Prior to Graceland, he always wrote songs in the conventional manner, composing a melody on the guitar or piano to fit with his lyrics. In order to write songs that reflected South African musical styles, Simon had to change the ways he composed songs. This music is neither entirely American nor is it South African, but a unique confluence of the two. The album Graceland saw Paul Simon take his music in an entirely new direction by incorporating South African music into his American pop sensibilities, creating an entirely fresh sound.