Kodachrome (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Kodachrome


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Caption =
Artist = Paul Simon
Album = There Goes Rhymin' Simon
A-side =
B-side =
Released = 1973
Format = 7" (45 rpm)
Recorded =
Genre = Pop, Adult contemporary
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Label = Columbia Records
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Last single = "Duncan"
1972
This single = "Kodachrome"
1973
Next single = "Loves Me Like a Rock"
1973
Misc =

"Kodachrome" is a song written and recorded by Paul Simon. It appeared on his 1973 album "There Goes Rhymin' Simon".

The song is named after the Kodak 35mm Film Kodachrome. He also made a reference on the line "I got a Nikon Camera". The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at #2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart [Whitburn, Joel (1996). "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)] as well as the "Billboard" adult contemporary chart, [Hyatt, Wesley (1999). "The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits" (Billboard Publications)] 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.

Kodak required the album to note that Kodachrome is a trademark of Kodak. 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."

This song is also featured in the 1993 film "Coneheads". This song is played while they show home videos of Connie Conehead growing up in the 1970s.

Kodachrome is also featured as the music for a level on the Commercial Data Systems Commodore 64 game Frantic Freddie. [cite web |url=http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME08/Loops_and_bloops.shtml |title="Loops and bloops" - Music of the Commodore 64 |accessdate=2008-06-23 |publisher=Soundscapes.info ]

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