harrison and is the lead track on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. The song was released as a single in May 1973, hitting number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 at the end of June and number eight on the UK Singles Chart...
" by George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
. The song then became a major hit in the United States, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart as well as the Billboard adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
, but it was not released as a single in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
because, according to American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
host Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, the British Broadcasting Corporation would not play the trademarked name.
Eastman Kodak Co. required the album to note that Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak, and to include the registered trademark symbol
Registered trademark symbol
The registered trademark symbol, designated by ® , is a symbol used to provide notice that the preceding mark is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office...
(®) after the song's title. In the late 1990s, Kodak used the song in commercials to sell film.
The lyrics on There Goes Rhymin' Simon differed in wording from those on the The Concert in Central Park
The Concert in Central Park
The Concert in Central Park is a live album by Simon & Garfunkel. On September 19, 1981 the folk-rock duo reunited for a free concert on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park, attended by more than 500,000 people. They released a live album from the concert the following March...
and Paul Simon's Concert in the Park, August 15, 1991
Paul Simon's Concert in the Park, August 15, 1991
Paul Simon's Concert in the Park is a live album released in 1991 by Paul Simon. It provided a survey of his two most recent albums, Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints, and also drew liberally from his earlier songbook including a number of tunes from the Simon and Garfunkel era...
albums. The former said, "...everything looks worse in black and white," but the latter said, "...everything looks better in black and white."
Development
In an interview conducted in November 2008, Paul said that what he had in mind when he was writing the song was to call it "Going Home". However, finding that this would have been "too conventional", he came up with "Kodachrome", because of its similar sound and larger innovative potential. He also refers to its first line as the "most interesting" part of the song. The first line runs, "When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all."The song was featured in the films Coneheads
Coneheads (film)
Coneheads is a 1993 film based on the Saturday Night Live sketches about the Coneheads. The film was directed by Steve Barron and produced by Lorne Michaels...
and Cops & Robbersons.
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 20 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 15 |
| French Singles Chart | 8 |
| US Hot 100 Singles Chart | 2 |