Paul Simon's latest album was released in October 2000, or, depending on where you live, maybe a bit earlier.
Like many other fans, I investigated the internet for the latest news about the album before it was released, and it was very exciting to get more informations and soundclips every day.
I admit I was a bit confused when the album title was revealed.
"You're The One" wasn't the kind of title I had expected for a Paul Simon album, to me it rather sounded like Backstreet Boys or N' Sync.
Well nonetheless I was overexcited to hear it. I wasn't disappointed by the first couple of soundclips that were available on the internet at all, and after a long time of waiting, the album finally came out in Germany as well on October 17^th.
The concert in Hamburg which I would attend was only three days later, so I only had this time to listen to the album before hearing the songs live. When I now think about it, I wish I could have had more time to really listen to it...
But now, about half a year later, I think I have listened to it well enough to give you a personal review, although the process of discovering a Paul Simon album never really stops.

So first of all, I'll go through it song by song.
 

          1. That's Where I Belong

This song is a good opener for the album - the intro is quite unusual, but hey, as a Paul Simon fan you're used to surprises, aren't you?

Anyway, "That's Where I Belong" has a really beautiful melody which fits very well to the rhythm and the lyrics, and of course Paul's beautiful voice which I think has never sounded better. For me, the song is about someone who is content and happy with his life, who has found his destination. It makes you lean back and think "Hey, why do I complain all the time? Instead of that, I should enjoy my life!"
Well, at least that's how I see it.
 

2. Darling Lorraine

This one has a difficult rhythm and a melody that you have to discover passage by passage, but that's it what makes the song interesting.
It's remarkable that Paul has finished it in just one day!
Again, all parts of the song fit together very well. The beginning of the song is already a hint at the sad ending. The whole song points at the end - the tensed music and lyrics.
I think the lyrics are about relationships and love, and how love can become routine. Frank already wasn't sure when he first met Lorraine, that's already a sign for the bad luck.
Frank is sort of stuck in his marriage, he isn't free, but unhappy. He got tracked by Lorraine because he followed his heart, but not his mind. Lorraine also feels kind of prisoned.Their love encumbers them in being free. They both do love each other, but they communicate with anger instead of talking about their problems. The dramatic ending is the consequence - who knows, maybe Frank has killed Lorraine??
 

3. Old

That's what I'd call a song with a typical Paul Simon melody. "Old" was the first song from the album I heard, and I immediately thought: "Yes, that's definitively Paul!"
I think the simple melody is a kind of tool Paul used to show how simple life can be when you're young. The lyrics start as a kind of review of a life, describe Paul's impressions and an ironic view on getting older.
It ends up with the fact that we're not really old, since God has created us, so he's the one who's old.
I think the song shows that numbers are actually unimportant, and that you only get mad when you think too much about getting older, since you can't change it anyway. For me it means that you should seize your life as long as you can and be glad about the things you can experience.
 

4. You're The One

Well this song is about The One, the big love and all the experiences that go with it, the expectations we have and how different it feels for everyone.
I like the line "You are the air inside my chest" - it's very spiritual.
The guitar riff is also very nice - it sounds quite 50's-like to me. The rhythm is very groovy, but still, for some reason this song doesn't belong to my favourites on the album...It's probably a bit nerving, I don't know.
 

5. The Teacher

A very beautiful song. The whole thing carries the danger the lyrics imply. The intro already makes you shiver, and in fact you can imagine the situation the lyrics tell very well.
I think this song obviously about bad leaders and how dangerous it can be to trust them without considering the impacts this can have on you and on others.
Such bad leaders can be found everywhere: In school, politics, etc...I think it must be left to everyone's imagination what he thinks about it.
 

6. Look At That

This one is all about children - the fun and joy you have with them but also the stress, the discoveries parents share with them...
"Look At That" has a nice guitar riff which sounds a bit tensed, though.
This song also doesn't belong to my favourites.
 

7. Senorita With A Neclace Of Tears

That's a typical Paul Simon song title!
The song has a very calming and beautiful melody. Its beginning reminds me a bit of "When Numbers Get Serious".
For some reason, the lyrics sound very wisely to me, from someone who has experienced a lot, and indeed, the song is all about life: destinations, experiences and hopes.
The line "If I could play all the memories in the neck of my guitar I would write a song called
'Senorita With A Neclace Of Tears' " shows that it's true that the narrator has experienced a lot and that music is an important way to express these experiences. I think it's very typical for Paul.
 

8. Love

Again a very beautiful song, almost spiritual, with a nice acoustic guitar at the beginning.
The "We think it's easy..." part could be part of a Simon and Garfunkel tune, I think.
Nice to see that Paul finds always a way back to his roots.
The chorus is great, too. Just one word, together with a beautiful melody...Wow!
The song is all about the gift of love, how powerful it is and how we need to treasure it since it changes your life and is very important.
 

9. Pigs, Sheep & Wolves

This is an unusual song, but as I said earlier, as a Paul Simon fan it's fun to discover unusual songs!
It's a very ironical song, and again, all contents of the song fit together very well - Paul's voice, the tune, the rhythm...
But there is of course a serious background. The lyrics fit quite well to President Bush - how he used the death penalty in order to get more voters.
More generally, it means that one should be careful with prejudices and rumours and that we shouldn't judge someone only by his outer appearance.
It carries a big criticism of society and the media as well.
 

10. Hurricane Eye

I think this is my favourite song of this album. Very beautiful melody, absolutely Paul Simon-like. What a great banjo intro!
I think it's a song about life all over again. A journey from the beginning to the end with all kinds of experiences - Friendship, family, thinking...
Your whole life is like a hurricane, dangerous but exciting, and if you seize it, it'll never get boring. And when you have found the right balance, you're inside the hurricane eye, where it's calm, but until you find this balance, it's a long way.
 

11. Quiet

Well, summing up, I'm not sure if this is my favourite Paul Simon album, because that's "Rhythm Of The Saints" which I think has stronger melodies and which I can listen to without skipping any songs (But there are just a very few albums I can listen to without skipping titles, "Rhythm Of The Saints" and Pink Floyd's "The Division Bell" belong to them).
But I do like this album a lot. It's quite calm, but I suppose that's a sign that Paul is content with his life. This can be found all over the album.
"You're The One" is a very mature work, recorded with familiar musicians. But as always, you can't compare it with one of Paul's previous works. That's what I enjoy most: Discover unexpected styles.
If you're really into this album, you will see it's an adventure to discover it, the beautiful melody passages, the rhythms...Paul Simon's albums never get boring, and the topics he deals with are always up-to-date (relationship, inspiration, life, society...). His music is timeless and doesn't need to be trendy. The people who listen to his music know this and they will still listen to this album in 30 years, whereas people like Britney Spears might be long forgotten until then.