The Obvious Child

{{Short description|Song by Paul Simon and Olodum}} {{for|the film|Obvious Child}} {{Infobox song | name = The Obvious Child | cover = The Obvious Child.jpg | alt = | border = yes | type = single | artist = [[Paul Simon]] | album = [[The Rhythm of the Saints]] | released = {{Start date|1990|09}} | recorded = {{collapsible list|title=Various|hlist=true|1990|[[The Hit Factory]], [[New York City]]|Estúdio Transamérica, [[Rio de Janeiro]]|Impressao Digital Studios, Vinhedo, [[Brazil]]|Studio Guillaume Tell, Suresnes, [[France]]}} | studio = | venue = | genre = {{Flat list| *[[Samba-reggae]] *[[worldbeat]] }} | length = {{Duration|m=4|s=10}} | label = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]] | writer = Paul Simon | producer = Paul Simon | chronology = [[Paul Simon]] | prev_title = [[Under African Skies]] | prev_year = 1987 | next_title = [[Proof (Paul Simon song)|Proof]] | next_year = 1991 }} "'''The Obvious Child'''" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter [[Paul Simon]]. It was the [[lead single]] from his eighth studio album, ''[[The Rhythm of the Saints]]'' (1990), released by [[Warner Bros. Records]]. Written by Simon, its lyrics explore mortality and aging. The song is accompanied by a performance from Brazilian drumming collective [[Olodum]] in a live recording.

The single, released in September 1990, was commercially successful, performing well on charts worldwide. In the United States, it was mainly successful on the [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Album Rock Tracks]] chart, where it peaked at number 21. Outside the US, "The Obvious Child" was a top 15 hit in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[the Netherlands]]. The song received highly positive reviews upon its release. Simon promoted the song alongside Olodum in a performance on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. The song also influenced [[popular culture]]; it is the namesake of the 2014 film ''[[Obvious Child]]''.

==Background== The rhythm tracks are performed by [[Olodum|Grupo Cultural Olodum]], a drumming collective ("[[Samba reggae|bloco afro]]") directed by "Neguinho do Samba" (Alves de Souza) and also signed to [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros]]. It, like many songs on ''[[The Rhythm of the Saints]]'', was recorded live in the streets of [[Historic Centre (Salvador, Bahia)|Pelourinho Square]] of [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], [[Brazil]] in February 1988.<ref name="Crook">{{cite book|author=Larry Crook|title=Focus: Music of Northeast Brazil|year=2013|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810882959}}</ref> Simon recalled that his encounter with Grupo Cultural Olodum was "almost accidental". He learned that the ensemble would be rehearsing within the city and traveled with some of his friends to hear them play. Upon hearing them, Simon recalled that he was "blown away by the sound" of the ensemble.<ref name="World is His Beat">{{Cite news |last=Adrianson |first=Doug |date=October 21, 1990 |title=Paul Simon: The World is His Beat |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1990-10-21-1990294196-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719002644/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1990-10-21-1990294196-story.html |archive-date=July 19, 2021 |access-date=June 18, 2025 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]}}</ref>

A few days after his initial encounter with Grupo Cultural Olodum, Simon brought an eight-track machine from [[Rio de Janeiro]] to the streets of Salvador to record the ensemble. He decided to record them in the streets as he felt that it would have been unfeasible to fit all ten members of Grupo Cultural Olodum in a conventional recording studio.<ref name="World is His Beat"/> Microphones were hung from windows or on telephone poles to capture the performances. According to Simon, "Hundreds of people gathered. It was an amazing day — an amazing recording experience."{{sfn|Kingston|2000|p=278}} The vocal track was recorded at [[the Hit Factory]] in [[New York City]].<ref name="Sullivan">{{cite book|author=Steve Sullivan|title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 1|year=2013|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810882959}}</ref>

==Composition== {{Listen |filename = The Obvious Child.ogg |title = "The Obvious Child" |description = The song is based around the rhythm of drumming by [[Olodum]], which was recorded live in the streets of Pelourinho Square of [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], [[Brazil]]. }} The song's drum introduction is indebted to "Madagascar", a song by Olodum from their 1987 LP ''Egito Madagáscar''. Writer Steve Sullivan writes that the figure is a "standard device" for the group, who also employ abbreviated versions of it elsewhere on the album: "Salvador Nao Inerte" and "Vinheta Cuba-Brasil".<ref name="Sullivan"/> Following this, the song breaks into an instrumental fragment that, according to Stephen Holden of ''[[The New York Times]]'', echoes [[the Silhouettes]]' 1957 [[doo-wop]] hit, "[[Get a Job (song)|Get a Job]]". Holden also compared the song's conclusion to another doo-wop song, [[the Charts (American group)|the Charts]]' "Desirie" (1957).<ref name="nyt90">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/14/arts/pop-paul-simon-s-journey-to-brazil-and-beyond.html|title=POP; Paul Simon's Journey To Brazil and Beyond|date=October 14, 1990|author=Stephen Holden|author-link=Stephen Holden|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>

The song's lyrics thematically relate to a fear of aging and leaving behind the "boldness of youth", according to Sullivan.<ref name="Sullivan"/> Holden considered it a story of an everyman pondering the uncertainty of life whilst navigating his high school yearbook.<ref name="nyt90"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'s}} John Mcalley too found it an everyman battling the fact that his "days have become defined by their limitations and dogged ordinariness."<ref name="rs">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-rhythym-of-the-saints-19901115|title=''The Rhythm of the Saints'' – Review|author=John Mcalley|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|issue=486|date=November 6, 1990|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> For ''The Rhythm of the Saints'', Simon was inspired by poet [[Derek Walcott]], and would base first-draft lyrics on his poems. Simon attempted to match the rhythmic quality of the composition with his lyrics, whether that meant a lyric was meaningless or not. A lyric relating to "the cross is in the ballpark", for example, has no meaning; Simon said, "I found [it] to be a satisfying rhythmic phrase against the drums."{{sfn|Kingston|2000|p=278}}

==Chart performance== In the United States, "The Obvious Child" reached a peak of number 92 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] on January 5, 1991; it spent five weeks on the chart as a whole.<ref name="Billboardhot100"/> It performed better on the magazine's [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock Tracks]] chart, where it placed at number 21 on November 10, 1990,<ref name="Album Rock Tracks"/> and on the [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart, where it reached a peak of number 24 a week earlier on November 3. It had more longevity on the former chart, where it spent ten weeks total.<ref name="Modern Rock Tracks"/> In [[Canada]], the song debuted on the [[RPM (magazine)|''RPM'' 100]] on October 20, 1990, at position 98.<ref name="RPM100.3"> {{cite journal|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.1354&type=2&interval=24&PHPSESSID=vdgegn2uut8ca27r4m28m6md35 |title=RPM100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them|volume=52|number=23|date=October 20, 1990 |journal=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |publisher=[[Ottawa]]: [[Library and Archives Canada]] |format=PDF |access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> It peaked at number 28 during the week of December 8, 1990,<ref name="RPM100.1"/> and remained at that peak for two weeks.<ref name="RPM100.2"> {{cite journal| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9112&type=2&interval=24&PHPSESSID=vdgegn2uut8ca27r4m28m6md35| title= RPM100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them|volume=53|number=5|date=December 15, 1990 |journal=RPM |publisher=Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada |format=PDF |access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>

Internationally, the single performed better. In the [[United Kingdom]], the song premiered on the [[UK Singles Chart]] on September 30, 1990, at number 61,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19900930/7501/|title= Archive Chart: 1990-09-30" |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> and rose over the following weeks to a peak of number fifteen on November 4, 1990.<ref name="UK"/> It charted best in [[the Netherlands]]' [[Single Top 100|Nationale Top 100]], where it reached a peak of number 12.<ref name="Dutch100"/> On [[Belgium]]'s [[Ultratop 50]], it hit number 29.<ref name="Belgium"/> In [[Australasia]]n territories, it charted right outside the top 40: in [[Australia]], the song reached number 42,<ref name="Australia"/> and in [[New Zealand]], it peaked at number 46.<ref name="New Zealand"/>

==Reception== Upon its release, "The Obvious Child" received positive reviews from music critics of the time. Stephen Holden of ''[[The New York Times]]'' was perhaps the most effusive:

{{cquote|The song "The Obvious Child" [...] sounds like nothing else in contemporary pop. With its juxtaposition of early [[rock-and-roll]] and [[Latin percussion|South American percussion]] that echoes the martial drumbeats on Mr. Simon's 1975 hit, "[[50 Ways to Leave Your Lover|Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover]]", it telescopes pop fragments that span more than three decades and three continents into an allusive musical reverie that is beyond generic designation. Even more than on his 1986 masterpiece, the album ''[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]'', Mr. Simon has melded, reshaped and refined the roots music of divergent cultures into a studio art song of layered textures and wistful, mysterious poetry.<ref name="nyt90"/>}}

Greg Sandow of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' praised the song's "confident drums that resound with special exuberant zing".<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1990/10/26/rhythm-saints|title=''The Rhythm of the Saints'' – Review|author=Greg Sandow|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=October 26, 1990|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> The pan-European magazine ''[[Music & Media]]'' thought that the drumming on "The Obvious Child" gave the "fragile song a solid body".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 6, 1990 |title=Previews |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-10-06.pdf |access-date=October 11, 2025 |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=18 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> A reviewer for ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' felt that "the more exotic musical elements are subsumed by Simon's pretty pop structures [...] You never get the impression that Paul has truly gone native or even considered it. He's more like a kid camping under the stars in his own backyard."<ref name="p90">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113614,00.html|title=Picks and Pans Review: ''The Rhythm of the Saints''|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|volume=34|number=20|date= November 19, 1990 |access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' described the song as an "ingenious mixture of African tribal percussion and rockabilly melodies".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 13, 1990 |title=Single Reviews |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-10-13.pdf |access-date=June 18, 2025 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=79 |via=World Radio History}}</ref>

Reviews have remained very positive over time. Writer Steve Sullivan, in his book ''Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 1'' (2013), calls the song "an extraordinary work that surpasses any individual song Paul Simon had ever produced as a solo artist."<ref name="Sullivan"/> Cameron Scheetz, in a 2014 article for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', examined the song; he called it "the perfect confluence of the wild, frenetic drumming and Simon's folksy melodies."<ref name="av"/>

==Promotion and use in media== Simon performed the song, accompanied by Olodum and Neguinho do Samba, on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on November 17, 1990.<ref name="Crook"/>

The song is the namesake for the 2014 film ''[[Obvious Child]]''; it appears in a scene in which two characters drunkenly dance together.<ref name="av">{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/obvious-child-24-years-old-its-all-about-present-212713|title="The Obvious Child" is 24 years old, but it's all about the present|author= Cameron Scheetz|date=December 9, 2014|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|publisher=[[The Onion]]|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref> Director [[Gillian Robespierre]] titled the film with hope that its meaning would be ambiguous.<ref name="ds">{{cite news|url=https://thedissolve.com/features/emerging/597-gillian-robespierre-and-jenny-slate-on-finding-obv/|title=Gillian Robespierre and Jenny Slate on finding Obvious Child's voice|author=Nathan Rabin|author-link=Nathan Rabin|date=June 3, 2014|work=[[The Dissolve]]|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>

==Formats and track listing== All songs written by [[Paul Simon]], except where noted. {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} ;CD single (W9549CD) #"The Obvious Child" – 4:14 #"The Rhythm of the Saints" – 4:21 #"[[You Can Call Me Al]]" – 4:39 #"[[The Boy in the Bubble]]" (Simon, Forere Motloheloa) – 3:58 {{col-break}} ;7" single (W9549) #"The Obvious Child" (Single Mix) – 4:10 #"The Rhythm of the Saints" – 4:19

;12" single (W9549T) #"The Obvious Child" (Single Mix) – 4:10 #"The Rhythm of the Saints" – 4:19 #"You Can Call Me Al" – 4:40 {{col-break}} {{col-end}}

== Charts == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (1990–91) ! Peak position |- {{single chart|Australia|42|artist=Paul Simon|song=The Obvious Child|access-date=August 13, 2015|rowheader=true|refname="Australia"}} |- {{single chart|Flanders|29|artist=Paul Simon|song=The Obvious Child|access-date=August 13, 2015|rowheader=true|refname="Belgium"}} |- !scope="row" | Canada (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref name="RPM100.1">{{cite journal| url= http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9091&type=2&interval=24&PHPSESSID=vdgegn2uut8ca27r4m28m6md35| title= RPM100: Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them|volume=53|number=4|date=December 8, 1990| journal = RPM| publisher = Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada| format = PDF| access-date = August 13, 2015}}</ref> |align="center"|28 |- ! scope="row" | Europe ([[Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-11-17.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|date=November 17, 1990|page=|access-date=June 21, 2021|magazine=[[Music & Media]]}}</ref> |align="center"|41 |- {{single chart|Dutch40|12|year=1990|week=45|access-date=April 25, 2020|rowheader=true}} |- {{single chart|Dutch100|12|artist=Paul Simon|song=The Obvious Child|access-date=August 13, 2015|rowheader=true|refname="Dutch100"}} |- {{single chart|New Zealand|46|artist=Paul Simon|song=The Obvious Child|access-date=August 13, 2015|rowheader=true|refname="New Zealand"}} |- {{single chart|UK|15|artist=Paul Simon|song=The Obvious Child|access-date=August 13, 2015|rowheader=true|refname="UK"|date=19901104}} |- !scope="row"|UK Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/M&M-1990-10-20.pdf|title=Top 20 Airplay Chart|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|date=20 October 1990|page=14|access-date=27 April 2024}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"| 3 |- {{single chart|Billboardhot100|92|artist=Paul Simon|song=The Obvious Child|access-date=August 13, 2015|rowheader=true|refname="Billboardhot100"}} |- !scope="row" |US [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Album Rock Tracks]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref name="Album Rock Tracks">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Paul Simon|chart=Mainstream Rock Tracks}}|title=Paul Simon - Chart history|access-date=August 13, 2015|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media}}</ref> |align="center"|21 |- !scope="row" |US [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref name="Modern Rock Tracks">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Paul Simon|chart=Alternative Songs}}|title=Paul Simon - Chart history|access-date=August 13, 2015|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media}}</ref> |align="center"|24 |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! Chart (1990) ! Position |- !scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1990|title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref> |align="center"|89 |- !scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1990&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990|publisher=MegaCharts|language=nl|access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref> |align="center"|91 |} {{col-end}}

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=note}}

===References=== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Sources=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|last=Bennighof|first=James|title=The Words and Music of Paul Simon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShBhKL-9SLIC|year=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99163-0}} * {{cite book |first=Marc |last=Eliot | title= Paul Simon: A Life | publisher= John Wiley and Sons | year= 2010 | isbn= 978-0-470-43363-8 | url= https://archive.org/details/paulsimonlife0000elio |url-access=registration }} * {{cite book|last=Kingston|first=Victoria|title=Simon & Garfunkel: The Biography|year=2000|publisher=Fromm International|isbn=978-0-88064-246-0}} {{refend}}

==External links== *{{YouTube|9HKNAhAxMAk|Official music video}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obvious Child}} [[Category:1990 singles]] [[Category:1990 songs]] [[Category:Paul Simon songs]] [[Category:Songs written by Paul Simon]] [[Category:Song recordings produced by Paul Simon]] [[Category:Warner Records singles]] [[Category:Songs about old age]]