It was the lead single from his second studio album, Paul Simon (1972), released on Columbia Records.

[3] Simon, who was a fan of reggae, listened to artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, and Byron Lee; he wanted to go to Kingston, Jamaica to record the song, as that was where Cliff had recorded his antiwar song "Vietnam" in 1970.

[4] The title originates from a chicken-and-egg dish called "Mother and Child Reunion" that Simon saw on a Chinese restaurant's menu.

It was the first death Simon personally experienced, and he began to wonder how he would react if the same happened to his first wife, Peggy Harper.

[5] The song was recorded at Dynamic Sounds Studios at Torrington Bridge in Kingston, Jamaica, with Jimmy Cliff's backing group.