[2] In a 1972 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Paul Simon stated that one of his primary goals during the recording of the album was to move beyond the musical style he had become associated with during the 1960s.

As a result, the album is characterized by a more understated production compared to his past records with Art Garfunkel, with Simon's guitar and vocals taking center stage.

[3] This stylistic diversity resulted in contributions from several notable guest musicians, including violinist Stéphane Grappelli (featured on "Hobo's Blues", for which he is credited as a co-writer), jazz bassist Ron Carter (on "Run That Body Down") and percussionist Airto Moreira (on "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", where he plays the cuica).

The lyrics throughout the album are also marked by variety, with Paul Simon's songwriting shifting between lighthearted and solemn moods, blending humor and biting irony with melancholy and uncertainty.

On one hand, songs like "Duncan", whose protagonist leaves his life in the rural Canadian Maritime Provinces in search of what Rob Sheffield describes as "a romantic Dylan/Kerouac adventure"; "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", set in the multicultural New York City neighborhood of Corona, Queens; and "Papa Hobo", featuring a down-on-his-luck homeless man from Detroit, each contribute a unique character to the album's diverse cast, allowing Simon to explore themes such as youth and self-discovery, the political and social turbulence of the late 1960s and the counterculture that emerged in response, and the daily lives and struggles of disenfranchised groups within American society.

[3] On the other hand, heartbreak and bitterness over the collapse of a relationship emerge as significant themes as well, with several songs referencing, either directly ("Run That Body Down," in which "Paul" and "Peg" are mentioned by name) or indirectly ("Congratulations"), Simon's troubled marriage to Peggy Harper, which ultimately ended in divorce in 1975.

[3] Despite these doubts, the album became a major commercial success against all odds, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200 on April 1st, 1972,[15] and eventually earning a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.