Music History

Cat Stevens Didn’t Write This Hit — A 1931 Hymn Became a Top-10 Smash After One Piano Session

The words were already 40 years old, the melody was even older, and the first version was too short for a pop record. Then Cat Stevens and Rick Wakeman reshaped it into one of the most enduring recordings of the 1970s.

Cat Stevens • “Morning Has Broken” • 1971/1972

It Began as a Hymn, Not a Pop Song

“Morning Has Broken” was not written by Cat Stevens. The words were written by English author Eleanor Farjeon for the 1931 hymnbook Songs of Praise. She was asked to create a text of thanksgiving for a new day that would fit the traditional Gaelic melody “Bunessan.” By the time Stevens encountered it decades later, the hymn was already part of church life — but it had never been a mainstream pop hit.

The Original Idea Was Too Short

When Stevens brought the hymn into the studio for Teaser and the Firecat, its compact structure created a problem. In its basic form, the song was far too brief for a conventional single. Producer Paul Samwell-Smith wanted a fuller arrangement, and keyboard player Rick Wakeman helped provide the missing shape. Wakeman later recalled that the session began with just Stevens on acoustic guitar and himself at the piano, and that the distinctive piano passages between the verses were developed as they worked through the song.

A 40-Year-Old Hymn Suddenly Became a Hit

Stevens’ version appeared on Teaser and the Firecat in 1971 and became a major international single in 1972. It reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at No. 9 and spent 13 weeks on the Official Singles Chart. It also reached the Top 5 in several other countries, including Canada, Australia, Norway, and the Netherlands.

How Many Copies Did It Sell?

A dependable worldwide sales total for the “Morning Has Broken” single is not consistently published in major chart and certification archives, so attaching a precise number would be misleading. Its reach is better documented through its international chart performance and the long life of the recording. The official 2021 remaster on the Yusuf / Cat Stevens Official Artist Channel has accumulated more than 16 million YouTube views, showing that the song continues to attract a large audience more than half a century after its release.

The Meaning Is Bigger Than a Morning

The song treats sunrise as something more than a daily event. Farjeon’s words present each new morning as a renewal of creation — a reason for gratitude, wonder, and spiritual attention. That message fit naturally with the reflective, searching tone of Stevens’ early-1970s work. His gentle vocal and the flowing piano arrangement transformed a church hymn into something that could work equally well on pop radio.

Why the Recording Still Feels Timeless

The remarkable part of “Morning Has Broken” is how little of its emotional power depends on the era that produced the hit. The words came from 1931, the melody came from an older Gaelic tradition, and the famous piano arrangement was created in a studio session decades later. Yet those pieces fit together so naturally that many listeners came to associate the song primarily with Cat Stevens. What began as a hymn of morning gratitude became one of the most recognizable recordings of his career.

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