Tea For The Tillerman
Bring tea for the tillerman,
Steak for the sun,
Wine for the woman who made the rain come.
Seagulls sing your hearts away,
As while the sinners sin,
The children play.
Oh Lord! How they play and play
For that happy day!
Bring tea for the tillerman,
Steak for the sun,
Wine for the woman who made the rain come.
Seagulls sing your hearts away,
As while the sinners sin,
The children play.
Oh Lord! How they play and play
For that happy day!
Steven Demetre Georgiou was born in London, the son of a Greek Cypriot father and a Swedish mother. The father was Greek Orthodox, the mother was Lutheran, but Steven attended a Catholic school. While studying at Hammersmith School of Art he began performing as Steve Adams, and began recording as Cat Stevens in 1966 when he was 18. (He claimed he chose the name because his girlfriend has eyes like a cat.) But in 1969 he spent months in a hospital recovering from tuberculosis; his introspection led him to meditation, yoga, metaphysics, and vegetarianism, and an intense period of songwriting. When he resumed his career he teamed up with Welsh guitarist/vocalist Alun Davies, with whom he collaborated on most of his work. His 4th album "Tea for the Tillerman" (1970) established him as an international star. In 1971-1972 he was romantically involved with Carly Simon (who wrote "Anticipation" about him:
ReplyDeleteWe can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway
And I wonder if I'm really with you now
Or just chasin' after some finer day
Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'
And I tell you how easy it feels to be with you
And how right your arms feel around me
But I, I rehearsed those words just late last night
When I was thinkin' about how right tonight might be
Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'
And tomorrow we might not be together
I'm no prophet and I don't know nature's ways
So I'll try and see into your eyes right now
And stay right here 'cause these are the good old days
In 1976 he almost drowned and promised to work for God if he survived, and he resumed his spiritual quest. His older brother, who had converted to Judaism, gave him a copy of the "Qur'an" as a birthday present. In 1977 he converted to Islam.
In 1978 his album "Back to Earth" was released, his last under the Cat Stevens moniker, and he changed his name to Yusuf Islam before retiring from the music business. Using his royalties, he founded several Muslim schools in the UK and various charities, and in the late 1990s began recording again.