What are Cat Stevens’ 5 Biggest U.S. Hits?

Cat Stevens was positioned as a pop star when he first broke big in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. But he was never comfortable with that role and restructured his career path on the fly, transforming into an eloquent and deeply affecting singer/songwriter.

That change resulted in his biggest stretch of success—especially in the United States—in the first half of the ’70s. Here are Stevens’ five biggest stateside hits.

5. “Wild World” (No. 11 in 1971)

Despite five years of recordings behind him, Stevens had never hit the Top 40 in the U.S. before this song busted down the dam for him. It was featured on his album Tea for the Tillerman, which is generally recognized as one of the finest singer/songwriter LPs of the era and essentially laid the foundation for the music Stevens would release for the rest of his career. “Wild World” is honest about its emotions, which rankled some critics at the time. The narrator wants his ex to do well without him, but his anger at her leaving occasionally flashes to the surface and comes off as condescending.

4. “Oh Very Young” (No. 10 in 1974)

This song comes and goes pretty quickly (barely more than 2 1/2 minutes long), but it casts quite a spell before exiting. And maybe that’s apropos, because the lyrics seem to hint at someone gone before their time, and the impact they’ve left behind them on all those still grieving. It’s a lovely recording, with nice piano work flashing into the open spaces around Stevens’ vocal. He sings the song beautifully as well, with admiration and angst alternating inside his vocal. This is Stevens at his gentlest and prettiest, an absolute gem that’s unassuming and yet still vast in its wisdom.

3. “Peace Train” (No. 7 in 1971)

Teaser and the Firecat built upon the success of Tea for the Tillerman, going all the way to No. 2 in the U.S. album charts in 1972. (Its follow-up, Catch Bull at Four, finally nabbed the top spot for Stevens, even if it singles didn’t do quite as well.) “Peace Train” was a song for the times, for sure, as many people basked in its wish fulfillment to escape the hard truths being doled out by the Vietnam War. Stevens actually wrote the song while on a train, which can explain that neat little hitch in the rhythm that keeps the track so sleek and lively.

2. “Another Saturday Night” (No. 6 in 1974)

If there was a knock on Stevens in his halcyon era, it’s that he wasn’t exactly known for doing much in his recording career that was lighthearted. Doing a cover of Sam Cooke’s soul classic helped to alleviate those concerns. Even though the narrator in the song is technically heartbroken, Stevens’ interpretation of the lyric is just tongue-in-cheek enough to show he did have a lighter side. This song would pretty much provide the last gasp of his hitmaking era, as he would never again reach the Top 20 with a new song in either the UK or the U.S.

1. “Morning Has Broken” (No. 6 in 1972)

Stevens inhabits this song so well, and its lyrics seem so in accordance with his other work, that many people are surprised to find out it’s not a track he wrote. It’s actually a Christian hymn Stevens arranged in such a way that it sounded very much like a singer/songwriter confessional. And he received a ton of help in that department from Rick Wakeman, the Yes alum and keyboard wizard who brings out all the tenderness of the melody with his piano work. Stevens does the rest with his delicate yet moving vocal.

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