s a member of the chart-topping duo Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon had topped the pop charts with hits like "The Sounds Of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water," but he'd never reached the #2 position as part of a group. As a solo artist Paul finally achieved that peak with a picture-perfect hit.

First charting on June 2, 1973, "Kodachrome" was Paul Simon's third Top 40 solo single and the first single from his second solo album, There Goes Rhymin' Simon , which rose to #2 on the Hot 200 album chart for two weeks and remained on the chart for 48 weeks. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on Nov. 21, 1986.

Clive Davis, head of Columbia Records at the time, recalled that the choice of first single boiled down to two songs. As he remember in his book Clive: Inside The Record Business, "The question of which single to released first from Rhymin' Simon was discussed at length. Paul said that he thought 'American Tune' would be the best single. I disagreed. I didn't think it would take off that easily and I suggested 'Kodachrome.' "My God,' Said Paul, 'you're the one who talks so often about the importance of a ballad hit! This is a quality song with strong lyrics. It could be another 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'.' The lyrics were strong, but I didn't hear a strong enough melody line. 'If it's going to be a hit, it will break out of the album anyway. But up front it's a questionable choice. Since you haven't really toured yet, your solo image still isn't fully established; it's better for you to release the safer and more obvious single."

Produced by The Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, "Kodachrome" debuted at #82. Within eight weeks, the song was planted at #2 for for the first of two weeks. The song also reached the runner-up position on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. The only place where it seemed the song wasn't popular was Great Britain, where radio stations were banned from playing the song because it contained a company's brand name. Since "Kodachrome" was a registered trademark for color film, the song wasn't eligible to chart. However, it did appear as the flip side of "Take Me To The Mardi Gras," which went to #7 in England.

It looked like Clive Davis had made the right choice for the album's first single, but Paul's choice did fairly well, too. "American Tune" was released as the album's third single (after the #2 "Loves Me Like A Rock") and climbed to #35. It also earned another distinction, as Clive Davis recalled. He stated, " Rolling Stone delighted Paul by choosing 'American Tune' as the song of the year. Its quality was finally recognized."

- Christopher G. Feldman, The Billboard Book of No. 2 Singles, Billboard, 2000.

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