"Father and Daughter" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

. The song, written for the animated family film ''

The Wild Thornberrys Movie ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'' is a 2002 American animated adventure film based on the television series of the same name. Directed by Cathy Malkasian and Jeff McGrath, the film follows Eliza Thornberry, on her quest to save a cheetah cub named ...

'', was released as a single in October 2002. An alternate version later appeared on Simon's 11th solo album, '' Surprise'' (2006). When re-released as a single in 2006, the song became a top-40 hit in the UK, giving Simon his most recent hit. The song is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

in which Simon expresses his love for his daughter, Lulu. "Father and Daughter" was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...

, as well as the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...

Background

The song expresses the singer's hopes and dreams for his daughter. Simon wrote the song as an ode to his daughter, Lulu, who was seven at the time it was completed. 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. The song was written for the animated family film ''

'' 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 Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

, '' The Essential Paul Simon''.

Reception

The song received a favorable response from critics. Scott Mervis, writing for the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'', considered it "the best pop song he's written in years," while Claudia Puig of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' dubbed it "classic Simon." Heather Phares of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

felt it "mellow ndamiable."

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by

Wayne Isham Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958) is an American film director and music video director who has directed films and music videos of many popular artists. Early life and education Isham was born in December 2, 1958. He attended the Univers ...

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).

Track listings

2002 CD single # "Father and Daughter" (album version) – 4:12 # "Father and Daughter" (instrumental) – 4:12 # "Father and Daughter" (video) 2006 CD single # "Father and Daughter" – 4:11 # "Another Galaxy" – 5:22

Personnel

– vocals, electric guitar, nylon-string acoustic guitar, high-string acoustic guitar * Vincent Nguini – acoustic guitar *

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the ''Modern D ...

– drums *

Abe Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

– bass * Adrian Simon – vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Father And Daughter 2000s ballads 2002 singles 2002 songs Jive Records singles Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Paul Simon songs Song recordings produced by Paul Simon Songs about fathers Songs written by Paul Simon Songs written for animated films Songs written for films Warner Records singles The Wild Thornberrys