Year of the Cat ( song ) - wikipedia Year of the Cat ( song ) This article is about the Al Stewart song. For the Lemonheads song, see Lovey ( album ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2007 ) `` Year of the Cat '' Single by Al Stewart from the album Year of the Cat B - side `` Broadway Hotel '' Released July 1976 ( 1976 - 07 ) ( UK ) October 1976 ( US ) Recorded Abbey Road Studios, London, England, January 1976 Length 6 : 40 ( album ) 4 : 38 ( single ) Label RCA ( UK ) Janus ( US ) Songwriter ( s ) Al Stewart Peter Wood Producer ( s ) Alan Parsons Al Stewart singles chronology `` Carol '' ( 1975 ) `` Year of the Cat '' ( 1976 ) `` On the Border '' ( 1977 ) `` Carol '' ( 1975 ) `` Year of the Cat '' ( 1976 ) `` On the Border '' ( 1977 ) Audio sample file help `` Year of the Cat '' is a single by singer - songwriter Al Stewart, released in July 1976. The song is the title track of his 1976 album Year of the Cat, and was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London in January 1976 by engineer Alan Parsons. The song reached # 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1977. Although Stewart 's highest charting single on that chart was 1978 's `` Time Passages '', `` Year of the Cat '' has remained Stewart 's signature recording, receiving regular airplay on both classic rock and folk rock stations. Contents 1 Recording 2 Structure 3 Chart performance 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 Cover versions 5 Appearances in media 6 References 7 External links Recording The track is noted for its lengthy instrumental sections -- over four minutes of the 6 : 40 album version is instrumental, including a long, melodic series of solos that encompasses cello, violin, piano, acoustic guitar, distorted electric guitar, synthesizer and saxophone. The transition from acoustic guitar to electric to saxophone was initiated by Tim Renwick. The acoustic lead is played by Peter White with Tim Renwick then taking the electric lead. 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. According to Al Stewart on an episode of In the Studio with Redbeard ( which devoted an episode to the making of the Year of the Cat album ), Phil Kenzie was watching a movie and did n't want to be bothered with going to do session work ; but as a favour to Alan Parsons he went to Abbey Road, and the sax solos were recorded in one or two takes, after which Phil left the studio to go back home and watch the rest of his movie. Al also told Redbeard that he did n't like the sax solos at first but grew to like them. Shorter versions of the track can be found on some European 7 '' single formats. Though both of the discs carry the same label and catalogue number ( RCA PB 5007 ), the French single features the A-side track clocking in at 4 : 30, while the Italian one features an even shorter mix of just 3 : 30 so that the lengthy instrumental intro is completely missing. Co-written by Peter Wood, `` Year of the Cat '' is a narrative song written in the second person whose protagonist, a tourist, is visiting an exotic market when a mysterious silk - clad woman appears and takes him away for a gauzy romantic adventure. On wakening the next day beside her, the tourist realizes, with equanimity, that his tour bus has left without him and he has lost his ticket. The Cat is one of the twelve signs of the Vietnamese zodiac. It corresponds to that of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac. At the time of the song 's release, the most recent Year of the Rabbit had been 11 February 1975 to 30 January 1976 ; thus, the song was recorded in the Vietnamese Year of the Cat. The song `` Year of the Cat '' began as `` Foot of the Stage '', a song written by Stewart in 1966 after seeing a performance by comedian Tony Hancock whose patter about `` being a complete loser '' who might as well `` end it all right here '' drew laughs from the audience : Stewart 's intuitive response that Hancock was in genuine despair led to the writing of `` Foot of the Stage ''. It was the melody for this never - recorded song which Stewart set the lyrics of `` Year of the Cat '' to in 1975 : pianist Peter Wood was given a co-writing credit on the song in recognition of his piano riff on the recorded track. Subsequent to the entry of the single on the US charts, the track afforded Stewart a major hit in Australia ( # 13 ), Belgium / Flemish Region ( # 7 ), Canada ( # 3 ), Italy ( # 5 ), the Netherlands ( # 6 ) and New Zealand ( # 15 ). In the UK, where the single had been overlooked on its original July 1976 release, it gained renewed interest which was evident in a Top 40 chart entry although interest levelled off outside the Top 30 with a # 31 peak in January 1977. `` Year of the Cat '' would remain Stewart 's sole chart single in his native UK. Structure The song is mainly written in E minor / G major, with the electric guitar solo in the bridge in D major. Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1976 - 77 ) Peak position Australia 13 Belgium 7 Canada RPM Top Singles Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 6 Italy 5 Netherlands 6 New Zealand 15 UK 31 US Billboard Hot 100 8 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 8 Year - end charts Chart ( 1977 ) Rank Australia 82 Canada 42 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 92 Cover versions Hector recorded the song with his own Finnish lyrics as `` Kissojen Yö '' on his 1978 album Kadonneet Lapset. The Spanish rendering `` El Año Del Gato '' was recorded by Érica García for her 2001 album release El Cerebro. A cover version by F.R. David appeared in this artist 's 1999 `` Words -- ' 99 Version '' album. The experimental band Psapp recorded a version for the compilation Take It Easy : 15 Soft Rock Anthems in 2006, which contained cat sound effects. In 2012, Washington DC based trio Volta Bureau released a remixed instrumental version entitled `` Alley Cat ''. Appearances in media Another version of the song, also performed by Stewart, appears on Volume 1 of the Cities 97 Sampler. The song appears in the film version of Running with Scissors ( 2006 ) and in the film Radiofreccia ( 1998 ), the directorial debut of Italian rock star Luciano Ligabue. In 2013, the song was used during the credits of `` The Dinner '' episode of HBO show Hello Ladies. The song is used frequently as bumper music on the late - night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. The song also appears in the German movie Die Katze. References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition ( Billboard Publications ), page 603. Jump up ^ Dave Thompson, 1000 Songs that Rock Your World, p. 142, Krause Publications, Iola, WI ( 2011 ). ISBN 978 - 1 - 4402 - 1422 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. March 5, 1977. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Australian Chart Book ''. Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1977 / Top 100 Songs of 1977 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ Schweitzer, Ally ( 2012 - 04 - 17 ). `` Defected Label To Release Volta Bureau 's `` Alley Cat '' - Arts Desk ``. Washingtoncitypaper.com. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 30. Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093336/ External links `` Year of the Cat '' at songfacts.com For a sample of the lyrics to `` The Year of the Cat '' see Red Karaoke. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Al Stewart Studio albums Bed - Sitter Images ( 1967 ) Love Chronicles ( 1969 ) Zero She Flies ( 1970 ) Orange ( 1972 ) Past, Present and Future ( 1973 ) Modern Times ( 1975 ) Year of the Cat ( 1976 ) Time Passages ( 1978 ) 24 Carrots ( 1980 ) Russians & Americans ( 1984 ) Last Days of the Century ( 1988 ) Famous Last Words ( 1993 ) Between the Wars ( 1995 ) Down in the Cellar ( 2000 ) A Beach Full of Shells ( 2005 ) Sparks of Ancient Light ( 2008 ) Live albums Live / Indian Summer ( 1981 ) Rhymes in Rooms ( 1992 ) Uncorked ( 2009 ) Singles `` The Elf '' ( 1966 ) `` Bedsitter Images '' ( 1967 ) `` Electric Los Angeles Sunset '' ( 1970 ) `` The News From Spain '' ( 1971 ) `` Amsterdam '' ( 1972 ) `` You Do n't Even Know Me '' ( 1972 ) `` Terminal Eyes '' ( 1973 ) `` Nostradamus '' ( 1974 ) `` Carol '' ( 1975 ) `` Year of the Cat '' ( 1976 ) `` On The Border '' ( 1977 ) `` Time Passages '' ( 1978 ) `` Song on the Radio '' ( 1979 ) `` Midnight Rocks '' ( 1980 ) `` Mondo Sinistro '' ( 1980 ) `` Paint By Numbers '' ( 1980 ) `` Lori, Do n't Go Right Now '' ( 1984 ) `` King of Portugal '' ( 1988 ) `` Do n't Forget Me '' ( 1993 ) `` Class of ' 58 '' ( 2005 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Year_of_the_Cat_(song)&oldid=795768431 '' Categories : 1976 singles Al Stewart songs Debut singles 1976 songs RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Alan Parsons Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2007 All articles needing additional references Use British English from September 2015 Use dmy dates from September 2015 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Македонски Nederlands Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 16 August 2017, at 10 : 05. 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Question: who played piano on year of the cat
Answer: Peter Wood