Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son” is a song about the contrasting life views of a father and a son. The perspectives of the father and the son are exposed throughout the verses, with the father trying to pass on his wisdom and experience to his son, while the son yearns for independence and self-discovery. In this article, I’ll further explore the inspiration and meaning behind the song.
Cat Stevens’ Inspiration Behind the Song
Originally, Cat Stevens wrote “Father and Son” for a musical project he was working on. The song was specifically written for a scene where the son wanted to join an ongoing revolution, while his father desired him to stay home. The musical never materialized, but “Father and Son” was shelved for later use on Cat Stevens’ 1970 release Tea for the Tillerman.
Despite not being written for personal reasons, Cat Stevens revealed he feels a personal connection to “Father and Son”. “[My father] was running a restaurant and I was a pop star, so I wasn’t following the path that he laid out,” Stevens explained.
But Stevens also clarified the fictional relationship between the father and the son in the song is different than his relationship with his own father. “I’ve never really understood my father, but he always let me do whatever I wanted—he let me go. ‘Father And Son’ is for those people who can’t break loose.”
Analysis of the Song
The first verse of the song highlights the perspective of the father. He advises his son to slow down and not rush into life-changing decisions. After all, the son is still young and knows little about the dangers of life.
Instead, the father presents the secure idea of finding a girl and settling down, just like he did. He perceives these stable values to be rewarding and attainable, especially in contrast with the unreliable dreams of his son.
The second verse highlights the perspective of the son. It is often believed that “Father and Son” follows a conversation between the father and the son, but the second verse clearly exposes the son isn’t talking to his father, but is more so expressing his frustrations about him (most likely to himself).
The son exposes that his father isn’t even willing to listen to his dreams and desires – and that it has always been like that. Nevertheless, he is determined to follow his own path, even if it means going against his father’s wishes.
The third verse is similar to the first verse but features contrasting replies from the son. It is important to note that while the father disagrees with the desires of his son, he does so out of love. The father is merely afraid his son will make wrong decisions as a result of youthfulness and advises his son to slow down and think his decisions through. But in the process of doing so, he completely ignores the dreams of his son.
In the final verse, the son reveals he is going to break free from the burden he feels from his father. He explains he’s willing to listen to the advice of his father, but also feels that his father doesn’t fully understand him. As a result, the son makes his own decision and knows he has to go away.
The Legacy of Father and Son
“Father and Son” was released on Cat Stevens’ fourth studio album Tea for the Tillerman, which also features the famous “Wild World”. Despite receiving critical acclaim, “Father and Son” was only ever released as a B-side to A-side single “Moonshadow”.
Over the years, “Father and Son” grew out to be one of Cat Stevens’ most famous songs. It knows a few popular cover versions, most notably by Boyzone and Ronan Keating, who both had top 10 hits in European countries with their versions of the song. Johnny Cash also covered the song with Fiona Apple.
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