"Wild World" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter

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 ...

. It first appeared on his fourth album, ''

Tea for the Tillerman ''Tea for the Tillerman'' is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in November 1970. Overview Stevens' second album released during the year 1970, ''Tea for the Tillerman'' includes many of his best-known songs suc ...

'', recorded and released in 1970.

Song meaning

Stevens developed a relationship with actress

Patti D'Arbanville Patricia D'Arbanville is an American actress known for her appearance in Andy Warhol projects. Career After ''Flesh'', D'Arbanville performed in Warhol's '' L'Amour'' (1973), and as the title character in the David Hamilton film '' Bilitis'' ...

and the two were a pair throughout a period of roughly two years. During that time, he wrote several songs about her, including "Wild World". The song is in the form of the singer's words to his departing lover, inspired by the end of their romance. Stevens later recalled to ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'': "It was one of those chord sequences that's very common in Spanish music. I turned it around and came up with that theme—which is a recurring theme in my work—which is to do with leaving, the sadness of leaving, and the anticipation of what lies beyond." Released as a single in late 1970, it peaked at No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. "Wild World" has been credited as the song that gave Stevens' next album, ''

'', "enough kick" to get it played on

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...

; and Island Records'

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll ...

called it "the best album we've ever released". In November 2008, the ''Tea for the Tillerman'' CD was re-issued in a deluxe version which included the original demo of "Wild World".

Interpretation

Some critics and music writers have deemed "Wild World" to be condescending and misogynistic. In her 1971 essay "But Now I'm Gonna Move," critic

Ellen Willis Ellen Jane Willis (December 14, 1941 – November 9, 2006) was an American left-wing political essayist, journalist, activist, feminist, and pop music critic. A 2014 collection of her essays, ''The Essential Ellen Willis,'' received the Nation ...

described a method of revealing male bias in lyrics in which the listener imagines the genders reversed:

Personnel

* Cat Stevens – classical guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, lead vocals * Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, backing vocals * Harvey Burns – drums, congas, tambourine * John Ryan – double bass

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many artists, with many of the covers becoming hits of their own.

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

's version, released a few months after Stevens released the original version, reached No. 8 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 ...

. Surprisingly, Stevens' version was not released as a single in the UK. Some of the subsequent covers have also been in the

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

style, such as

Maxi Priest Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...

's version of the song. Recorded and released as a single in 1988, this version also did well on the charts, reaching No. 5 on the

and No. 25 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1987,

Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...

accused

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of plagiarising the melody of "Wild World" for their UK No. 1 single "

It's a Sin "It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, ''Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's se ...

". He made the claims in '' The Sun'', for which he wrote a regular column during the 1980s. King also released his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using a similar musical arrangement to "It's a Sin", in an effort to demonstrate his claims. This single flopped, while Pet Shop Boys sued King, eventually winning out-of-court damages, which they donated to charity. On 7 July 2007, the song was performed twice at the

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concerts.

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sang it at

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in London, England, while Stevens (by then known as Yusuf Islam) himself sang it in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany. In 2011, Taiwanese-American singer

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released her own version on her album '' The Things We Do for Love''. Wang's version was also featured in American web television series

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Season 1, 2017.

Notable covers

* 1970:

* 1971:

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of "Comme d'habitude" (c ...

(Fleur sauvage) * 1971: Barry Ryan * 1971:

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

* 1971:

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (born September 10, 1945) () is a Puerto Rican musician, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...

* 1971:

The Gentrys The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s, best known for their 1965 hit " Keep on Dancing". A cover by the Bay City Rollers charted No. 9 in the UK in 1971. Follow-up singles charted outside of the Top 40: " Every Day ...

* 1971:

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* 1971:

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(Instrumental version) * 1971:

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou" ...

* 1987:

* 1989:

SNFU SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in Edmonton in 1981, relocated to Vancouver in 1992, and disbanded in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. ...

* 1993: Mr. Big * 1994: Wise Guys * 2000: Pepê & Neném * 2001:

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* 2003:

Skye Sweetnam Skye Alexandra Sweetnam (born May 5, 1988) is a Canadian singer, actress, and music video director. She first entered the music industry in 2003 with the release of her debut single " Billy S." More than a year later, her debut studio album, ''N ...

( Billy S. – B-side) * 2004:

John Waite John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952) is an English musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single " Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top ten on ...

* 2007: '' Skins'' cast, led by Mike Bailey * 2007:

* 2010:

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...

(feat.

Marvin Priest Marvin Cornell Elliott (born 27 October 1981), better known by his stage name Marvin Priest, is a British-born, Australian-based singer-songwriter. In November 2011 Priest released his debut studio album, ''Beats & Blips'', in Australia, which s ...

) * 2012:

Andy Allo Andy Allo is a Cameroonian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. She released her first of three albums in 2009, and joined Prince's band, The New Power Generation, in 2011. She had a recurring role in three episodes of the comed ...

* 2013:

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* 2018:

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(feat. Kianja) * 2018:

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(Live version for her acoustic tour in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

) * 2020: Mick McGuigan (live at home)

Maxi Priest version

In 1988 English reggae vocalist Maxi Priest recorded a cover of the song, which was released as the third single from his album, '' Maxi'' (1987). The single charted at No. 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In Europe it was very successful, peaking at No. 3 in Norway, No. 5 in Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, No. 7 in the Netherlands, and No. 8 in Australia.

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Mr. Big version

In 1993, American rock band Mr. Big released a cover of "Wild World" on their third album, '' Bump Ahead'' (1993). The single charted at No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 33 on the

Top 40 Mainstream Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

and No. 12 on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

. In Europe, it was very successful, peaking at No. 4 in Denmark, No. 7 in Austria and Switzerland, at No. 10 in Norway, Sweden and Netherlands and No. 13 in Iceland.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described it as "a relatively faithful cover". He added, "Pleasing lead vocals and tightly knit harmonies weave around

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

-like acoustic strumming and nimble-but-subtle electric doodling. Warmly familiar, easy-going track". Troy J. Augusto from '' Cashbox'' commented, "Back to

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

-land again with a credible cover of the

classic." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' called it a "soulful, sensitive approach with a slight rock edge." He noted further that lead singer Eric Martin "is powerful without overpowering the song." Another editor, Kent Zimmerman complimented its "decidedly wooden,

unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

flavor". Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' said it is "rendered in the low key intimate

rock ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cu ...

style recently deployed by the likes of

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, Extreme and

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. Mr. Big carry it of very well and can expect a modest hit." John Kilgo from ''The Network Forty'' noted that it "sounds remarkably similar to the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

original", adding that it "will sound like a fresh, new song to the younger demographics."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Wild World" was directed by Nancy Bennett.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1970 songs 1970 singles 1988 singles 1993 singles Cat Stevens songs Maxi Priest songs Jonathan King songs Mr. Big (American band) songs British pop rock songs Rock ballads Songs written by Cat Stevens Song recordings produced by Paul Samwell-Smith A&M Records singles Island Records singles Atlantic Records singles 1970s ballads Pop ballads