I Love My Dog

Last updated
"I Love My Dog"
ILoveMyDog.jpg
Italian single issue cover
Single by Cat Stevens
B-side "Portobello Road"
Released30 September 1966 [1]
Recorded10 July 1966 [2]
Studio Decca, London [3]
Genre Folk rock, soft rock [4]
Length2:26
Label Deram
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Mike Hurst
Cat Stevens singles chronology
"I Love My Dog"
(1966)		"Matthew and Son"
(1966)
Audio
"I Love My Dog" on YouTube

"I Love My Dog" is a song written by Cat Stevens, and was his first single (b/w "Portobello Road"), appearing the following year on his debut album Matthew and Son . Stevens later acknowledged that he had essentially written the lyrics to the music of American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef's "The Plum Blossom", from his 1961 Eastern Sounds . Stevens indicated that he "told Yusef Lateef about it, gave him a big cheque, and in fact, started paying him royalties." The song is now released with credits that include Yusef Lateef. [3]

Contents

The B-side, "Portobello Road", is about the famous street of the same name and market in London, England. The song lyric was written by American Kim Fowley, and Stevens was asked to collaborate by composing music for it. It was later covered by Stevens' first guitarist, Alun Davies, after signing with Island Records in 1970. Davies' version appeared on his first solo album, Daydo, in 1974.

"I Love My Dog" peaked at No. 28 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1966, spending seven weeks on that chart. [5] In Canada it reached No. 45. [6]

The song has also been covered by Carolyn Hester, Theo Bikel, Linda Tillery, and Mike Batt. [7]

Composition

Lyrically, Stevens was inspired by his family's dachshund Pepe. [8]

Personnel

Notes

    References

    Citations

    1. ↑ Tracy 1988, p. 5.
    2. ↑ DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 17.
    3. 1 2 DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 64.
    4. ↑ Samadder, Rhik (31 January 2017). "Dogs-Reggae-Soft-Rock-10-Top-Dog-Tracks". The Guardian.
    5. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 529. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
    6. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - January 2, 1967" (PDF).
    7. ↑ "Cat Stevens Scrapbook - Cat Stevens Under The Covers". Majicat.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
    8. ↑ Bell, Max (9 September 2020). "Cat Stevens". Record Collector . Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2025.

    Sources


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