| Father and Daughter | |
| Cover: | SimonFatherAndDaughter.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Paul Simon |
| Album: | The Wild Thornberrys Movie Soundtrack Surprise |
| Length: | 4:12 |
| Label: |
|
| Producer: | Paul Simon |
| Prev Title: | You're the One |
| Prev Year: | 2000 |
| Next Title: | Father and Daughter |
| Next Title2: | Another Galaxy |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
"Father and Daughter" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. The song, written for the animated family film The Wild Thornberrys Movie, 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 in which Simon expresses his love for his daughter, Lulu. "Father and Daughter" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song,[1] as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[2]
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]
The song 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 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]
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).
2002 CD single[8]
2006 CD single[9]
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 28, 2002 | [11] | |||
| United Kingdom | May 29, 2006 | CD | Warner Bros. | [12] |