"Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his second self-titled studio album (1972), released on Columbia Records. It was released as a single on February 5, 1972, reaching No. 1 in South Africa and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 57 song for 1972. It was at the time one of the few songs by a non-Jamaican musician to use prominent elements of reggae.
Video Mother and Child Reunion
Background
Simon was a fan of reggae music, and he 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. 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. 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 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.
Maps Mother and Child Reunion
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--to 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." Simon later overdubbed piano and vocals to the track back in New York.
Personnel
- Lead vocal: Paul Simon
- Drums: Winston Grennan
- Lead guitar: Hux Brown
- Organ: Neville Hinds
- Bass guitar: Jackie Jackson
- Piano: Larry Knechtel
- Percussion: Denzil Laing
- Rhythm guitar: Wallace Wilson
- Backup singers: Cissy Houston, Von Eva Sims, Renelle Stafford, Deirdre Tuck, Jimmy Christmas
Chart history
Other versions
- Other performances that included Simon:
- Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'
- Paul Simon (album)
- On Stage Together Tour (duet with Sting)
- By others:
- "Mother and Child Reunion" (The Pioneers), single by The Pioneers
- Christmas with Boney M.
- Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 3
- Version issued by Far Corporation
- On En Concert (Jack Johnson album)
- On Have Another Ball by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
- In School's Out (1992 film)#Follow-up and references in The Next Generation
- Bonus track by Reggie Tsiboe on Eye Dance
- In animated film A Chipmunk Reunion by Alvin and the Chipmunks
- "???" (chi seui goh), Chinese-language rendition "Song of a Regulated Water", in 1974 film Games Gamblers Play (????)
- On Ain't No Trip to Cleveland Vol. 1 by Dispatch (band)
- Mother and Child Reunion (Cover). Kapt. Kopter and the Fabulous Twirly Birds - Randy California. Epic KE 31755. 1972
Notes
References
Sources
Further reading
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Source of article : Wikipedia
0 Comments