Late in the Evening

"Late in the Evening"
Single by Paul Simon
from the album One-Trick Pony
B-side"How the Heart Approaches What It Yearns"
ReleasedJuly 1980 (1980-07)
Genre
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)Paul Simon
Producer(s)
Paul Simon singles chronology
"Stranded in a Limousine"
(1978) 		"Late in the Evening"
(1980) 		"One-Trick Pony"
(1981)
Music video
"Late in the Evening" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Billboard(favourable)[1]

"Late in the Evening" is a song by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his fifth studio album, One-Trick Pony (1980), released on Warner Bros. Records.

His first single release for Warner, "Late in the Evening" was released in July 1980 and became a hit on several charts worldwide. In the U.S., the song hit number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the song was a top 20 hit in the Netherlands, Belgium, and New Zealand. The song has received praise for Simon's lyrics, the horn interlude, and the famous drum beat, referred to as a 'groove' by drummer Steve Gadd. Gadd devised the distinctive drum part by using two pairs of drumsticks - one in each hand - in order to give the impression of two drummers playing together, as he has demonstrated in drum clinics.[2] Gadd plays a New York City style Cuban Mozambique drum groove.[3] Billboard described the hook consisting of a "percussive and bass duet" as being "irresistible."[4] Record World said that it's highlighted by "spirited brass, percussion & guitars."[5] Simon performed the song with Art Garfunkel during their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park in New York City.

  1. ^ "Review: Late in the Evening – Paul Simon" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 32. 9 August 1980. p. 70. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
  2. ^ Steve Gadd - In the Evening Groove. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
  3. ^ Walden, Rupert M. 1987. "Gadd's Mozambique" Modern Drummer Magazine, Nov. p. 42
  4. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. August 9, 1980. p. 70. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  5. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Record World. August 9, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-20.