Complete List Of Cat Stevens Songs From A to Z

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Cat Stevens, born Steven Demetre Georgiou in London, England, on July 21, 1948, came from a Greek-Cypriot and Swedish background, growing up above the family restaurant in the heart of the West End. His upbringing amid the bustling cultural atmosphere of London would later inform his deeply introspective songwriting and spiritual curiosity. He first took an interest in music in his early teens, teaching himself guitar and piano and beginning to write songs while still in school. Performing initially under the stage name Steve Adams, he eventually adopted the name Cat Stevens, which he felt had a more memorable and artistic ring.

His career began in earnest in the mid-1960s, when producer Mike Hurst discovered him performing in London clubs. Stevens signed with Deram Records and released his debut album, Matthew and Son, in 1967. The title track became a hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Other early hits from this period included “I’m Gonna Get Me a Gun” and “Here Comes My Baby,” the latter famously covered by the Tremeloes. At this point, Stevens was positioned as a pop artist, but a serious case of tuberculosis in 1968 led to months of convalescence and a major shift in both his musical style and personal philosophy.

Emerging from his illness with a deeper sense of purpose, Stevens signed with Island Records and released Mona Bone Jakon in 1970, marking the beginning of a prolific and critically acclaimed era. That same year, he followed with Tea for the Tillerman, which became a commercial breakthrough, especially in the United States. The album featured timeless tracks including “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” and “Where Do the Children Play?” Its success established Stevens as a major figure in the singer-songwriter movement of the early 1970s. His unique ability to weave philosophical reflections into accessible melodies won him an international following.

Over the next several years, Stevens released a series of successful albums including Teaser and the Firecat (1971), Catch Bull at Four (1972), Foreigner (1973), Buddha and the Chocolate Box (1974), and Numbers (1975). These albums yielded more beloved songs such as “Peace Train,” “Moonshadow,” and “Morning Has Broken,” a traditional hymn he helped popularize with his piano-driven arrangement. By the mid-1970s, Stevens had become one of the most commercially successful and spiritually inquisitive artists of his era. His lyrics often explored themes of love, faith, social justice, and personal growth.

Stevens released eleven studio albums during his initial run from 1967 to 1978 before making a life-altering decision to leave the music industry. In 1975, after nearly drowning while swimming off Malibu, he intensified his spiritual search. He embraced Islam in 1977 and took the name Yusuf Islam in 1978. He stepped away from his career as a pop musician shortly afterward, turning his attention toward family life, charitable work, humanitarian relief, and religious education.

Though absent from the music charts, his work outside entertainment kept him in the public eye. He helped establish Muslim Aid, founded a Muslim primary school in North London, and later supported humanitarian relief through the Small Kindness charity. He received the World Social Award in 2003 for his humanitarian contributions and the Man of Peace award from a committee of Nobel Peace laureates in 2004. In 2006, he returned to pop music with An Other Cup, his first album of contemporary popular songs in nearly three decades, released under the name Yusuf.

Since returning to music, Yusuf / Cat Stevens has released several albums, including Roadsinger (2009), Tell ‘Em I’m Gone (2014), and The Laughing Apple (2017), which earned him his first Grammy Award nomination. He continued revisiting his earlier catalog while maintaining the introspective spirit that originally defined his music. In 2020, he released Tea for the Tillerman², a complete reimagining of his 1970 classic. His seventeenth studio album, King of a Land, followed in 2023.

Across his career, Cat Stevens has received numerous honors. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. His songs have remained influential, have been covered by artists across many genres, and continue to appear in film and television, ensuring that his music reaches new generations of listeners.

Through all the transformations, whether from Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam or from pop idol to philanthropist and back to recording artist, what has remained constant is his commitment to authenticity. His career is marked not just by hit records but by a profound willingness to follow a personal and spiritual path regardless of commercial expectations. That integrity has solidified his reputation as an artist whose work carries meaning both musically and beyond. This list includes songs from all seventeen studio albums released under the Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens names.