Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon (1972) 9/14/21

Anyone who has paid close attention to the songs of Paul Simon over the years has probably noticed his love of "World Music."

Many of his biggest hits have incorporated ethnic rhythms and themes, and today we're highlighting one of his earliest successes. In fact, it was his first solo hit.

During the early '70s, Paul Simon became a big fan of reggae music, and when he decided to try his hand at writing a reggae song, he created a "Great Song of 1972!"

"Mother and Child Reunion," from his second album, "Paul Simon," has an interesting backstory.

It seems his dog had just been run over by a car, and it was the first death Paul had experienced in his relatively young life. It affected him deeply, and led him to reflect on how he might feel if his wife met the same fate. From that dark line of thinking, the song was born.

As for the title, "Mother and Child Reunion" came from a menu at a Chinese restaurant in New York City. It's the name of an dish made from chicken and eggs!

Paul actually flew to Jamaica to record the song with some of the country's top reggae musicians. He likes to claim it was the "first reggae hit by a non-Jamaican white guy outside Jamaica."

"Mother and Child Reunion" charted in 12 countries, reaching #5 on Canada's Top 40, and #4 in the US on Billboard's Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Charts.

"Mother and Child Reunion" by Paul Simon: a "Great Song of 1972" (reggae and in general):