How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"
Guitar Player|December 2024
AI Stewart reflects on his beguiling hit, some 10 years in the making.
JOE MATERA
How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"

BY THE TIME AI Stewart finally achieved his commercial breakthrough with 1976's "Year of the Cat," it was the culmination of a decade-long odyssey to bring the song to completion. Its bones date back to 1966, when Stewart penned a set of lyrics titled "Foot of the Stage".

"It was about British comedian Tony Hancock," the Scottish folk-rocker recalls.

"But the American record company had never heard of Tony Hancock and asked me to rewrite it." Stewart responded with a new set of lyrics about Princess Anne called "Horse of the Year." Not surprisingly, he says, "they requested another rewrite."

CAT'S TAIL

Luck would finally prevail on the third try. "I had a girlfriend who had a book on Vietnamese astrology, and it was opened on a chapter called 'Year of the Cat,'" Stewart reveals. "Having studied Bob Dylan.

I noticed he always had song titles with the word 'of' in them: 'Chimes of Freedom,' 'Masters of War' and 'Visions of Johanna.' I realized there was something portentous about having a song with 'of' in the title.

この記事は Guitar Player の December 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Guitar Player の December 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

GUITAR PLAYERのその他の記事すべて表示
How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"
Guitar Player

How I Wrote..."Year of the Cat"

AI Stewart reflects on his beguiling hit, some 10 years in the making.

time-read
3 分  |
December 2024
UAFX
Guitar Player

UAFX

Teletronix LA-2A Studio Compressor

time-read
2 分  |
December 2024
LINE 6
Guitar Player

LINE 6

POD Express

time-read
2 分  |
December 2024
MAN OF STEEL
Guitar Player

MAN OF STEEL

He brought the Dobro to centerstage with his dazzling talent. As he drops his first album in seven years, Jerry Douglas reflects on his gear, career and induction in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

time-read
8 分  |
December 2024
HIGH TIME
Guitar Player

HIGH TIME

The new MC5 album took more than 50 years to arrive. The band members have all passed on, but the celebration is just beginning.

time-read
10+ 分  |
December 2024
58 YEARS OF GUITAR PLAYER
Guitar Player

58 YEARS OF GUITAR PLAYER

As Guitar Player moves full-time to its online home, we look back at some of its greatest stories in print.

time-read
5 分  |
December 2024
DRAGON TALES
Guitar Player

DRAGON TALES

In a Guitar Player exclusive, Jimmy Page sheds light on the amplifiers behind his Led Zeppelin tone and how they live again in his line of Sundragon signature amps.

time-read
10+ 分  |
December 2024
CLOSER TO HOME
Guitar Player

CLOSER TO HOME

Rehearsal space, studio, vessel and abode Diego Garcia's boat is the home base for his new album, as well as his musical life as the seafaring Spanish guitarist Twanguero.

time-read
6 分  |
December 2024
Funk Noir
Guitar Player

Funk Noir

With The Black Album, Prince made his greatest-and most infamousmusical statement.

time-read
2 分  |
December 2024
Medium Cool
Guitar Player

Medium Cool

Striking the middle ground between its Thinline brethren, Gibson's ES-345TD remains a versatile, if underrated, gem.

time-read
4 分  |
December 2024