My new favourite song at the moment...
Oh Very Young by Cat Stevens.
I just think it is very simple and beautiful. The words, the female harmonies, the twiddly bits on the piano, the beginning lines:
Oh Very Young, what will you leave us this time
You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your dads best jeans
Denim blue, faded up to the sky.
And though you want them to last forever
you know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still.
Particularly the 'denim blue, faded up to the sky'. I like that image. Its one of those songs that makes your heart lift as little when you hear it and smile.
The few things I know about Cat Stevens and where he's woven into my life...
-Boyzone did the cover of Father and Son when I was a teenager. I remember being at my grandparents in Worcester and I popped down to the record store to buy the single. I can still see them all dressed in white plastered on the front cover.
-We watched a film in Religious Studies class of Cat Stevens - now Yusuf Islam - giving a guided tour around The London Central Mosque. I didn't know who he was really but the RS teacher was indicating something about him being a famous singer.
- Cat Stevens did a surprise and rare appearance on stage at Cropredy the year I went with my mother. He was really good, but despite crowds asking for Father and Son he refused to play it.
- Supposedly Mr Moorish's mother was good friends with him. Mr Moorish played Cat Stevens a lot and once when I tried to impress him and boast that I'd seen him live; he flattened me with the reply: 'He was at the hospital when I was born because he was friends with my mum....' So much for that kudos attempt then...
-My friend Bam loves him as he grew up with his dad playing him.
Oh and interesting fact from Wikipedia - twice Cat Steven's almost died in his life. The second time he almost drowned and as he was struggling in the sea he prayed to God to save him and that if God did he would serve him...and he was saved... so I guess these experiences helped lead him to where he is today.
And that is all. The more I listen to him, the more I like him....
Oh Very Young by Cat Stevens.
I just think it is very simple and beautiful. The words, the female harmonies, the twiddly bits on the piano, the beginning lines:
Oh Very Young, what will you leave us this time
You're only dancin' on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your dads best jeans
Denim blue, faded up to the sky.
And though you want them to last forever
you know they never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still.
Particularly the 'denim blue, faded up to the sky'. I like that image. Its one of those songs that makes your heart lift as little when you hear it and smile.
The few things I know about Cat Stevens and where he's woven into my life...
-Boyzone did the cover of Father and Son when I was a teenager. I remember being at my grandparents in Worcester and I popped down to the record store to buy the single. I can still see them all dressed in white plastered on the front cover.
-We watched a film in Religious Studies class of Cat Stevens - now Yusuf Islam - giving a guided tour around The London Central Mosque. I didn't know who he was really but the RS teacher was indicating something about him being a famous singer.
- Cat Stevens did a surprise and rare appearance on stage at Cropredy the year I went with my mother. He was really good, but despite crowds asking for Father and Son he refused to play it.
- Supposedly Mr Moorish's mother was good friends with him. Mr Moorish played Cat Stevens a lot and once when I tried to impress him and boast that I'd seen him live; he flattened me with the reply: 'He was at the hospital when I was born because he was friends with my mum....' So much for that kudos attempt then...
-My friend Bam loves him as he grew up with his dad playing him.
Oh and interesting fact from Wikipedia - twice Cat Steven's almost died in his life. The second time he almost drowned and as he was struggling in the sea he prayed to God to save him and that if God did he would serve him...and he was saved... so I guess these experiences helped lead him to where he is today.
And that is all. The more I listen to him, the more I like him....
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