How Frustration With The Beatles Made Cat Stevens Write His Own Songs

The Beatles‘ songs inspired other classic rock artists in many ways. Surprisingly, Cat Stevens’ career was born out of frustration with The Beatles’ songs. The “Morning Has Broken” singer would later make a Fab Four classic his own.

Cat Stevens thought playing Beatles songs was hard and playing other songs was harder

During a 2019 interview with SongwriterUniverse, the “Peace Train” singer discussed his early relationship with music. “We had a little baby grand piano in our living room,” he said. “It was way too big for our living room, but it was a present that my father got from my sister. And at first, nobody really bothered to play it. My mother sometimes played a piano song here and there, but that was it.”

A certain British band had a huge impact on him. “Then along came The Beatles, and that changed everything,” he said. “What happened was, I got myself a guitar … a really cheap one, but it was good enough. 

“And I started trying to play and learning the chords, like where you put your fingers and all that,” he continued. “That was hard, and playing other people’s songs was even harder. So it was just a fast track for me to say, ‘OK, I’ll just write my own songs’ (laughs). In a way, that was it … it was just kind of a necessity. In order to play something, I needed to make it up myself.”

The ‘Wild World’ singer is very similar to 1 of The Beatles

Stevens went on to become one of the most popular folk singers of the 1970s. He became a contemporary of solo-era George Harrison. Both wrote gentle folk tunes centered around universal sentiments. Both singers underwent highly publicized religious conversions (George became a Hindu while Stevens became a Muslim) and released a lot of music that centered on their faith.

During a 1979 interview found in the book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters, the “My Sweet Lord” singer revealed he had a soft spot for Steven’s music. The quiet Beatle praised Stevens’ singing ability as well as his good melodies. George also opined that Stevens had “class,” which is not something you can say about every rock star.

George went on to say that Stevens’ personal struggles made his music better. The “Got My Mind Set on You” star felt that Stevens’ singing was very emotional. While Stevens doesn’t have the vocal chops of, say, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey, his voice is powerful in its delicacy.

How Cat Stevens paid tribute to George Harrison

Just as George appreciated Stevens, Stevens appreciated George. Rolling Stone reports that, in 2023, Stevens signed to Dark Horse Records, the label that George founded. In honor of this occasion, Stevens released an acoustic cover of “Here Comes the Sun,” the most beloved song that George ever wrote. The “Wild World” singer lauded “Here Comes the Sun” for portraying the return of hope to a dark world. Stevens also praised George for delving into spirituality more than other 1960s pop stars. 

Stevens had some difficulty playing The Beatles’ songs when he was young but he had no problem playing “Here Comes the Sun” as a tribute to George.