Plot
Jonah Levin, a once-popular folk-rock musician, flies into Cleveland with his band, keyboardist Clarence Franklin, drummer Danny Duggin, lead guitarist Lee-Andrew Parker and bass guitarist John Dibatista, for a gig ("Late in the Evening"). They go the Agora Theatre and perform a set as an opening act to the B-52's ("One-Trick Pony"). Afterwards, Jonah meets one of the club's waitresses backstage, Modeena, and goes home with her. They talk about their lives, Jonah speaking fondly of his son, Matty, and revealing he's seperated from his wife, Marion, while Modeena shares her aspirations of becoming a singer. They bathe together, and Jonah stays the night.
Early the next morning, Jonah leaves Modeena's for his hotel room and calls Marion ("How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns"). She tells Jonah she's got an appointment they both need to attend to sign divorce papers, which Jonah is reluctant to do. In the day, Jonah drives the band across the state while Danny reads aloud from a newspaper, reviewing the show at the Agora in a negative light, comparing it against Jonah's hit performances in the 1960s ("God Bless the Absentee").
Jonah arrives back home in New York early, due to many of the gigs in Ohio being cancelled, and visits Marion. She expresses her concern over Matty aspiring to be a songwriter and asks Jonah to talk him out of it. Jonah insists there's nothing wrong his career choice and takes offense at Marion's belief that rock and roll is immature. The argument escalates and the focus of it turns to their relationship. Marion starts to cry, leading Jonah to apologise and comfort her while she laments over his absence throughout the years.
Jonah and Matty spend time together, before Jonah and Marion meet with their lawyers to sign the divorce papers ("Nobody"). Following this, he meets record executives Walter Fox and Cal Van Damp to discuss making a new album. Jonah plays two new songs ("Ace in the Hole" and "Long, Long Day") but is repeatedly interrupted. During the meeting, he becomes acquainted with Walter's wife, Lonnie, and is critisised harshly by Cal.
The band continues their string of shows ("Ace in the Hole" and "Long, Long Day") and travels interstate for another three ("Jonah"), only to find the club closed down. The band are disheartened and Clarence threatens to quit. Dejected, they all fly back to New York, where Jonah visits Marion and sleeps with her ("How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns"). Soon after, they get into another argument, waking Matty from his sleep. They immediately stop and put him back to bed.
Jonah takes a few days off ("Oh, Marion") before seeing his agent Bernie, who's got him a solo slot at a 1960s retrospective show lined up. Jonah is uneasy about appearing without his band but performs anyway ("Soft Parachutes"). At a party afterwards, he insults Cal and Walter asks Lonnie to escort him out. They hit it off and she takes him back to her hotel room.
Jonah spends more time with Matty ("That's Why God Made the Movies"), and meets again with Walter, who introduces him to Steve, a young producer. Jonah isn't convinced of Steve's merit, but agrees to a trial recording session. When Jonah and Lonnie are next together, Jonah figures out that Lonnie convinced Walter to give him another chance with the new album. At the recording session, while cutting "Ace in the Hole", Jonah is frustrated by Steve's suggestions to make it more commercially appealing. With the tension between the band members peaking, Jonah refuses Steve's input, leaves the session, and goes home, saddened ("Long, Long Day").
After, he visits Marion at her apartment again. They talk happily about Matty, but Jonah's spirits remain low. He confesses that he thinks the band is broken up and the album isn't going to be made. Marion is surprised by the seemingly sudden change but immediately comforts Jonah when he hugs her and begins to cry. The two tenderly recall the earlier days of their relationship. They leave the room, still in their embrace, and Jonah sings Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Elvis Presley.
Jonah returns to the recording studio once more ("Jonah"). He discreetly packs the master tape in his guitar case, takes it out to the street and throws it in the road, destroying the album permanently.
Production
The title derives from a colloquial American expression meaning a person specializing in only one area, having only one talent, or of limited ability. [5] [6]
The film is not considered autobiographical, though the story uses some of Simon's experiences in the music business. [7] There has been some disagreement on the story's underpinning. Biographer Laura Jackson felt the film may have been based on experiences in Simon's professional and personal life, [8] though Dave Marsh in a Rolling Stone review saw similarities with Simon's personality, but not with his life and career. [9] However, the character of Walter Fox, the record company executive portrayed by Rip Torn, is regarded as reflecting some of Simon's experiences in moving away from CBS Records, his former label, in the 1970s. [9] (Simon went to Warner Bros. Records at the time of the film's release. The label, at the time owned by the film's distributor, acquired the masters of Simon's CBS catalog that same year.) The film featured one of the last appearances of the original members of The Lovin' Spoonful, in a simulated TV show appearance.
The Paul Simon album One-Trick Pony was released concurrently with the movie. All of the songs on the album are featured in the film, though some have a slightly different mix, such as "Jonah", which features a harmonica solo (probably by Toots Thielemans) that is missing from the album version. The film also features "Soft Parachutes", Jonah Levin's sole hit as a recording artist, which is included as a bonus track on the album's 2004 reissue.
