Proof (Paul Simon song)

"Proof"
"Proof"
Single by Paul Simon
from the album The Rhythm of the Saints
B-side	"The Coast"
Released	February 1991
Genre	Bikutsi ;
Length	4:39
Label	Warner Bros. ;
Songwriter(s)	Paul Simon
Producer(s)	Paul Simon
Paul Simon singles chronology

Last updated August 03, 2025

"Proof" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his eighth studio album, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), released on Warner Bros. Records. The song possesses a fast tempo and is built around a triplet feel that follows the conventions of Bikutsi music.^[1]

Personnel

Paul Simon – lead and backing vocals
Martin Atangana – electric guitar
George Seba – electric guitar
Bakithi Kumalo – bass guitar
Andre Manga – bass guitar
Justin Tchounou – synthesizer
Jimmy McDonald – accordion
Steve Gadd – drums
Mingo Araujo – bass drum, cymbal, talking drum
Don Chacal – bongos
Sidinho Moreira – water bowl
Madeleine Yayodele Nelson – shekere
Alain Hatot – saxophone
Jacques Bolognesi – trombone
Phillipe Slominski – trumpet
Briz – backing vocals
Elolongue Mbango Catherine – background vocals
Djana'd – background vocals
Florence Gnimagnon – background vocals
Charlotte Mbango – backing vocals

Music video

The music video features Simon along with Chevy Chase and Steve Martin on a parade float during the annual Christmas Parade in Richmond, Virginia performing the song.

Charts

Chart performance for "Proof"
Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[2]	134
Irish Singles Chart^[3]	23
UK Singles (OCC)^[4]	89

Notes

References

1 2 Gonzalez, Fernando (June 12, 1992). "Jazz fest: The making of a tradition". Boston Globe . p. 38. Retrieved June 18, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Bubbling Down Under: Week commencing 18 February 1991" . Retrieved February 20, 2022.
↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2015.

Sources

Bennighof, James (2007). The Words and Music of Paul Simon. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-99163-0.
Eliot, Marc (2010). Paul Simon: A Life . John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-43363-8.

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[Jazz_fest-1] 1 2 Gonzalez, Fernando (June 12, 1992). "Jazz fest: The making of a tradition". Boston Globe . p. 38. Retrieved June 18, 2025– via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Bubbling Down Under: Week commencing 18 February 1991" . Retrieved February 20, 2022.

[3] "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2023-06-08.

[UK-4] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2015.

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v t e Paul Simon songs
Discography
The Paul Simon Songbook	"I Am a Rock" "Leaves That Are Green" "April Come She Will" "The Sound of Silence" "A Simple Desultory Philippic" "Patterns"
Paul Simon	"Mother and Child Reunion" "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" "Duncan"
There Goes Rhymin' Simon	"Kodachrome" "Loves Me Like a Rock" "American Tune" "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" "Something So Right" "St. Judy's Comet"
Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin'	"The Sound of Silence"
Still Crazy After All These Years	"Gone at Last" "My Little Town" "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" "Still Crazy After All These Years"
Greatest Hits, Etc.	"Slip Slidin' Away" "Stranded in a Limousine"
One-Trick Pony	"Late in the Evening" "One-Trick Pony" "Oh, Marion"
Hearts and Bones	"Allergies" "The Late Great Johnny Ace" "Think Too Much"
Graceland	"You Can Call Me Al" "Graceland" "The Boy in the Bubble" "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" "Under African Skies" "Homeless"
The Rhythm of the Saints	"The Obvious Child" "Proof" "Born at the Right Time"
You're the One	"Old" "You're the One"
Surprise	"Father and Daughter" "That's Me" "Outrageous"
So Beautiful or So What	"Getting Ready for Christmas Day" "The Afterlife"
Stranger to Stranger	"Wristband" "Cool Papa Bell" "The Werewolf"
Featured singles	"Wonderful World" "The Blues" "The Boxer" "New York Is My Home"
Other songs	"Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War" "Thelma"
Category