"I Love My Dog" is a song written by
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...
, and was his first single (b/w "Portobello Road"), appearing the following year on his debut album ''
Matthew and Son
"Matthew and Son" is a single written, composed, and performed by Cat Stevens. It was selected as the title song for his 1967 debut album. Stevens was a newly signed teenage singer-songwriter, who performed to elaborate arrangements quite dif ...
''. Stevens later acknowledged that he had essentially written the lyrics to the music of American jazz multi-instrumentalist
Yusef Lateef
Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America.
Although Lateef's main instrument ...
's "The Plum Blossom", from his 1961 ''
Eastern Sounds''.
[ Stevens indicated that he "told Yusef Lateef about it, gave him a big cheque, and in fact, started paying him royalties." The song is now released with credits that include Yusef Lateef.
The B-side, "Portobello Road", is about the famous street of the same name and market in ]London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England. The song lyric was written by American Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...
, and Stevens was asked to collaborate by composing music for it. It was later covered by Stevens' first guitarist, Alun Davies, after signing with Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...
in 1970. Davies' version appeared on his first solo album, ''Daydo'', in 1974.
"I Love My Dog" peaked at No. 28 in 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 ...
in November 1966, spending seven weeks on that chart.
The song has also been covered by Carolyn Hester
Carolyn Sue Hester (born January 28, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She was a figure in the early 1960s folk music revival.
Biography
Hester's first album was produced by Norman Petty in 1957. She made her second album for ...
, Theo Bikel, Linda Tillery and Mike Batt
Michael Philip Batt, LVO (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry.
Having achieved substantia ...
.
Personnel
*Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...
- vocals, guitar
*Alan Tew - orchestral arrangements
References
External links
I Love My Dog
at songfacts.com
1966 songs
1966 debut singles
Cat Stevens songs
Deram Records singles
Song recordings produced by Mike Hurst (producer)
Songs about dogs
Songs written by Cat Stevens
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