Religion and Nature in the Music of Yusuf/Cat Stevens

In this video project, I examine the intersection of religion and nature in music from before and after Cat Stevens' conversion to Islam.


Main biographical sources:

https://catstevens.com/biography/

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/184381|173403/Cat-Stevens/biography.html (copy and paste entire link)

https://www.biography.com/people/cat-...


Supplemental sources (class readings that informed my thought):

Abdul-Matin, Ibrahim. Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2010, 6.

McFague, Sallie. Super, Natural Christians: How We Should Love Nature. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997.

Nhat Hanh, Thich. The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 2008.


Song credits (in order of appearance):

Cat Stevens. "Jesus." Recorded February 1974, track 5 on Buddha and the Chocolate Box, A&M Records, vinyl LP.

Cat Stevens. "King of Trees." Recorded February 1974, track 7 on Buddha and the Chocolate Box, A&M Records, vinyl LP.

Cat Stevens. "Home in the Sky." Recorded February 1974, track 9 on Buddha and the Chocolate Box, A&M Records, vinyl LP.

Yusuf. "All Kinds of Roses." Recorded 2008, track 9 on Roadsinger, Atlantic Records, compact disc.

Yusuf Islam. "God is the Light." Recorded 2001, track 3 on Bismillah, Mountain of Light (?), compact disc.

Yusuf/Cat Stevens. "Mighty Peace." Recorded 2017, track 6 on The Laughing Apple, Cat-O-Log Records, compact disc.

Cat Stevens. "Land o' Freelove and Goodbye." Recorded October 1975, track 2 on side 0 (2) of Numbers, A&M Records, vinyl LP.

Cat Stevens. "Love Lives in the Sky." Recorded 2001, track 13 on disc 2 of On the Road to Find Out, A&M Records, compact disc.


Background instrumental clips (in order of appearance):

1:01-2:50 "Whispers from a Spiritual Garden"
Yusuf. "Whispers from a Spiritual Garden." Recorded 2006, track 9 on An Other Cup, Atlantic Records, compact disc.

4:20 "Shamsia"
Yusuf. "Shamsia." Recorded 2008, track 11 on Roadsinger, A&M Records, compact disc.

6:03 "Whistlestar"
Cat Stevens. "Whistlestar." Recorded October 1975, track 1 on side 1 of Numbers, A&M Records, vinyl LP.

13:50 "Lilywhite" (cover)
video here:    • Cat Stevens' "Lilywhite" - Cover  


Photo credits and links:

photo by Matt Writtle / eyevine / Redux
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cul...

ad in Billboard, 1972
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

https://www.maxpixel.net/Religion-Clo...

https://www.maxpixel.net/Cami-On-Trav...

https://www.maxpixel.net/Wood-Religio...

https://www.maxpixel.net/Religion-Idy...

Buddha and the Chocolate Box album cover

photo by Jack Mitchell
https://majicat.com/articles/afterdar...

photo by Leon Neal / AFP / Getty Images
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/mu...

Bernard Plockhorst - The Good Shepherd (mid 1800s)
https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/...

https://libreshot.com/the-buddha/

https://pixabay.com/en/jesus-christ-s...

Krishna Kumar Shrestha - Gautam Buddha (2016)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

https://www.maxpixel.net/Illustration...

early depictions of Christ and Buddha
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres - Jesus Returning the Keys to St. Peter (1820, oil on canvas)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

Carl Heinrich Bloch - Christ on the Cross (1870), reproduction
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

photo by Suraphat Nuea-on
https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of...

https://www.pexels.com/photo/asia-bud...

Paul Ranson - Christ and Buddha (ca. 1890), reproduction in "Le Monde de la Bible"
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyl...

A is for Allah album cover

photo by Bryan Ledgard
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ledgard...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/protest...

Roadsinger album cover

https://heatherhook.com/tag/the-laugh...

Numbers album cover


Shameless plug for my blog (where you can see even more photos like the ones in this video!):
http://crayzinormal.blogspot.com/