The autobiographical reverberations in Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)' post conversion lyrical compositions: A thematic study

The academic study on Yusuf Islam also known as Cat Stevens is rare apart from his rich and inspirational lyrical compositions. In examining Stevens' legacy which is predominantly his songs, it is highly recommended to bring together his autobiography as a well-known world-class musician. A comprehensive literary analysis of his lyrical compositions should, therefore, be connected to his autobiography predominantly his conversion to Islam as one of the crucial life events of Stevens. This study concentrated on the autobiographical reverberations in Stevens' post-conversion lyrical compositions. The main goal is to figure out in what ways Stevens' real-life emotional, psychological, and spiritual experiences reverberated in his songs composed after his conversion to Islam. This study is classified as a thematic analysis by using the close reading technique. It examined six major themes found in Stevens' post-conversion songs. The themes are Islamic identities, Stevens' autobiographical imprint, children, dream, pro-peace/anti-war, and ignorance. The study revealed four main findings. First, Yusuf Islam also known as Cat Stevens has shifted his diction choice from Islamic diction to general diction. Second, he has maintained his pre-conversion song themes in his post-conversion era. Third, he has portrayed disinformation and bias of Western media in his lyrics. Finally, the fourth finding suggests that the artist has criticized the ignorance toward people in need. Keywords: Yusuf Islam, Cat Stevens, Autobiography, Post-Conversion, Lyrics