Another Saturday Night(Cat Stevens)

Cat Stevens ^

[DallasBiff]

The Very Best Of Cat Stevens

[DallasBiff]

A Greek boy, who grew up in Britain, and went to the dark side.*Imperial March" in the background

[lee martell]

I fully enjoyed Cat Stevens during that part of his career.
I recall the clever songwriting as heard in Oh, Very Young, or Morning Has Broken. So original and appealing.

[Dr. Sivana]

“Morning Has Broken” is a Christian hymn whose lyrics are from 1931 applied to an 18th century Scottish Folk Melody.

[Fungi]

He’s an idiot muslim. His songs are worthless. They all sound the same and he doesn’t sing but whispers. He succumbed to the epileptic mahomet.

[lee martell]

I certainly did not know that! No wonder it sounds so sincere. I know it’s just a performance, but there is something about the quality of that song is quite effective.
Of course, the choirs in the chorus help.
Whoever is playing the piano, really knows what they’re doing. Those light, loose flourishes at the end of each line of the verse sound casual, but they are not.

[IncPen]

Sam Cooke wrote and performed “Another Saturday Night“… a better version imho.

[Dr. Sivana]

Agree on Sam Cooke’s original being better (and I had heard Cats’ first). The lyrics already sounded a bit dated by the ‘70s.

“Oh, Very Young” and “Wild World” are good, but they kind of sound like each other.

[nickcarraway]

Sam Cooke was better. Do you have that version?

[fidelis]

Whoever is playing the piano, really knows what they’re doing. Those light, loose flourishes at the end of each line of the verse sound casual, but they are not.

The piano in this song was arranged and performed by Rick Wakeman. Here is his instrumental version of the song:

Rick Wakeman - Morning Has Broken

[nickcarraway]

GMTA

[Eccl 10:2]

“He’s an idiot muslim. His songs are worthless. They all sound the same and he doesn’t sing but whispers. He succumbed to the epileptic mahomet.”

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Exactly. His fans here are the same ones that shop at Costco, use Progressive for their insurance, love Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, buy Girl Scout cookies, and wonder why the world is going to hell.

[PghBaldy]

"Another Saturday Night," (alternate take) - written & sung by Sam Cooke

"Another Saturday Night," (hit version) - written & sung by Sam Cooke

[nickcarraway]

You don't like Frankenstein? Dr Hook also had a hit with a cover of Sam Cooke around that time, the song Only Sixteen.

[nickcarraway]

Thanks.

[lee martell]

Thanks for this. I didn’t think Cat was quite that good on the keys, but one never knows with produced records.
So Wakeman was allowed to do session work.

[Dr. Sivana]

You don't like Frankenstein?

I was thinking more along the lines of expressions like "find me a honey" and "blow this town". Also, the blue collar "need a paycheck before I can go on a date" motif works better with Sam Cooke, who sounds the part.

The Beatles had the same problem with some of their Chuck Berry covers.

[fidelis]

So Wakeman was allowed to do session work.

There's kind of an interesting backstory to it on Wiki:

Cat Stevens recording

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Thanks. I had no idea. I listed to that song many times when he put it out.

GodTube:

"Morning Has Broken" is a popular and well-known Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon and was inspired by the village of Alfriston in East Sussex, then set to a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune known as "Bunessan." It is often sung in children's services and in Funeral services.

The hymn originally appeared in the second edition of Songs of Praise (published in 1931), to the tune "Bunessan," composed in the Scottish Islands. In Songs of Praise Discussed, the editor, Percy Dearmer, explains that as there was a need for a hymn to give thanks for each day, English poet and children's author Eleanor Farjeon had been "asked to make a poem to fit the lovely Scottish tune." A slight variation on the original hymn, also written by Eleanor Farjeon, can be found in the form of a poem contributed to the anthology Children's Bells, under Farjeon's new title, "A Morning Song (For the First Day of Spring)," published by Oxford University Press in 1957. The song is noted in 9/4 time but with a 3/4 feel.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Here's a great, simple video by TheCatLadyJ of "Morning Has Broken." She found absolutely gorgeous photographs to go along with the lyrics and uses a simple transition from photo to photo.

[DallasBiff]

OMG. Rivk Wakeman was a genius.