C: “Changes IV”- Cat Stevens
And we all know it's better
Yesterday has past
Now let's all start the living
For the one that's going to last
Yusuf Islam is a punk rock figure. The man is very high on my list of heroes, as both a musical icon and as a paragon of virtue while faced with some of the most ignorant and uninformed scrutiny the entertainment world has ever seen. People take issue with my opinion of him, but his fervent dedication to his beliefs is a refreshing challenge to industry pundits who think they have something to fear from his stalwart and unique religious identity. His abrupt career abandonment and subsequent devotion to Islam turned millions off, who interpreted this move as a “fuck you” to the fans. Most people still make the assertion that he simply “went crazy”. He has returned the music world over the last decade and released a series of decent albums, but it’s a heartbreaking reflection of our times and society that we still question somebody who has made their career out of promoting peace, out of concern for that which fulfills him spiritually. Never has Yusuf preached or judged, and outside of the dubious run-in with Salman Rushdie in the 80s that was manipulated against him, he has never put himself out there politically. This the man who wrote “Peace Train”, for pity’s sake. His religion is his political statement. Still, intentionally or not, Yusuf Islam has held up a mirror to our souls and forced us to evaluate our perceptions.
In fact, it's something Cat’s been doing since the 70s. While “Tillerman” is, unquestionably, the crown jewel of the Cat Stevens catalog, “Teaser” is the personal favorite for me. “Tillerman” has greater poetic nuance, but “Teaser” got me into his music first. Every song on “Teaser” is timeless. Listening today, “Changes IV” is a real sleeper gem. On the surface, it’s typical “protest song” fare, but what makes this song special its positivity. Joy is possibly the most difficult emotion to successfully convey as a singer-songwriter without sounding hokey or insincere. Stevens acknowledges our struggles and fears, but insists that we just have to keep marching on for these changes to come to fruition. Place this now into 2017, and I’m just as guilty as anyone for political and social pessimism. It is far too easy to piss and moan and harder to actually trudge ahead, keep your chin up, do something productive, and trust that your efforts aren’t in vain. Cliched, sure. Important no less.
Musically, this track cooks. The incessant use of wiggle-inducing claves drives the song. As tender as his songwriting was, Cat’s never received enough credit for his Herculean, powerhouse strumming on so many of his tracks. His passionate snarl doesn’t become overbearing as it tends to in some of his later recordings. Oh, dear Lord that burst of voices in the chorus...sheer jubilation, again, completely bereft of cheesiness.
We can take a cue from this song in the era of the current administration. Yesterday certainty hasn’t passed, and in many ways, it’s only beginning. Yet, I think we can at least live with the knowledge that our troubles can and will be behind us. We are the change, in any form that works for us, and the change will come.
Meow.
-Josh
