Cat Stevens’ ‘Father and Son’ Is From a Musical That Doesn’t Exist
Classic rock and Broadway crossed paths more than you might think. For example, Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son” was initially meant for a musical based on major historical events. It’s for the best that the musical never came out.
Cat Stevens’ ‘Father and Son’ was supposed to be part of a musical about the U.S.S.R.
During a 2020 interview with GQ, Stevens discussed his album Tea for the Tillerman. “‘Father and Son’ is probably the most prominent and profound song on the album,” the “Peace Train” singer said. “It doesn’t necessarily refer to my dad. It was originally written for a musical. So, after I had my first expedition, you might say, into the pop fray, which happened in ’67, ’68, I was taken very ill with tuberculosis and I was suddenly erased from the scene.”
The musical was called Revolussia and it centered on the Russian Revolution. Notably, some of the pop culture of the late 1960s took an interest in communism in general and the U.S.S.R. in particular. The Beatles released songs like “Revolution,” “Piggies,” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.” that all alluded to communism in various ways. Peter Ustinov starred in a Soviet Shakespeare adaptation called Romanoff and Juliet. In addition, the communist folk singer Pete Seeger impacted pop culture — most famously by writing the track “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” which was covered by The Byrds.
Cat Stevens said the tune was about a pair of royals
Stevens said “Father and Son” was about two historical figures in particular. “Essentially, it was about Nicholas and Alexander, the last tsars of Russia, and against that there’s another story about this family in the farmland, in the country,” he said. “And the father, of course, basically wants to keep things as they are, while the son is really inspired by the revolution. He wants to join. And so that’s the inspiration for that song. That’s why I’m able to represent both sides — though I feel that my preference, my emphasis, was on the son’s side, and the father’s arguments were not quite as strong as the son’s, which is interesting. Change is basically the theme of the song.”
Revolussia never came out. Some songs from musicals only work in the context of their stories. Meanwhile, “Father and Son” became universal when it was taken out of its story. Instead of being about Russian royalty, it’s about the predictable clashes between parents and children. Pretty much everyone can relate to that theme, which is why it’s probably for the best that the song doesn’t have the historical baggage that Revolussia would have given it.
‘Father and Son’ was almost part of another musical
Interestingly, “Father and Son” almost became part of a popular musical from the 2000s. During a 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, music supervisor Anton Monsted said director Baz Luhrmann wanted the ballad to appear in his jukebox musical Moulin Rouge!
Stevens declined to give Luhrmann and company the rights to use the song. Later, Stevens came to view Moulin Rouge! as a work of art. He regretted his decision to prevent Luhrmann from using “Father and Son.”
“Father and Son” is a great tune and, amazingly, it survived the implosion of Revolussia.
