It was Father’s Day this past weekend, and Paul Simon wrote and performed a lovely ode to the relationship between himself and his daughter, Lulu, “Father and Daughter”, which was included on the soundtrack for the 2002 film The Wild Thornberrys Movie. Released between the fourth and fifth seasons of the Nickelodeon series, The Wild Thornberrys Movie found Eliza Thornberry (Lacey Chabert) on a quest to rescue a kidnapped cheetah cub, which was kidnapped by a pair of ruthless poachers. Forced to reveal her secret power to communicate with animals, Eliza loses her ability and must learn to save the day without it. The movie was released in December 2002, and “Father and Daughter” was released in October to promote the film. An alternate version of the song appeared on Simon’s 2006 album, Surprise. The song was a hit in the UK and on the US Adult Contemporary and Adult Alternative charts, marking Simon’s most recent chart success. The song was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 75th Academy Awards but lost to the juggernaut “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. The music video features Simon performing in a child’s bedroom, with clips from the movie and live footage of animals interspersed throughout. Check it out below.
