# The music of Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 11, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343 "2022-12-11T17:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/1 "2022-12-11T17:53:13Z")
I am a big fan of the Cat Stevens hits of the 1960s and 70s. I believe his songs perfectly matched the whimsical vibe of the time and they are also still poignant to listen to today because the lyrics contained quite deep messages along with a sound which was more folksy rather than generic pop. But lately it occured to me that as I still listen all these years later to " Father and Son", “Moonshadow”, “First Cut is the Deepest”, “Miles From Nowhere”, “Oh Very Young” etc, Yusuf Islam started to pick up a guitar and make music again after almost thirty years in the late 2000s and I’ve been completely ignorant of that by continuing to only listen to the old hits of Cat Stevens. He has released five new albums since coming back into the music scene. The most recent is a 50 year anniversary of Tea For The Tillerman. The four prior ones contained songs I’d never heard up to now. And while some of the sounds are obviously still Cat (as if he hasn’t aged), he also experiments a bit with some sounds that are different from that era. I personally like it and it feels to me he is embracing his old age rather than chase the lost youth that some other iconic stars of the past try to do. I’m curious what other fans of the artist known as Cat Stevens have to think about Yusuf Islam’s music. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/2 "2022-12-11T18:23:28Z")
😍 Tea for the Tillerman is one of my favorite albums of all time. I will give his ‘newer’ stuff a listen. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/3 "2022-12-11T18:29:36Z")
Your user name sums up my opinion of Yusef. He can do whatever he wants, but I’ll never listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/4 "2022-12-11T18:30:27Z")
There’s enough good music in the world that I don’t have to support artists who have advocated murdering authors who dare to challenge the singer’s religious hierarchy. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/5 "2022-12-11T18:45:36Z")
I was a huge Cat Stevens fan in the 60s and 70s, and continue to listen to that older music today. I also like a lot of his newer stuff. I like how he signs today, just as I did before. I don’t care what religion he is or what he believes as long as he continues to write, record, and perform beautiful music. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/6 "2022-12-11T18:54:07Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > He can do whatever he wants, but I’ll never listen to it. I assume, becasue of: > **[Cat Stevens' comments about Salman Rushdie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens%27_comments_about_Salman_Rushdie)** > > Following Ayatollah Khomeini's 14 February 1989 death fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, after the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, Yusuf Islam (previously known as Cat Stevens), made statements endorsing the killing of Rushdie. His statements generated criticism from commentators in the West. > In response, Yusuf Islam said that some of his comments were "stupid and offensive jokes" made in "bad taste," while others were merely giving his interpretation of Islamic law but no... ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/7 "2022-12-11T18:58:12Z")
In addition to the Rushdie issue, I’m not listening to the author of “Wild World” unless he publicly abjures the attitude therein; preferably by writing and performing a song doing so. If he has done so, I haven’t heard about it. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/8 "2022-12-11T19:09:24Z")
I was very disappointed in Yusuf Islam for funding Islamic schools for only for boys - feeding into one of the worst propositions of fundamentalist Islam, which is that girls don’t need an education. So I don’t seek out his music at all. If I happen to hear one of his old Cat Stevens songs, I’m just sad at what happened to him. For those who don’t know, he struggled mightily with mental illness (I believe the line “I feel the power growing in my hair” was a reference to that, intentional or not) and I’ve always thought his conversion was a means, however misguided, of trying to find internal peace. I have no idea whether it worked for him. On a rather wistful note, I’ll note that when I lived in Egypt, taxi drivers would often put slide a cassette of his Islamic music (ex, [Bismillah](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFQ67hIa3rQ)) into their tape players whenever I and Western companions were fares, gesture energetically, and exclaim in delight, “Cat Stevens!” It always struck me as a genuine effort on the part of the drivers to find common ground across a cultural gulf (insofar as one can generalize across an entire nation, Egyptians are awesome that way), and I found it very touching. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/9 "2022-12-11T19:39:54Z")
My thoughts on the controversy his religious views caused is that his conversion led to an attitude common with adult converts of all different faiths of taking a very literal and potentially extreme interpretation of how they guide their new way of life. This leads to very narrow choices because they feel the need to repudiate everything about their up-until-now-life. I have read interviews with him explaining that it was not the case that he was told he had to give up music after converting. Nothing prohibited him. He chose to do it on his own accord because he believed at the time the fandom of Cat Stevens was akin to a kind of worship and that was wrong because only God should be worshipped. That sounds silly to hear as a reason because there are plenty of famous Muslim entertainers with lots of fans but it explains how he went from Peace Train to Rushdie. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/10 "2022-12-11T19:52:22Z")
Way back when my sister wore the groove smooth on her “Tea For the Tillerman” album, I concluded he had a creepy old man voice. I figure he’s probably aged into it. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/11 "2022-12-11T20:05:08Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I was very disappointed in Yusuf Islam for funding Islamic schools for only for boys I…don’t think that is correct. Unless you are referring to funding of overseas schools, which I don’t know much about. In the UK he founded his first school in 1983, a co-ed [primary school](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamia_Primary_School). Then added a [girls secondary school in 1989](https://www.islamiaschools.com/the-school/history/) and a boys [secondary school in 1996](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brondesbury_College). My understanding is that all of this was inspired by the birth of his first daughter in 1980. At any rate I agree with both the “seems to have suffered from mild mental illness” and “fervor of the adult convert” takes. At least at this point in his life he seems to be relatively well-meaning, but words have power and his absolutely damaged Rushdie all those years ago.The guy has been trying to straddle the line for decades and he just doesn’t quite get it. I guess I do a half-boycott. I don’t buy his music, but I will listen to his pre-conversion music when I run across it (I rarely search it out). He was quite talented to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/12 "2022-12-11T20:10:34Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I…don’t think that is correct. You know, you’re right. I distinctly recall long ago hearing that he was doing boys’ schools only - but those were pre-Internet days and it seems I was misinformed. Thank you for setting the record straight. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/13 "2022-12-11T20:37:10Z")
…and now that I’ve looked at some of the information available on line about him, I see zero references to any bouts of depression, which I would have SWORN was documented in his life story but doesn’t seem to be. Note to self: in the future, post no “facts” on the internet without verifying them first. This is far from the first time I’ve asserted something on line that turns out to be mangled. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/14 "2022-12-11T20:59:42Z")
I never heard about depression but before his global fame his career almost was over very early because he suffered from tubercolosis which kept him in hospital for a long time. He has said in interviews that during that time he spent a lot of time writing because there wasn’t much else he could do. The lyrics of his songs being so much about a question of self and seeking a purpose probably stems from that experience. Just on entertainment value this concert is wonderful to watch and showcased the depth of talent. Voice, guitar, piano, charisma. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg7v-6E50IE) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/15 "2022-12-11T21:05:08Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I assume, becasue of [Rushdie]: Yep. An artist shouldn’t be calling for the death of anyone, and especially not another artist. I hate the fervor of the newly converted. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/16 "2022-12-11T23:10:09Z")
I’m confused, what’s your objection to “Wild World?” ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/17 "2022-12-11T23:13:11Z")
He wants his romantic partner to be a child, and to stay that way. He explicitly doesn’t see her as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/18 "2022-12-11T23:20:47Z")
Weird, I don’t get that at all from “Wild World”. And even if I did, that would not prevent me from enjoying it. Same goes with Yusuf’s beliefs/politics/religion. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/19 "2022-12-11T23:46:38Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > He wants his romantic partner to be a child, and to stay that way. He explicitly doesn’t see her as an adult. I am hyper aware of this kind of thing and I don’t hear what you hear. Remembering a former lover ‘like a child’ is open to many interpretations, but wanting that person to actually BE a child is too much of a fetch. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343/20 "2022-12-11T23:49:06Z")
That does not at all jibe with Cat Stevens’ answer on what he intended with the song at all. From [here](https://genius.com/Cat-stevens-wild-world-lyrics): > Stevens [explained](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/cat-stevens/wild-world) on _The Chris Isaak Hour_ in 2009 that the actual inspiration for the song was his return to a career in music after nearly dying from a collapsed lung due to tuberculosis in 1969: > I was trying to relate to my life. I was at the point where it was beginning to happen and I was myself going into the world. I’d done my career before, and I was sort of warning myself to be careful this time around, because it was happening. It was not me writing about somebody specific, although other people may have informed the song, but it was more about me. It’s talking about losing touch with home and reality – home especially. And just for the record I’ve never once got that vibe from the song. If anything, if he were talking to an actual woman (and stop to think that it could just as easily been told from the POV of a parent seeing his daughter–who he would OF COURSE always think of as a child–leaving home) he’s quite respectful of her choices and autonomy and is being wistful that she might be heading into danger that he won’t be around to protect her from but that nevertheless he acknowledges her right as a sovereign person to make her own choices even if they don’t turn out well for her. Far as I’m concerned he has nothing to apologize for in this or any other world. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-music-of-yusuf-islam-aka-cat-stevens/976343.md?page=2)