"Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

song by

Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy ...

from the album ''

Verities & Balderdash ''Verities & Balderdash'' is the fourth studio album by the American singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, released in 1974. (see 1974 in music). "Cat's in the Cradle" was Chapin's highest-charting single, finishing at number 38 for the year on the 1974 ...

''. The single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only number-one song, it became the best known of his work and a staple for folk rock music. Chapin's recording of the song was nominated for the 1975

Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...

and was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2011.

Composition and background

"Cat's in the Cradle" is narrated by a man who becomes a father in the first verse. Not long after his son's birth, the father is repeatedly unable to spend time with him due to his job, despite his son looking up to him and saying he will grow up to be just like his father. After the son graduates from college, he declines his father's offer to relax with him and instead asks for the car keys. In the final verse, the now-retired father calls his adult son and asks if they can spend some time together. However, the son's own job and family prevents him from promising to spend time with him, and the father realizes that his son has indeed grown up to be just like him. The song's lyrics began as a poem written by Harry's wife, Sandra "Sandy" Gaston; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, a politician who served as

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

borough president. She was also inspired by a country music song she had heard on the radio. Chapin also said the song was about his own relationship with his son, Josh, admitting, "Frankly, this song scares me to death." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it "a tender story of a father and his son and a perfect representation of how roles change in the relationship over the years," stating it was a "lyrical delight."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Ugly Kid Joe version

In 1992, American hard rock band

Ugly Kid Joe Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California, formed in 1989. The band's name spoofs the glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd's name. To date, Ugly Kid Joe have released five full-length albums, two compilation albums and ...

included a cover of the song, renamed "Cats in the Cradle" (without the apostrophe), on their debut album, ''

America's Least Wanted ''America's Least Wanted'' is the full-length debut album by American rock band Ugly Kid Joe, released in September 1992. The title is a parody of the famous phrase " America's Most Wanted". It is the band's only album to feature drummer Mark Davi ...

''. The cover was issued as a single in 1993 and peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the group's highest position on that chart. The song also peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Album Rock Tracks chart. The single sold 500,000 copies domestically, earning a

gold certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

from the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Worldwide, the cover peaked at number one in Australia for a week and reached the top five in Iceland, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as number seven on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted the band's "revamped" version of Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle", in his review of ''

''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Elsewhere in popular culture

Rapper Darryl "DMC" McDaniels was inspired to rewrite "Cat's in the Cradle" and perform it as "Just Like Me," featuring

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...

. The song was released from DMC's album ''

Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll ''Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll'' is the debut solo studio album by American musician Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels from hip hop group Run-DMC. It was released on March 14, 2006, through Romen Mpire/Rags 2 Riches Records. He was inspired to put out t ...

'' in March 2006; it tells the story of his birth and adoption. Used in an episode of

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

Dwight Dwight may refer to: People * Dwight (given name) * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer *New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors * ...

guilt trip A guilt trip is a feeling of guilt or responsibility, especially an unjustified one induced by someone else. Overview Creating a guilt trip in another person may be considered to be manipulation in the form of punishment for a perceived transg ...

his coworker

Jim Halpert James "Jim" Duncan Halpert is a fictional character in the U.S. version of the television sitcom ''The Office'', portrayed by John Krasinski. He is introduced as a sales representative at the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder ...

into going home to his wife and child; the attempt is almost successful, playing on the clear theme of the relationship between father and son in the song. Ultimately, Dwight's attempt backfires. In Season 4, Episode 7 of

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

, Barney Stinson, who was abandoned by his father as a child, performs an emotional rendition of the song at a karaoke bar. The song was used in a 1993 anti-terrorism advert Public Service Advert in Northern Ireland that plays on the song's theme of a father who neglects his son in order to show a terrorist neglecting his family and his son turning out to be like his father and suffering the consequences in dying by going down the same life path. The video ends with the slogan 'Don't Suffer It, Change It' and the number of the confidential telephones that were in operation at the time to report terrorist activity in Northern Ireland.

References

External links

Lyrics at The Harry Chapin Archive

Guitar Tabs and Chords at Fretbase
{{authority control 1974 singles 1974 songs 1993 singles Harry Chapin songs Ricky Skaggs songs Ugly Kid Joe songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Elektra Records singles Mercury Records singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Pop ballads Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Paul Leka Songs about fathers Songs about parenthood Songs based on poems Songs written by Harry Chapin