Miracle and Wonder

Conversations with Paul Simon

By: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam

Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, Paul Simon

Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

*For a more up-to-date version check out Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon (Special Edition)

What happens when Paul Simon, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in music history, and Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling author, sit down together, with a tape recorder and a guitar?

Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon is part memoir, part investigation, and unlike any creative portrait you’ve ever heard before. Recorded over a series of 30 hours of conversation between Simon, Gladwell, and Gladwell’s oldest friend and co-writer, journalist and Broken Record podcast co-host Bruce Headlam, the conversation flows from Simon’s music, to his childhood in Queens, NY, to his frequent collaborators including Art Garfunkel and the nature of creativity itself. Gladwell and Headlam traveled from the mountains of Hawaii to Simon’s own backyard studio to record an artist they’ve idolized since childhood.

Woven throughout the audiobook is distinctive commentary about Simon’s songwriting alongside archival audio footage and never-before-heard live studio versions and original recordings of beloved hits including “The Boxer", “The Sound of Silence", and “Graceland”. Between conversations, Gladwell deploys his signature blend of historical research and social science in an attempt to understand how a boy from 1940s Queens conjured near-perfect songs over an incredible 65-year career. Along the way, he gathers reflections on Simon’s particular genius from the likes of Sting, Herbie Hancock, Renee Fleming, Jeff Tweedy, Aaron Lindsey, and Roseanne Cash.

The result is an intimate audio biography of one of America’s most popular songwriters. Brimming with music and conversation, Miracle and Wonder is a window into Simon’s legendary career, what it means to be alive as an artist, and how to create work that endures.

©2021 Pushkin Industries and Paul Simon (P)2021 Pushkin Industries and Paul Simon

Paul Simon is fantastic!

Malcolm Gladwell not so much. He does not seem insightful or smart to me at all. I found him very annoying. But Paul Simon made it worth it!

A great audio book.

Was a wonderful story of Paul Simon with a chance to hear how songs developed. What made this book special was listening to the music. Not only Paul’s music but where he got his ideas from other artists.

A great listen . . . with a bit too much Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam's "Musical Biography" of Paul Simon is an amazing accomplishment. If, like me, you are a lifelong fan of Simon's, you'll learn a lot about where his inspiration comes from and how he follows his ear to create sounds that resonate and move people. The authors asked the right questions and then assembled the resulting audio in ways that creates, not really an audiobook, but an audio documentary, including music from Simon solo and with Garfunkel, and commentary from the likes of Sting and Rosanne Cash.

I do have one quibble. Gladwell sets out to "solve the mystery" of Paul Simon's genius. In this typical fashion, this is a riddle he tracks down and seeks evidence to understand. His point is that Simon is an experimenter and tinkerer, more like Cezanne than Picasso, and that his constant seeking is what accounts for his incredibly longevity in producing amazing music. The thing is . . . I don't care so much about WHY Simon is a genius, and if you listen to Simon himself, he's not really all that interested either. He just follows the sound. But we have to listen to Gladwell prattle on about this, and that prattling is the least interesting part of this amazing accomplishment.

You do have to wonder if there is a message here about Gladwell and the longevity of his own genius, which has a little less shine on it based on his last two books. Gladwell wants us to know that he's so consistently creative, just as Simon is, that now he can pioneer a new art form, the musical audiobook that has no print book behind it.

So go ahead and listen to this one and enjoy it -- it brought me to tears in several places, including the resonance of Simon's "American Tune," which is as relevant as ever in this fraught moment in America. You don't need to be driven to solve Paul Simon as Gladwell is. Forget the purported destination. You can just enjoy the ride.

Fantastic use of sound

This is one of the best Audible books. The author and Paul Simon discuss the writing of several songs while playing portions that demonstrate the creative processes. I hope it becomes a rubric for future audio books.

Amazing insights into a beautiful soul

“Miracle and Wonder” is a powerful telling of the life and music of Paul Simon. It is perfectly presented.

Excellent!

Malcolm Gladwell knocks it out again! Definitely saw Paul Simon in a way I've never thought of before. Really glad he agreed to do this audiobook.

Paul Simon fan’s delight

I have grown up with Paul Simon’s tunes and lyrics… and read nearly all Malcolm Gladwell’s books…what a beautiful and well crafted production… the medium is perfect. It is helpful the voices are pleasant and melodic and the writing is so good. I appreciated Gladwell’s asides to insert some theories about why and what might be signified by this or that. It is not a biography but it is certainly biographical… as my generation’s poet, in addition to learning more about Paul Simon, I believe I learned more about myself.

Extraordinary book

This is an extraordinary audio book. Paul is very open and detailed about how many of his songs were created and what inspired his lyrics and music. One of the best books I’ve listened to in years.

A wondrous ride into the life and art of Paul Simon

A wonderful auditory journey into the nature of musical creation and the inspiration of the non-conscious sense and deliberate intentions beneath some of Simon’s captivating masterpieces. Gladwell and Headlam took their boyhood friendship and the mutual impact of this musical innovator and have themselves offered us a life affirming deep dive into what drives us all. Fabulous. Thank you to the three individuals who’ve joined here to enrich our lives.

Truly a genius

I have always enjoyed Paul Simon’s music but this deepened my appreciation of his definite genius.