Father and Son

E579272

"Father and Son" is a reflective folk-rock ballad by Cat Stevens that portrays a heartfelt dialogue between a parent and child about generational differences and the struggle for independence.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
albumArtist Cat Stevens NERFINISHED
albumType studio album
artist Cat Stevens NERFINISHED
associatedAct Yusuf Islam NERFINISHED
BoyzoneCoverChartSuccess hit in the United Kingdom
BoyzoneCoverReleaseYear 1995
chartingSingleVersionBy Boyzone NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
criticalReception widely acclaimed
genre folk
folk rock
hasCoverVersionBy Boyzone NERFINISHED
Johnny Cash NERFINISHED
Rod Stewart NERFINISHED
Ronan Keating NERFINISHED
hasLivePerformancesBy Cat Stevens NERFINISHED
Yusuf / Cat Stevens NERFINISHED
hasReRecordingBy Yusuf / Cat Stevens NERFINISHED
instrumentation acoustic guitar
bass guitar
drums
keyboard
label A&M Records NERFINISHED
Island Records NERFINISHED
language English
legacy considered one of Cat Stevens’ signature songs
length 3:41
narrativeForm dialogue between father and son
notableLyric “From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen”
“It’s not time to make a change”
originalAlbum Tea for the Tillerman NERFINISHED
originalIntendedProject unproduced musical about the Russian Revolution
producer Paul Samwell-Smith NERFINISHED
recorded 1970
releaseYear 1970
reRecordingAlbum Tea for the Tillerman² NERFINISHED
reRecordingReleaseYear 2020
theme coming of age
generational conflict
parent–child relationship
search for independence
vocalArrangement Cat Stevens sings both father and son parts
vocalPerspective1 father advising caution
vocalPerspective2 son seeking freedom
writer Cat Stevens NERFINISHED

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.