For “Father and Son”…

I think I was too young to remember “music” back when we were living in Canada. But I distinctly remember growing fond of it after we had moved back to Lebanon in 1996, when I was almost 10, especially during our family road trips in the car. We’d sometimes turn on the radio, but more often than not, Dad would like to put in some of his own music, most of which was Cat Stevens, and trip after trip, I grew a liking to him and his songs and I slowly began memorizing the lyrics…

But there was this one song in particular, that always gave me this strange feeling, especially when we were driving home on Sunday afternoons. I guess it’s the words of the song like, “Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away. I know I have to go…” That line always sent shivers through me. Yet listening to it I felt safe, and I always remember my father when I listen to it. And so, that was the song I came here for…

Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam as he likes to be called, was a brilliant concert for me. The audience was mostly old, and I think that’s one of the things I liked best about it. It brought back memories; it brought me back to roots. But most of all, it was a blessing to be watching it with my father… :-)

A lot of Cat’s old and familiar songs were played, especially my favorites like “Where Do the Children Play?”, “Wild World”, and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”. But I also discovered a new favorite of mine that night, “Tuesday’s Dead” which was played right before the intermission. I think for a title that’s got the word “dead” in it, it’s got one of the most upbeat tempos I've ever heard! Definitely another one of my new top Cat Stevens songs!

That night, Cat said that there are only two kinds of stories in life: those about leaving home, and those about coming home… That couldn't be truer! And a little towards the end of his stage time, a couple of youngsters at the back started screaming for him. He pulled up and chair, quite tired, and told them to “take it easy… which brings me to my next song”. I instantly knew it was not time to make a change, and set my phone to video mode, for “Father and Son”, my ultimate favorite song of his: