Year Of The Cat

Year Of The Cat, of the album Year of the Cat, opens with a quietly-played piano piece - and builds into a stunning and beautiful song, with lyrics that are hard to fathom, yet somehow gel together perfectly. Obviously they mean something to the author, Al Stewart, though much has been said on what exactly. Halfway through is a superb acoustic guitar solo which leads into a electric lead guitar piece, which itself is followed by a saxophone. That really says it all about the production. This wonderful and relaxing song is, in some opinions, the best ever written! That's a tall order, but the song really is that good. Lay in the dark and put the headphones on! Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London in January 1976 by engineer Alan Parsons, It remains one of Stewart's most popular songs and receives regular airplay on both classic rock and folk rock stations. The song was co-written by Peter White who performed with Stewart for almost 20 years. This song was also Stewart's first Top 10 US single, peaking at #8 on the US singles chart. Parsons had Phil Kenzie add the saxophone part of the song - and by doing so transformed the original folk concept into the jazz-influenced ballad that put Al Stewart onto the charts. The track was used in the film version of Running with Scissors in 2006.

{Instrumental Lead In} [Verse 1] On a morning from a Bogart movie In a country where they turn back time You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre Contemplating a crime [Pre-Chorus] She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running Like a watercolor in the rain Don't bother asking for explanations! She'll just tell you that she came [Chorus] In the Year of the Cat [Verse 2] She doesn't give you time for questions As she locks up your arm in hers And you follow 'till your sense of which direction Completely disappears [Pre-Chorus] By the blue tiled walls near the market stalls, there's a hidden door she leads you to These days, she says: "I feel my life!" Just like a river running through [Chorus] The Year of the Cat [Verse 3] Well, she looks at you so coolly And her eyes shine Like the moon in the sea, she comes in Incense And Patchouli So, you take her To find what's waiting inside [Chorus] The Year of the Cat {Instrumental Bridge} [Verse 4] Well, morning comes and you're still with her And the bus and the tourists are gone And you've thrown away your choice and lost your ticket So, you have to stay on [Pre-Chorus] But, the drum-beat strains of the night remain In the rhythm of the new-born day You know sometime you're bound to leave her But, for now you're going to stay [Chorus] In the Year of the Cat {Outro}