Mother and Child Reunion
| "Mother and Child Reunion" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Paul Simon | ||||
| from the album Paul Simon | ||||
| A-side | "Mother and Child Reunion" | |||
| B-side | "Paranoia Blues" | |||
| Released | February 1972 | |||
| Format | 7" (45 rpm) | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, reggae | |||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Columbia Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Paul Simon | |||
| Producer(s) | Roy Halee & Paul Simon | |||
| Paul Simon singles chronology | ||||
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"Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by Paul Simon on his album, Paul Simon (1972), his first solo album after Bridge Over Troubled Water. It was released as a single on February 5, 1972, reaching No. 1 in South Africa and No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 57 song for 1972. It was one of the earliest songs by a white musician to feature prominent elements of reggae.
The song was inspired by Simon's grief over the death of his family's dog, while he has said that the title has its origin in a chicken-and-egg dish called "Mother and Child Reunion" that Simon saw on a Chinese restaurant's menu. James Benninghof wrote that Simon predicted the title event, the "mother and child reunion," while the second verse describes the effect of what happened on "the strange and mournful day," but without making clear what it was.[1]
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.
Personnel
- Lead Vocal: Paul Simon
- Drums: Winston Grennan
- Lead guitar: Hux Brown
- Organ: Neville Hinds
- Bass guitar: Jackie Jackson
- EP: Larry Knechtel
- Percussion: Denzil Laing
- Rhythm guitar: Wallace Wilson
- Backup singers: Cissy Houston, Von Eva Sims, Renelle Stafford, Deirdre Tuck
In media
Alvin and the Chipmunks sang this song in the 1985 animated television special A Chipmunk Reunion when they were on a search for their biological mother.
"Mother and Child Reunion" was featured on The Simpsons 19th season episode "Mona Leaves-a" in which Homer's mother, Mona Simpson, dies, and also on the episode "My Mother the Carjacker" from season 15, during a montage of Mona catching up on Homer's missed childhood.
It was used in the second season episode of The Sopranos, "Do Not Resuscitate".
The song was also used at the end of the fifth episode in Season 1 of HBO's "Enlightened."
Charts
References
Further reading
External links
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