What is the song `Father and Son`, originally composed by Cat Stevens, about?
Songfacts.com says: This is about a Russian family where the son wants to join the revolution but his father wants him to stay home and work on the farm. Stevens made up the story. The dialogue between father and son hints at Stevens’ lonely childhood. The song contains a lyrical trick of verse and chorus sung by different people with different perspectives on the situation. This was a hit in Europe for the Irish group Boyzone in 1995. Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was happy that the wholesome group had success with it. This was released as the B-side of Steven’s hit “Moonshadow.” The producers of the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge wanted to use this in the film and had some of the actors record it, but Stevens would not let them because the racy content of the movie clashed with his Muslim beliefs. Much of the plot was based on the song, and the script had to be rewritten when Stevens refused permission. The song “Nature Boy,” sung by David Bowie, was used instead. On The Flaming Lips’
