Over fingerpicked guitar, Yusuf listens to the “wind of his soul” he admits to “ on the Devil’s lake” but says he’ll “never make the same mistake.” “Miles From Nowhere” takes religious reckoning into practice: it’s all about the journey. The natural wonder is even more apparent on “King of Trees,” where synths and keyboards open on Yusuf praising nature’s majesty and resilience, even as humans threaten to destroy it. An ode to nature, the imperative “praise” asks listeners to jointly experience that first morning light, that first blackbird singing: the idea that every new day is a new birth of the world. “Morning Has Broken” is originally a Christian hymn. Religious Reckoning (“Morning Has Broken,” “King of Trees,” “The Wind,” “Miles from Nowhere”)Įven before Yusuf’s conversion to Islam, he was ruminating on the world. Whether it’s joy he wants to express or possess (“Hard Headed Woman” is an ode to the type of motivating lover he craves), Yusuf’s aspirational anthems reverberate with personal yet universal ambitions. Just listen to “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out” (which also appears on Harold and Maude) – the title says it all. These songs seem made for the sake of singing: you could compare them to the “I Want” songs of musical theater. On “Sitting,” he imagines success from the outset (“Oh, I’m on my way, I know I am”) and offers a unique way of imagining that optimism (“I feel the power growing in my hair”). Sometimes, Yusuf’s enthusiasm bursts out into the open he quite literally “Can’t Keep It In.” It’s hard not to smile just a little bit when you hear the lyrics “I gotta show the world, world’s gotta see / See all the love, love that’s in me” sung out loud. Yusuf ruminates existentially to some degree on all these songs, but none so explicitly as “Dying to Live.” Across a pseudo-jazzy piano track, an isolated man wonders about life’s purpose and meaning.Īspirational Anthems (“Sitting,” “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” “Can’t Keep It In,” “Hard Headed Woman”) “I’ve Got a Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old” finds the narrator taking care of himself, motivated to stay alive so he doesn’t miss out on the future. “Oh Very Young” is preoccupied with intangibility: a person slipping through your fingers and what they leave behind, especially when they pass young. The fact that “Wild World” is ostensibly a breakup song and “Father and Son” appears familial, is of no importance: both tracks are driven by empathy, by wanting the best for others after you’re gone, saddled with the awareness that it may not be possible. When it was later released, many felt it highlighted the divide between generations. “Wild World” recounts his uncoupling from actress Patti D’Arbanville, whereas “Father and Son” was originally created for a musical set during the Russian Revolution – this project was halted when he contracted tuberculosis. Two of his most famous tracks, they’re cautionary and fearful – the narrator realizes he may not be able to guide or stay with others forever. He wrote both “Wild World” and “Father and Son” around age 22. Yusuf’s songs always want the best for their addressee, and that steeps them in sentiment: each track advises and frets, often accessing a wisdom far beyond his age at the time of writing.
Existential Eulogies (“Wild World,” “Father and Son,” “I’ve Got a Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old,” “Oh Very Young,” “Dying to Live”)
Listen to the best Yusuf / Cat Stevens songs on Apple Music and Spotify, and scroll down for our list.
In 2020, for instance, he recasted his 1970 classic Tea for the Tillerman. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has continued to release music. In 2006, he returned to the studio, after which he released 2006’s An Other Cup, 2009’s Roadsinger, and 2014’s Tell ‘Em I’m Gone. Cat Stevens left his music career behind in 1977 when he converted to Islam, taking on the name Yusuf Islam.