Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland is a landmark record. Recorded in New York and South Africa, Graceland not only sold 14 million copies, was named Album Of The Year in the 1986 Grammy Awards, but also brought the sound of South African music to audiences around the world.
when released in the autumn of 1986, Graceland soared to number three in the US album charts and topped the UK and South African charts for many weeks. The dramatic story of Graceland is told here, both in Paul Simon's own words, in those of engineer and long-time associate Roy Halee and those of fellow musicians Joseph Shabalala, Ray Phiri and Bakithi Jumalo, Linda Rondstadt (who along with the Everley Brothers sang on the Graceland sessions) also contibute as well as composer Philip Glass. There is also electrifying footage of Simon performing songs from the album, including the title track Graceland, Under African Skies (with Miriam Makeba, Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes (with ladysmith Black Mambazo) plus footage from the distinctive videos of You Can Call Me Al and The Boy In The Bubble.

This acclaimed film shows how a career setback for Paul Simon precipitated the inspiration for Graceland, how he learned so much from the South African musicians he met and how by collaborating with them a triumphant album was created. In Simon's own words: "That was what Graceland had - an unusual degree of understanding amongst people who had just met."