Song: Father and Son
Artists: Boyzone
Original artist: Cat Stevens/Yusuf
I have been a fan of Cat Stevens for as long as I can remember. Whenever I hear his
song “Matthew and Son” my mind goes back to 1967 and the first teens-only party I can
remember attending at the age of 15. Perhaps the less said about it the better other
than to acknowledge that it was a time of discovery for me, my Catholic classmates and
the young ladies from the convent school next door.
Of course, it was not the only hit song from Stevens to feature the word Son prominently
in the title. Four years later he released “Father and Son”. The two couldn’t have been
much more different. The 1967 hit was very upbeat and good to dance to. “Father and
Son” was almost painfully slow and more suited to a very leisurely shuffle around the
dance floor if dancing can’t be avoided.
Stevens (or Yusuf as he also calls himself) was a prolific songwriter in the 60s and 70s
and much of his work has lent itself to being covered by other artists. Elsewhere in this
blog I draw attention to “The First Cut is the Deepest” which was covered with greater
success by Rod Stewart
The First Cut is the Deepest – BKK1 Radio
Other top songs include: “(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard” with Elkie
Brooks; “Wild World”; “Morning Has Broken”; “Peace Train”; “Can’t Keep It In” (from the
US album chart-topping “Catch Bull at Four”). I could name many more.
It may come as a surprise to readers to discover that “Father and Son” was only
released as a B-side to “Moonshadow”. The song had been developed as part of a
project call “Revolussia” about the Russian Revolution, but it lost impetus when Stevens
contracted tuberculosis in 1969. He spent a year in convalescence.
For reasons linked to his religious faith Stevens disappeared from the music scene for a
couple of decades before returning to recording and concert performances in 2006. To
my mind his absence was a big loss.
But during that absence his songs continued to find an audience thanks to those – like
Boyzone – who produced cover versions. The Boyzone 1995 rendition of “Father and
Son” enjoyed big success reaching No 2 in the UK charts and topping the chart in their
home country of Ireland.
