Cat Stevens’ Recording of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ Honored George Harrison
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Yusuf / Cat Stevens performing in Istanbul, Oct. 19, 2022 (Photo via his Facebook page)
Cat Stevens shared a cover of “Here Comes The Sun” in tribute to George Harrison, to mark the anniversary of what would have been the Beatle legend’s 80th birthday. The Feb. 22, 2023 release, with cover art designed by Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ eight year-old granddaughter, came in tandem with the announcement of the singer-songwriter’s new partnership with Dark Horse Records, the boutique record label founded by George Harrison and operated now by his son Dhani and David Zonshine.
Speaking about George Harrison’s profound influence on his own musical and spiritual journey, Stevens says: “George Harrison was beginning to explore Eastern mysticism around the time I was hospitalized with TB, in 1968. Lying in bed, I had a lot of time on my hands and ended up reading a Buddhist book called The Secret Path. That was the beginning of my own search for the light.
“While most of my generation were just into the music, I was a bit like George, where music became the key to something much higher. Following the rages of the 60’s, his consciousness was awakened, and George transcended to levels not many people ever get to experience. You can hear it in his lyrics, and see it in the way he lived and dealt with the material world – looking for a way out.
“George was one of the first to put on a charity concert for the poor, at the time millions of Bangladeshis were fleeing from conflict and becoming refugees. It was a brave thing to do, and against all establishment rules.
I’m happy to sing one of his songs, especially as it represents the returning of light and hope to a seriously dark and broken world.”
The recording can be downloaded here. Yusuf also released a brand new Yusuf / Cat Stevens album, King of a Land, which he says will transport listeners into the positive, imaginative world of hope and peace that defined his work in the early ‘70s. Dark Horse Records will be re-releasing legacy albums from the Yusuf / Cat Stevens catalog, owned by Yusuf’s own Cat-O-Log Records company. His recordings are available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
L-R: Dhani Harrison, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, David Zonshine, Yoriyos Adamos
Watch Stevens perform “Here Comes the Sun” in concert on June 18, 2023
Stevens’ signature, era-defining sound places him amongst a golden generation of British singer-songwriters whose music continues to resonate and inspire. His catalog with classics including “Peace Train,” “Father & Son,” “Where Do the Children Play?,” “Wild World,” and many more, have seen him inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In recent years, many of his early 1970s albums have been reissued in deluxe 50th anniversary editions.
Related: In Oct. 2022, Stevens performed his first concerts in five years
His charity work has seen him receive numerous prestigious international accolades including the World Award for “Humanitarian Relief Work Helping Children And Victims Of War” and the Man of Peace Award, voted for by The Nobel Peace Laureates. His continuing efforts to support those in need are currently channeled through his international Peace Train initiative, with its ongoing mission to feed the hungry.
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationDark Horse Records re-releasing Cat’s LPs is great news. This explains why Universal skipped out on a super deluxe issue of “Catch Bull at Four”. Hopefully we will see a super deluxe box of his “Foreigner” LP in time for its 50th anniversary this summer.