"Wristband" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

. It was the first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from his album ''

Stranger to Stranger ''Stranger to Stranger'' is the thirteenth solo studio album by American folk rock singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Produced by Paul Simon and Roy Halee, it was released on June 3, 2016 through Concord Records. Simon wrote the material over a period ...

'' (2016), released on Concord Records.

Background and composition

Simon collaborates with the Italian electronic dance music artist

Clap! Clap! Cristiano Crisci, commonly known by stage name Clap! Clap!, is an Italian producer and DJ. He is a long time jazz musician and previously worked under the alias Digi G'Alessio. Career Crisci's first release on Origami Sound in 2013 entitled ''Gw ...

on "Wristband". Simon was introduced to him in 2015 by his son, Adrian, who was a fan of his work. "Wristband" creates a narrative around a rock musician unable to gain entry into his own concert because he lacks the wristband required. The singer tries to persuade the security guard to let him in, and cannot even gain admittance to the backstage without the right pass. The song eventually transitions into a larger symbol of outrage of underprivileged people "whose anger is a shorthand / For you'll never get a wristband."

Peter Ames Carlin Peter Ames Carlin (born March 13, 1963) is an American journalist, critic and biographer who has written for publications such as ''People'' magazine, ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' The Los Angeles Times Magazine'', and ''The Oregonian''. Seve ...

writes, "It is an archetypal Paul Simon move: bridging the personal and the social, the silly with the serious, the frivolous and the absolutely essential." "It's not a true story," said Simon. "But I know plenty of people with this story and there have been times where I've been stopped backstage and asked to see a pass." According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

, the song is composed in the key of

E♭ major E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E♭ (musical note), E, consisting of the pitches E, F (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A♭ (musical note), A, B♭ (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, and D (musical note), ...

with Paul Simon's vocal range spanning from Eb₄ to Eb₅.

Release and reception

Simon premiered the song on the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

series '' Live from Here'' with Chris Thile on February 6, 2016. "Wristband", as the first single from ''

'', was released online on April 7, 2016. The song peaked at #14 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart on May 21. Simon performed the song on '' Austin City Limits'' in September, which

praised as a "playfully infectious version of the song." Stereogum called the song "a rhythmic groove that finds Simon spinning a tale of getting locked out of a venue while taking a smoke break into a meditation on the perpetuation of social inequality."

Personnel

– lead and backing vocals *Keith Montie – backing vocals *Carlos Henrique – bass *

– electronic drums, synthesizer, samples * Jamey Haddad – handclaps, percussion *Nino de los Reyes – handclaps, percussion *Oscar de los Reyes – handclaps, percussion *Sergio Martínez – handclaps, percussion *Andy Snitzer – saxophone, backing vocals *C.J. Camerieri – trumpet

References

Bibliography

External links

"Wristband"
The Paul Simon Official Site
Songfacts page
{{Paul Simon songs 2016 songs Songs written by Paul Simon Paul Simon songs Song recordings produced by Roy Halee