I am going to share with you a secret.
When growing up, unlike most other girls I knew, I had no crush on any superstar, actor or singer, but one -- Yusuf Islam /Cat Stevens.
And do you know when I realized it ? Today. I had repressed that in the back of my mind for so many years...
Why today ? Because today, I received on my imeem account an "add a friend" request and it was from Yusuf /Cat Stevens. Yusuf is back...with a new album called Roadsinger.
I am going to share another secret with you that even Yusuf does not know about.
Many, many, years ago, when Yusuf/Cat Stevens decided to stop singing/composing, I got quite upset but did not exactly know why.
So, on his birthday, 21st July, I sent him an anonymous birthday card wishing him a happy birthday, urging him not to stop singing. I said to him that I understood his embracing Islam but that for me Islam and music were not an antithesis. And that he should not deprive me/us of his wonderful, soulful compositions... I do not know if Yusuf ever received my birthday card or not. I just sent it to a Mosque I knew he frequented daily. And then, I let go and forgot all about Yusuf Islam /Cat Stevens. And even though I had all of his albums, I stopped digging out his songs to listen to them...apart from the odd song that would resurface by coincidence on some radio station.
But today, I went through my collection and checked every single youtube video for Yusuf Islam/ Cat Stevens. And today I understood why I had such a crush on him while growing up...
I loved most of his songs except my Lady d'Arbanville which gave me the creeps. Wild World, Bitter Blue, The 1 cut is the Deepest, Peace Train, the Wind, where will the Children play, Hard Headed Woman (which ex -boyfriends kept offering it to me as a parting present - LOL) and others...
But there is one song I had totally forgotten about and had not listened to since I was 15/16 and it is this one.
This in my opinion, is one of the BEST love songs ever written. And watching Yusuf/Cat Stevens sing it after all those years, fills me up with so many mixed, powerful emotions and feelings, that I prefer to stop here, for now.
P.S : Just in case you are thinking of offering me a parting present too, offer me this one...
