THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

995-Harry Chapin-Cat’s in the Cradle.

1974-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 3.09. In the UK you have to be 18 to vote, 18 to drink alcohol, 17 to drive, but you only have to be 16 to have sex. If prospective parents had to have compulsory lessons on how to bring up children, then there would be less need for a song like this.

Harold Forster Chapin (see also best songs 474) was born on December 7th, 1942, in New York City, United States, he died on July 16th, 1981, en route to perform a free benefit concert at Eisenhower Park, New York, when he was fatally injured in a traffic collision with a semi-trailer truck, he was 38 years old. Chapin was a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger, he was one of those who helped create the ‘Presidential Commission on World Hunger,’ in 1977. Chapin donated an estimated third of his paid concerts to charitable causes, and after his death his widow Sandra said (with only slight exaggeration),’Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations, and 82 charities. Harry wasn’t interested in saving money, he always said, ‘Money is for people,’ so he gave it away.’ Chapin was also the inspiration for the anti-hunger projects ‘USA for Africa,’ (1985) and ‘Hands Across America,’ (1986) which were organised by Ken Kragen, (1936-2021) who had been Chapin’s manager at the end of Chapin’s career, Kragen, explaining his work on these benefit events, said, ‘I felt like Harry had crawled into my body and was making me do it.’

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ was the third of three singles released from Harry Chapin’s fourth studio Album ‘Verities & Balderdash,’ from August 1974. The song was co-written by Harry Chapin, and his wife Sandra Chapin, and produced by Paul Leka (1943-2011.) Leka was a prolific songwriter, whose best known compositions, or co-compositions are ‘Green Tambourine,’ for the ‘Lemon Pipers,’ (1968-Billboard Number 1) and ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,’ for ‘Steam,’ (1969-Billboard Number 1) Leka also co-produced the first two studio Albums of the American Rock band ‘R.E.O. Speedwagon,’ in 1971, and 1972.

The lyrics to ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ began as a poem written by Sandra many years before Harry wrote the music. Sandra was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband James, and his father John. After the birth of Chapin’s son Josh, Harry remembered the poem, realising that he too was getting caught up in the same situation, he wrote the music, admitting, ‘Frankly, this song scares me to death.’ Sandra Chapin has said,’Cat’s In The Cradle was a combination of a couple of things. Whenever I was on a long drive I would listen to Country Music, because words would keep me awake more than just music, and I heard a song, I can remember the story, but I don’t remember who sang it, or what the title was, but an old couple were sitting at their breakfast table and looking out the window, and they saw the rusted swing and the sandbox, and they were reminiscing about the good old days when all the children were around and then the grandchildren, and how it passed, and now it’s all gone.

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ went on to reach Number 1 in America on Billboard in December 1974, and is Harry Chapin’s best selling single with sales in excess of 1 million copies, it also reached Number 1 in Canada, and Number 6 in Australia. The song didn’t become a hit in the UK until a 1992 cover version by the American Rock band ‘Ugly Kid Joe’ reached Number 7, their version also peaked at Number 6 in America on Billboard, with estimated sales of 500,000 copies.

‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ is the sad tale of a father who is so caught up in work, providing for his family, that he never has any quality time to spend with his son. The years fly by, then one day when the father has retired, he requests a meeting with his son, but the father is told by his son that due to work commitments, and family issues, he hasn’t time for them to meet up. The father suddenly realises, that his son has grown up just like him.

‘And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me, my boy was just like me.’