Father and Daughter

"Father and Daughter" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. The song, written for the animated family film The Wild Thornberrys Movie, was released as a single in 2002. An alternate version later appeared on Simon's eleventh solo album Surprise (2006). When re-released as a single in 2006, the song became a Top 40 hit in the UK, his most recent to date.

For the Academy Award-winning short film, see Father and Daughter (film). For the anime, see Sky Girls § Episodes.
"Father and Daughter"
Single by Paul Simon
from the album The Wild Thornberrys Movie Soundtrack and Surprise
Released2002
Recorded2002
GenreRock, folk rock
Length4:19
LabelJive/Nick (Original)
Warner Bros. (Surprise)
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)Paul Simon

The song is a ballad in which Simon expresses his love for his daughter, Lulu.

The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song,[1] as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[2]

Background

The song expresses the singer's hopes and dreams for his daughter.[3] Simon wrote the song as an ode to his daughter, Lulu, who was seven at the time it was completed.[4] Simon's son, Adrian, sings harmony on the song's choruses; he was 10 years old at the time of recording. He had heard his son singing along to it while driving and encouraged him to contribute to it.[4]

It was written for the animated family film The Wild Thornberrys Movie and released in 2002. The song also appeared on the movie soundtrack album, and a different mix of the same performance was used for Simon's 2006 release, Surprise, and the 2007 compilation, The Essential Paul Simon.

The music video for the song was directed by Wayne Isham, and features Simon performing the song in a child's bedroom, intercut with clips from The Wild Thornberrys Movie, as well as live action clips of wild animals (which were used in the end credits of the film).

Reception

The song received a favorable response from critics. Scott Mervis, writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, considered it "the best pop song he's written in years,"[5] while Claudia Puig of USA Today dubbed it "classic Simon."[6] Heather Phares of AllMusic felt it "mellow [and] amiable."[7]

Track listing
  1. "Father and Daughter"
  2. "Father and Daughter" (Instrumental)
  3. "Father and Daughter" (Video)

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2002–2003) Peak
position
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8] 5
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] 20
Chart (2006) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 31

References
  1. "Eminem builds on Oscar buzz". BBC. 2003-02-14. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  2. Rick Lyman (December 20, 2002). "'Chicago' and 'The Hours' Lead Golden Globes Race". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  3. "New Simon, P. Diddy Tracks Highlight 'Wild Thornberrys'". Billboard. October 30, 2002. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  4. Tamara Conniff (January 16, 2003). "Father & Daughter a Simon family affair". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. Scott Mervis (December 20, 2002). "'The Wild Thornberrys Movie': A fun family romp on the Serengeti". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  6. Claudia Puig (December 19, 2002). "Cute, spunky 'Thornberrys'". USA Today. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  7. Heather Phares. "The Wild Thornberries". Allmusic. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  8. "Paul Simon Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  9. "Paul Simon Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
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