Paul Simon by Paul Simon

Paul Simon, the singer-songwriter's second solo album, arrived on Columbia on January 14, 1972, nearly two years after he and Art Garfunkel went their separate ways. Roy Halee produced, and the record finds Simon loosening up, roaming away from the lush folk-rock of the duo and trying on other rhythms and flavours.

"Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" were the hits, the latter a jaunty little street tale with a skip in its step. The album went to number one in the UK, Japan and Norway, reached number 4 in the US, and went platinum in 1986. It was the start of a solo run that kept Simon in the spotlight through the '70s.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.