obvious child obvious child song recorded american singer songwriter lead single eighth studio album rhythm saints released written simon lyrics explore mortality aging song accompanied performance brazilian drumming collective live recording simon wrote lyrics complement song rhythm following approach wrote passages considered single released september commercially successful performing charts worldwide united_states mainly successful album rock tracks chart peaked number outside obvious child hit united_kingdom netherlands song received highly positive reviews release simon promoted song alongside performance saturday night live song influenced popular culture namesake film background rhythm tracks performed drumming collective directed signed like songs rhythm saints recorded live streets square brazil february hung windows telephone poles capture performances according simon hundreds people gathered amazing day amazing recording experience vocal track recorded new_york_city composition song drum introduction madagascar song writer writes figure standard device group employ abbreviated versions album cuba following song breaks instrumental fragment according new_york_times echoes hit job compared song conclusion song charts song lyrics thematically relate fear aging leaving youth according sullivan considered story uncertainty life whilst navigating high school rolling_stone found battling fact days defined limitations rhythm saints simon inspired poet base draft lyrics poems simon attempted match rhythmic quality composition lyrics meant lyric meaningless lyric relating cross example meaning simon said found satisfying rhythmic phrase drums chart performance obvious child performed singles charts territories worldwide united_states song reached peak number billboard hot january spent weeks chart performed better magazine tracks chart placed number november chart reached peak number week earlier november longevity chart spent weeks total canada song debuted rpm october position peaked number week december remained peak weeks internationally single performed better united_kingdom song premiered singles chart september number rose following weeks peak number november charted best netherlands reached peak number belgium hit number territories charted right outside australia song reached number new_zealand peaked number reception release obvious child received positive reviews music critics time new_york_times entertainment_weekly praised song confident drums special reviewer people felt exotic musical elements simon pretty pop structures impression paul truly gone native considered like kid camping stars backyard reviews continued positive time writer book encyclopedia great popular song recordings volume calls song extraordinary work individual song produced solo artist article examined song called perfect confluence wild drumming simon melodies promotion use media simon performed song accompanied saturday night live november song namesake film appears scene characters dance director titled film hope meaning ambiguous formats track listing songs written noted charts
The Obvious Child