"Mrs. Robinson" was initially developed for the 1967 film The Graduate, with fragments of the song appearing in the movie before its full release on the duo's album Bookends. The song famously references baseball star Joe DiMaggio, a line that Paul Simon explained was not meant literally, but rather as a sincere tribute to an American hero whose unpretentious stature was a contrast to how heroes are often perceived. The inclusion of "coo-coo-ca-choo" is also an homage to a lyric from The Beatles. At its heart, the song explores themes of fading heroism and a search for genuine figures in an increasingly complex world.