Mother and Child Reunion

This article is about the song. For other uses, see Mother and Child Reunion (disambiguation).

"Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his second studio album, Paul Simon (1972), released on Columbia Records. The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1972.

"Mother and Child Reunion"
Single by Paul Simon
from the album Paul Simon
B-side	"Paranoia Blues"
Released	January 17, 1972[1]
Recorded	1971
Genre	Reggae rock[2]
Length	3:05
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Paul Simon
Producer(s)	Roy Halee Paul Simon
Paul Simon singles chronology
"I Am a Rock" (1965) "Mother and Child Reunion" (1972) "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" (1972)

Background

It was, at the time, one of the few songs by a non-Jamaican musician to use prominent elements of reggae.^[3] Simon, who was a fan of reggae, listened to artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, and Byron Lee; he wanted to go to Kingston, Jamaica to record the song, as that was where Cliff had recorded his antiwar song "Vietnam" in 1970.^[4]

The title originates from a chicken-and-egg dish called "Mother and Child Reunion" that Simon saw on a Chinese restaurant's menu.^[5] The song's lyrics were inspired by a pet dog that was run over and killed. It was the first death Simon personally experienced, and he began to wonder how he would react if the same happened to his first wife, Peggy Harper. "Somehow there was a connection between this death and Peggy and it was like Heaven, I don't know what the connection was," Simon told Rolling Stone in 1972.^[5]

Production

The song was recorded at Dynamic Sounds Studios at Torrington Bridge in Kingston, Jamaica, with Jimmy Cliff's backing group. Guitarist Huks ("Hux") Brown and bass guitarist Jackie Jackson were also long-time members of Toots & the Maytals. Cissy Houston sang background vocals on the recording. The song was recorded before writing lyrics, which was unusual for Simon. He had previously hoped to make "Why Don't You Write Me" – a song recorded with Art Garfunkel on Bridge over Troubled Water – sound like a Jamaican song, but felt it ended up sounding like a "bad imitation." Simon was instructed by the musicians on the differences among reggae, ska, and bluebeat. He felt awkward at first because he was "the only white guy there and I was American." The piano and vocals were overdubbed later in New York.^[5]

Reception

Record World said that the song is "quintessential Simon lyrically, but his sound is decidedly more 'teenage.'"^[6] Cash Box said "Reggae sounds galore from Paul's debut as a solo. Quite different from S&G material, but most assuredly a future Top 10."^[7]

Personnel

• Paul Simon – lead vocals
• Hux Brown – lead guitar
• Wallace Wilson – rhythm guitar
• Jackie Jackson – bass guitar
• Larry Knechtel – piano
• Neville Hinds – organ
• Winston Grennan – drums
• Denzil Laing – percussion
• Cissy Houston, Von Eva Sims, Renelle Stafford, Deirdre Tuck – backing vocals

Chart history

"Mother and Child Reunion" was released as a single on February 5, 1972, reaching No. 1 in South Africa, No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 57 song for 1972.

Weekly charts Chart (1972) Peak position Australia (Go-Set)[8] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 20 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 5 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 19 Germany (GfK)[12] 23 Ireland (IRMA)[13] 15 Italy (Musica e dischi)[14] 25 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 6 Norway (VG-lista)[16] 3 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 33 New Zealand (Listener)[18] 4 South Africa Top 20 (Springbok/Radio Orion)[19] 1 Spanish Singles Chart (PROMUSICAE)[20] 11 Swedish Singles Chart (Kvällstoppen)[21] 8 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [22] 5 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 4 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[24] 4 US Cash Box Top 100[25] 4 Year-end charts Chart (1972) Rank South Africa [26] 9 US Billboard Hot 100[27] 57 US Cash Box [28] 41

Notes

References

1. "Paul Simon - Mother And Child Reunion [Mono]" – via www.45cat.com.
2. Wawzenek, Bryan (2014-03-07). "TOP 10 REGGAE ROCK SONGS". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
3. David Vlado Moskowitz (2006). Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 139. ISBN 9780313331589.
4. Spencer Leigh (2016-09-22). Simon & Garfunkel: Together Alone. McNidder & Grace. p. 112. ISBN 9780857161512.
5. Landau, Jon (July 20, 1972). "Paul Simon: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. No. 113. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
6. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. January 29, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
7. "Cashbox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. January 29, 1972. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "Paul Simon – Mother and Child Reunion" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7691." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
11. Pennanen, Timo (2021). ""Paul Simon". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960-30.6.21 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 234" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
12. "Paul Simon – {{{song}}}" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 12, 2015. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Paul Simon"
13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mother and Child Reunion". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
14. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Paul Simon".
15. "Paul Simon – Mother and Child Reunion" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
16. "Topp 20 Single uke 17, 1972 – VG-lista. Offisielle hitlister fra og med 1958" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
17. "Paul Simon – Mother and Child Reunion". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
18. "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz.
19. Brian Currin. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (S)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
20. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
21. "Kvällstoppen 28 Mars 1972 - Hela topplistan, se videos, lyssna på låtarna - NostalgiListan". NostalgiListan. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
22. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 499. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
23. "Paul Simon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
24. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 219.
25. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 1, 1972". Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
26. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1972". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
27. "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". www.musicoutfitters.com.
28. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2017.

Sources

• Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
• Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.

Further reading

• Lacitis, Erik (October 7, 1986). "Dig It: 254 Nonstop Hits! (This Offer is Not Available in Many Stores)," The Seattle Times.