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Where Do The Children Play?(WORD)
Where Do The Children Play?(PDF)
Thanks to Dave Hanson for bringing this song to BUG! You can play along with the recording!
Cat Stevens grew up in London, where open spaces for children to play were rare. As a schoolboy, his playground was in a basement with little exposure to the open air. When he read a story in Time Out London about how green spaces were vanishing in towns, it prompted him to write the song as a reminder that progress shouldn't come at the expense of nature. This is the lead track on Tea For The Tillerman, Cat Stevens' breakthrough in America. Not every American knew what "lorry loads pumping petrol" were, but they could relate to a song about industrial over-reach.
Stevens was just 22 when the album was issued, but he had already made an impact in the UK. Tea For The Tillerman was on point with the singer-songwriter trend in America; Stevens offered a fresh voice and new perspective that many embraced. For the rest of the '70s, America was his biggest market. Paul Samwell-Smith, known for his work as bass player in The Yardbirds, produced this track. The foundation of the song is Stevens' voice recorded with his guitar and Alun Davies' second guitar. Other instruments, including a vibraphone and electric piano (both of which Stevens played) were overdubbed later along with the backing vocals. A string section, arranged by Del Newman, comes in near the end of the song.
Stevens converted to Islam in 1977 and took the name Yusuf Islam. He stopped writing secular songs a year later, but remained fond of his Tea For The Tillerman tracks, including this one. In 2020, on the 50th anniversary of the album, he issued a reworked version called Tea for the Tillerman². Looking back on "Where Do the Children Play?" he told Entertainment Weekly, "This song has become even more vivid as a statement of what our world is going through. 'Will you tell us when to live? Will you tell us when to die?' That's not far off." (info from Songfacts).