"Cat's in the Cradle" is a folk rock song by American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, from his fourth studio album, Verities & Balderdash (1974). The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only number-one song, it became his signature song 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 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.

Composition and background "Cat's in the Cradle" is narrated by a man who becomes a father in the first stanza. He is constantly too busy with his work to spend time with his son, despite his son looking up to him and promising he will grow up to be just like him. When 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 stanza, the now-retired father calls his adult son and asks to spend some time together, but the son is now too busy with his own work and family to spend time with his dad, and the father realizes his son has indeed grown up to be just like him.

The chorus references the children's game cat's cradle, silver spoons as traditional baby gifts, as well as the nursery rhymes Little Boy Blue and The Man in the Moon.

The song's lyrics began as a poem written by Chapin's wife, Sandra "Sandy" Gaston; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father, John, a politician who served as Brooklyn 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."

Misattribution Many misattribute the song to British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, likely due to mistitled MP3 files circulating on file sharing services, but in fact he neither wrote nor performed it. The confusion may originate with the fact that Stevens's record label did release an unrelated compilation album entitled Cat's Cradle in 1977. In later years, Stevens joked that the song had "been haunting me for years" (referencing the misconception). He included it in a list of his favorite songs about children, saying: "It reflects the dilemma of many homes. A beautiful song."

Reception Cash Box 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." Record World said that the song "deals with the preoccupations plaguing parenthood" and that it "bridges the generation gap by pointing up mutual faults."

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1974–1975)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report) 6US Cash Box Top 100 1

Year-end charts Chart (1974)PositionCanada Top Singles (RPM) 99 Chart (1975)PositionAustralia (Kent Music Report) 51US Billboard Hot 100 38

Certifications

Ugly Kid Joe version

In 1992, American hard rock band Ugly Kid Joe included a cover of the song, renamed "Cats in the Cradle" (without the apostrophe), on their debut album, America's Least Wanted (1992). The cover was produced by Mark Dodson and issued as a single in 1993 by Mercury Records. It experienced commercial success, becoming a top-10 hit in numerous countries. The accompanying music video was directed by American illustrator, photographer and film director Matt Mahurin.

Critical reception AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine remarked on the band's "revamped" version of the song. Mary Lynn White from Calgary Herald said their version "proves you're deep too."White, Mary Lynn (September 13, 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. Jason Fliegel from The Cavalier Daily felt the band has redone the song "in its own unique style".Fliegel, Jason (September 17, 1992). "Ugly Kid Joe scores hit with humor". The Cavalier Daily. Deborah Frost of Entertainment Weekly called it a "scarily straight" cover. Steve Hochman of Los Angeles Times said, "Turning Harry Chapin's 'Cat's in the Cradle' into a power ballad was a bad idea to begin with; making it sound neither snotty nor particularly sincere only compounds the error."Los Angeles Times review Tom Ford from Toledo Blade wrote that they "do an excellent job", "adding power to the sing-song chorus, and a crashing finale that removes its coffeehouse patina."Ford, Tom (October 4, 1992). "Movie tune anchors Uglies' new disc". Toledo Blade.

Commercial performance "Cats in the Cradle" peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Ugly Kid Joe their highest-charting single on the ranking. The song also reached number three on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 11 on the Top 40/Mainstream chart. The single sold 500,000 copies domestically, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In Canada, the song peaked at number one on The Records singles chart and at number eleven on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. Outside North America, the cover topped Australia's ARIA Singles Chart for a week and reached the top five in Iceland, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, "Cats in the Cradle" charted at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.

Charts Weekly charts Chart (1993)PeakpositionCanada Retail Singles (The Record) 1Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 16Europe (European Hit Radio) 13Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) 2Israel (Israeli Singles Chart) Search "Cats in the Cradle" for Israeli chart history. 9Portugal (AFP) 8UK Airplay (Music Week) 4US Cash Box Top 100 9

Year-end charts Chart (1993)PositionAustralia (ARIA) 8Canada Top Singles (RPM) 79Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 40Germany (Media Control) 25Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) 32Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 65Netherlands (Single Top 100) 70New Zealand (RIANZ) 24Sweden (Topplistan) 30Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 26UK Singles (OCC) 74US Billboard Hot 100 61US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard) 39US Cash Box Top 100 47

Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999)PositionCanada (Nielsen SoundScan) 45

Certifications

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United States1993AustraliaFebruary 21, 1993United KingdomMarch 1, 1993Mercury

Johnny Cash version Johnny Cash released a cover of the song as part of his 1990 album Boom Chicka Boom. It was also released as a single.

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. The song was released from DMC's album Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll in March 2006; it tells the story of his birth and adoption.

The song was used in a 1993 anti-terrorism 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 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 telephone line that was in operation at the time to report terrorist activity in Northern Ireland.

A lyric of the song was mentioned by the father to his son in the Christmas episode of The Middle season 5. The song was also referenced in the animated series BoJack Horseman, when the character Mr. Peanutbutter forces his accountant to stop spending time with his son to come back to work for him. The accountant's son says his father was supposed to play catch with him, and show him the song, to which the accountant says "Don't listen to it now [...] The lyrics are too relevant!"

References

External links Lyrics at The Harry Chapin Archive Guitar Tabs and Chords at Fretbase