Welcome to the Team DFH Freaky Friday Music party.
Because Team DFH operates more or less like a herd of cats, this diary series doesn’t actually have a formal name but we’re here on Friday Nights, at roughly 9PM Eastern, to let our hair down, maybe light up a fattie, and get some groovy on.
In September 1971 Cat Stevens released the album Teaser and the Firecat. By October, the song Peace Train had ridden the charts to become Cat Stevens first top ten hit here in the US.
Peace Train
Now I've been happy lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun
Oh I've been smiling lately,
dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be,
some day it's going to come
Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again
Now I've been smiling lately,
thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
something good has begun
Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train
Get your bags together,
go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer,
it soon will be with you
Now come and join the living,
it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer,
soon it will all be true
Now I've been crying lately,
thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating,
why can't we live in bliss
Cause out on the edge of darkness,
there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country,
come take me home again
The song became an anthem and and arguably Cat's most recognizable tune. For 40 years it's stood the test of time and still resonates today.
In 1978 Cat left the music business after his conversion to Islam and took the name Yusuf Islam. He sold all of his guitars and donated the money to charity and that was that or so we thought...
By the late 90's Yusuf Islam began to make his way back to the music. BY 2003 he re-recorded Peace Train for his album War Child and in 2006 he performed it at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway...
Still an invitation to jump on the Peace Train, still as relevant today as it was 40 years ago, maybe more so.
So, join me if you will to talk about peace, music, Cat Stevens or any little thing you feel like sharing. It's Freaky Friday and we're easy. Come on, post'em if ya got 'em!
Please join in comments with your own contributions. Here's HOW: To add vids in comments: Click on "share"; then the "embed" button; change the size of the video graphic too, so when it posts, it is smaller. Use 300pixels in the custom parameters (last one on the right) under the embed code. {h/t joanneleon}