Who wrote "Cats in the Cradle"?

[LipGlossAndWine]

I love this song and so many artists have sang it, but who wrote it?

[tully]

Harry Chapin






(I debated answering "google.com," but I am feeling kind today :))

[Brian]

Harry Chapin, the original performer.

[Brian]

Blast!

[tully]

Around these parts, they call me Quickdraw McGee.

[St. Theresa]

Who died before he was supposed to appear here...whatever year that was. How rude.

(j/k)

That song is older than the lint in my belly button.

[Alex]

that song always made me depressed as a child when it came on the radio because I could never imagine not spending time with my dad.

i had such a profound connection to AM radio in the 70s. there was an entire movie in my mind for Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" which involved people sitting in a bar and crying into their beers.

(and don't get me started on The Gambler, Midnight Train to Georgia and That's The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia) ;l ;l ;l

[St. Theresa]

OMG...70's flashbacks!

I still have one of those K-Tel (HiFi!) hit song compilation albums way back then, and it includes "The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia."

Anyone remember "The Night Chicago Died" and "Billy Don't Be a Hero"??????

[tully]

(and don't get me started on The Gambler, Midnight Train to Georgia and That's The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia)

One of my all-time favorite moments with my family is when we were all in the car driving home from a vacation and "The Gambler" came on the radio. I think at this point, my brother and I were 20 and 15. As soon as the chorus started up, all four of us belted it out with gusto.

When the song was over, there was a small pause. My mother then said, "What the hell did I do to you kids?"

[Artemus]

I always loved this song. My dad plays it a lot since my grandpa died. It always makes me sad.

[Fox in Socks]

Midnight Train to Georgia [post28]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alex]

^I must iTune Midnight Train to Georgia pronto. I love that song.

Gladys!!!!!

MY WORLD!
HIS WORLD!
MY WORLD!
HIS WORLD!
I GOT TO GO!
I GOT TO GO!
I GOT TO GO!

[St. Theresa]

Ok, you asked for it. My wittle stack of 45's:

"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" - The 5th Dimension (original 45!!!!)
"I'm Not Lisa" - Jessi Colter (commence barfing)
"Lonely Boy" - Andrew Gold
"Imagine" - John Lennon (perhaps the only saving grace in this stack)
"Shadow Dancing" - Andy Gibb
"I Write the Songs" - Barry Manilow (if you've already puked out all the contents of your stomach by now, just continue heaving)
"Love Will Keep Us Together" - Captain & Tennille (see South Park episode from last night!)
"Mandy" - Barry Manilow (again! ARGH!)
"You Light Up My Life" - Debby Boone
"Have You Never Been Mellow" - Olivia Barfin' John
"Dance With Me" - Peter Brown
"Calypso" - John Denver
"No No Song" - Ringo Starr
"Swearin' to God" - Frankie Valli
"She's So Cold" - The Stones (I finally began to become cool in the 80's)
"Dance With Me" - Orleans
"My Eyes Adored You" - More Frankie Valli

[FJeff]

Harry wrote lots of great stuff.


She is Always Seventeen
by Harry Chapin
She has no fear of failure, she's not bent with broken dreams.
For the future's just beginning when you're always seventeen
It was nineteen sixty-one when we went to Washington;
she put her arms around me and said, "Camelot's begun."
We listened to his visions of how our land should be;
we gave him our hearts and minds to send across the sea.
Nineteen sixty-three, white and black upon the land;
she brought me to the monuments and made us all join hands.
And scarcely six months later she held me through the night
when we heard what had happened in that brutal Dallas light.
Oh, she is always seventeen;
she has a dream that she will lend us and a love that we can borrow.
There is so much joy inside her she will even share her sorrow;
she's our past, our present, and our promise of tomorrow.
Oh, truly she's the only hope I've seen, and she is always seventeen.
It was nineteen sixty-five and we were marching once more
from the burning cities against a crazy war.
Memphis, L.A. and Chicago we bled through sixty-eight
till she took me up to Woodstock saying with love it's not too late.
We started out the seventies living off the land;
she was sowing seeds in Denver trying to make me understand
that mankind is woman and woman is man,
and until we free each other we cannot free the land.
Oh, she is always seventeen;
she has a dream that she will lend us and a love that we can borrow.
There is so much joy inside her she will even share her sorrow;
she's our past, our present, and our promise of tomorrow.
Oh, truly she's the only hope I've seen, and she is always seventeen.
Nineteen seventy-two, I'm at the end of my rope,
but she was picketing the White House chanting,
"The truth's the only hope."
In nineteen seventy-five when the crooked king was gone
she was feeding starving children saying the dream must go on.
she is always seventeen;
she has a dream that she will lend us and a love that we can borrow.
There is so much joy inside her she will even share her sorrow;
she's our past, our present, and our promise of tomorrow.
Oh, truly she's the only hope I've seen, and she is always seventeen

[Steve SFM]

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to St. Theresa again."

That took guts, Ellen. :p

I used to have a bunch of 45s too, but they were from the 60s when I was a little kid. The one song I remember that I just loved was "Sweet Pea". I was so stoked when they used that in the movie Jesus' Son (which is just a great movie overall).

As for "Cat's In the Cradle", it is a fine example of the ol' pop melodrama, but I think that Chapin missed an opportunity there. The song should have ended with the narrator going out to the garage and taking his head off with a shotgun. :D

Steve the Sweet Fat Man

[Phrique]

Want embarassing?

The first CD I bought was...Vanilla Ice "To the Extreme".

Yeah, and I still know all the words to "Ice Ice Baby."

[hollerskates]

^I must iTune Midnight Train to Georgia pronto. I love that song.

Gladys!!!!!

MY WORLD!
HIS WORLD!
MY WORLD!
HIS WORLD!
I GOT TO GO!
I GOT TO GO!
I GOT TO GO!

one of the best Will and Grace moments ever is the two of them singing this with sandra bernhard.

[Kari]

Want embarassing?

The first CD I bought was...Vanilla Ice "To the Extreme".

Yeah, and I still know all the words to "Ice Ice Baby."

I can go verse for verse with you on that.


If there was a problem
yo
I'll solve it
check out the hook while my DJ revolves it.

:D ;l;l

[hollerskates]

this was my first record. not tape. not cd. record. and i loved it.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002L9Z.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[Vampire Kites]

well, I remember when I was really young i had cassettes of Tina Turner-"Private Dancer", Culture Club-"Colour By Numbers" (for the longest time I was always wondering why they misspelled "colour" ;)), and Madonna-"Like A Prayer". Those were the first pieces of music I can remember. Then my friend sucked me into the New Kids On The Block, Paula Abdul, Prince (not good Prince, the "Diamonds and Pearls" version) and whatever crap pop fly by nights that were big in the early 90s.
The very first cd I bought was NIN-"Pretty Hate Machine". It was a proud moment for me. :)

[St. Theresa]

That took guts, Ellen. :p
People keep telling me that when you're in your 40's, you don't care what anyone thinks of you anymore. I'm only a couple of months into it, but maybe that's true.

I found a few more, in a separate stack, but they're not so bad.

"Sweet Dreams" - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
"Under Pressure" - Queen and David Bowie (I miss Freddie so much. :( )
"The War Song" - Culture Club
"One On One" - Hall & Oates (Ok, this one's barfable.)
"Every Breath You Take" - The Police (I own the album, so I have no idea why I bought the 45 - probably because "Murder By Numbers" is the b-side, and that's a great song.)
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" - Billy Joel (and ya'll just leave Billy alone!)
"Accidents Will Happen"/"Alison"/"Watching the Detectives" (all live) - Elvis Costello

[Steve SFM]

"Accidents Will Happen"/"Alison"/"Watching the Detectives" (all live) - Elvis Costello

Ooh, I had that one. It came with one of his albums, Armed Forces I believe. The "WtD" is awesome - much better than the studio version.

And it was live at Hollywood High School, no less. :p

Steve the Sweet Fat Man

[Alex]

^it's on the Armed Forces Rhino reissue I think.

I love early Elvis.

[St. Theresa]

Ooh, I had that one. It came with one of his albums, Armed Forces I believe. The "WtD" is awesome - much better than the studio version.

And it was live at Hollywood High School, no less. :p
Dats the one! I'd forgotten it came with AF, which is downstairs with all the other old Elvis vinyl. ;)

I'm having a real craving for Taking Liberties now. [heart]

Elvis winked at me during WtD at the Cape Cod Colesium in 1982.

[toriwannabe]

I think this was the first tape I bought for myself" http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000025OL.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Before that, I would hold the recorder up to the TV and record the audio from the clips. Obviously I didn't care much about sound quality back then.

Oh, and as for Cat's in the Cradle, I always thought it was Harry and his wife, Mary Chapin who wrote it.

[cold pressed olives]

Want embarassing?

The first CD I bought was...Vanilla Ice "To the Extreme".

Yeah, and I still know all the words to "Ice Ice Baby."

embarassing? my favorite track on the album was i love you.

[Artemus]

But do you know what it's like having a roni?

[Vampire Kites]

I LOVE "Accidents Will Happen"!!. I was jamming to "Radio Radio" today. I keep kicking myself cause I always delay buying an Elvis Costello album, but I think I'm gonna buy at least a greatest hits one, and then start from the beginning.

[entropy]

(and don't get me started on The Gambler, Midnight Train to Georgia and That's The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia) ;l ;l ;l

mine was "Lucile"

you picked a fine time to leave me lucile
four hungry children and a crop in the field.