Cat Stevens was hugely successful in the 1970s, which was his artistic and professional heyday. He had a bunch of hit songs that seemed to typify the times. His gentle ballads and mellow voice are incomparable. You may not be aware of the genesis of one of Stevens' songs, According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, it is "a rewrite of a Christian hymn." The outlet goes on to say, "That's very interesting, considering that Stevens is now one of the only Muslim celebrities in the Western world." Let's take a deeper dive into this particular song of Cat Stevens.'
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Some Of Cat Stevens' Songs Have A Marvelous Throwback Quality
They Sometimes Seem To Echo An Earlier Era Like 'Morning Has Broken' Does
This 1971 song is actually a hymn that has its origin in the 1930s. When Stevens recorded it, he gave it both a contemporary sound and an antique one. It is timeless and yet unmistakably connected to a previous era. What he did was rather risky, but it paid off. Opined the outlet, "Very few covers became hits from the 1970s onward, and very few pop songs in the United States and the United Kingdom are religious. Stevens threw out the rule book, and it worked."
Stevens Apparently Narrowed The Gap Between His Own Muslim Faith And Christianity In 'Morning Has Broken'
Maybe That Is Why The Song Has Lasting, Broad-Based Appeal
According to the outlet, "...'Morning Has Broken' only references religious concepts like God designing the universe and the Garden of Eden that appear in both Christianity and Islam. By accident, Stevens might have built a tiny, musical bridge between the two largest Abrahamic faiths." Few artists could have done that with such aplomb. Cat Stevens did, which is one thing that sets him apart.
Stevens Has Candidly Talked About The Significance Of Music In His Life
He Addressed The Longevity Of His Work
He fascinatingly described his Tea for the Tillerman album in 2020 for GQ via Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Did the tunes on that album hint at Stevens' embrace of Islam? He denied that. "No, no. I see music as a gift and all I'm doing is I'm just enjoying that gift. With certain presents, you unwrap it and that's it. The thrill has gone after you've ripped off the wrapping paper. But not with music. Music continues to vibrate and mean something."
He added, "After my first experience in the pop music business, I was careful to be as honest with myself as possible with my writing, what I was doing, where I was and why, what I was looking for. I tried to explain everything in my songs. And that's why I think they still live."
