Cat 's in the Cradle - wikipedia Cat 's in the Cradle For the CSI episode, see Cats in the Cradle ( CSI ). Not to be confused with Cat 's cradle ( disambiguation ). `` Cat 's in the Cradle '' Side - A label of the U.S. vinyl single Single by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash B - side `` Vacancy '' Released October 1, 1974 Format 7 '' vinyl, CD Recorded 1973 Genre Folk rock, soft rock Length 3 : 44 Label Elektra Songwriter ( s ) Harry Chapin Sandra Chapin Producer ( s ) Paul Leka Harry Chapin singles chronology `` WOLD '' ( 1973 ) `` Cat 's in the Cradle '' ( 1974 ) `` What Made America Famous ? '' ( 1974 ) `` Cat 's in the Cradle '' is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin from the album Verities & Balderdash. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin 's only No. 1 hit song, it became the best known of his work and a staple for folk rock music. Chapin 's recording of the song was nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. Contents 1 Background 2 Chart performance 2.1 Weekly charts 2.2 Year - end charts 3 Ugly Kid Joe version 4 Chart performance 4.1 Weekly charts 4.2 Year - end charts 5 Other uses 6 References 7 External links Background The song 's lyrics began as a poem written by Harry 's wife, Sandra `` Sandy '' Gaston ; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father, John, a politician who served as Brooklyn borough president. She was also inspired by a country music song she had heard on the radio. Chapin also said the song was about his own relationship with his son, Josh, admitting, `` Frankly, this song scares me to death. '' Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1974 -- 75 ) Peak position Australia 6 Canada Top Singles Canada Adult Contemporary 7 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 6 U.S. Cash Box Top 100 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 6 U.K. Singles Chart 53 Year - end charts Chart ( 1974 ) Rank Canada 99 Chart ( 1975 ) Rank Australia 51 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 38 Ugly Kid Joe version `` Cats in the Cradle '' Single by Ugly Kid Joe from the album America 's Least Wanted Released March 25, 1993 Recorded Genre Hard rock, soft rock Length 4 : 01 Label Mercury Songwriter ( s ) Harry Chapin Sandra Chapin Producer ( s ) Mark Dodson Ugly Kid Joe singles chronology `` So Damn Cool '' ( 1992 ) `` Cats in the Cradle '' ( 1993 ) `` Busy Bee '' ( 1993 ) In 1992, the hard rock band Ugly Kid Joe included a cover of the song, renamed `` Cats in the Cradle '', on their debut album America 's Least Wanted. The cover was issued as a single in 1993 and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, the group 's highest ever position on that chart. The song also peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The single sold 500,000 copies domestically, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. In Chapin 's version, the chorus changes from `` when you coming home, dad ? '' to `` when you coming home, son ? '', as the child grows up, and the situation changes from a busy father neglecting his son to a busy son neglecting his father. In Ugly Kid Joe 's version, all the choruses use the same words with a subtle change from `` When you coming home ? Son, I do n't know when '', to `` When you coming home, son ? I do n't know when. '' Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1993 ) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot 100 6 UK 7 Germany 10 Austria 7 Switzerland 5 Dutch Top 40 12 Belgium 20 France 28 Sweden Norway Australia New Zealand Year - end charts Chart ( 1993 ) Position Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 79 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 24 Other uses Johnny Cash made his own version in his album Boom Chika Boom ( 1989 ). In 1993 a version of the song was used in an anti-paramilitary advert commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office titled `` I Wanna Be Like You ''. A version of this song was recorded as `` Just Like Me '' by DMC featuring Sarah McLachlan. This version used the same melody and almost the same chorus lyrics, but with entirely revised lyrics in the verses so as to make the song about DMC 's adoption and feelings towards his birth mother. The recording appeared on DMC 's 2006 album Checks Thugs and Rock n Roll as well as McLachlan 's 2008 compilation Rarities, B - Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2. Donkey sings this to Shrek in Shrek the Third after Shrek learns he 's going to be a father. The song is also used in the enhanced version of the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V in the songlist for the game 's Los Santos Rock Radio station. The titles of the Boy Meets World episodes `` I 'm Gonna be Like You, Dad '' and `` We 'll Have a Good Time Then '' quote from the song. Quitline uses the song to enforce the notion of premature death of parents because of their smoking habits. A version by singer Joseph Angel is used for a 2017 TV commercial for TD Ameritrade. In the episode `` St. Patrick 's Day '' ( S6E19 ) of The Office ( US ), Dwight Schrute uses the song to lay a guilt trip on Jim Halpert for returning to work while his wife and newborn are at home. The song is central to the theme of The Goldbergs episode, `` In Conclusion -- Thanksgiving ''. In S5E9 ( 2013 ) of `` The Middle `` Mike tells his son Axl about `` this song from the 70s `` and its content when Axl is home from college over Christmas break and prefers a party over quality time with his family on Christmas Eve. References Jump up ^ `` VH1 's 40 Most Softsational Soft - Rock Songs ''. Stereogum.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` Grammy Awards : Best Pop Solo Performance ''. Retrieved 11 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` GRAMMY Hall Of Fame List ''. Retrieved 11 October 2015. Jump up ^ Mike Grayeb. `` Behind the Song : Cats in the Cradle ''. Harrychapin.com. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Chapin 's opening commentary at Soundstage and live performance of the song : `` Cat 's In The Cradle '' ``. Youtube.com. Retrieved 2017 - 11 - 09. ^ Jump up to : Steffen Hung. `` Forum - 1970 ( ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts ) ''. Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016 - 06 - 02. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Item : 7096 - Library and Archives Canada ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada ''. Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Adult Contemporary Music Chart ''. Billboard. 1974 - 11 - 23. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Jump up ^ Canada, Library and Archives ( September 13, 2017 ). `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1975 / Top 100 Songs of 1975 ''. Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Artist Search for `` ugly kid joe '' ``. AllMusic. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Best - Selling Records of 1993 ''. Billboard. BPI Communications. 106 ( 3 ) : 73. January 15, 1994. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015. Jump up ^ `` American certifications -- Ugly Kid Joe -- Cats in the Cradle ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Jump up ^ `` Cats In The Cradle von Ugly Kid Joe ''. Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1993 ''. RPM. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017. Jump up ^ `` End of Year Charts 1993 ''. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017. Jump up ^ HardyzGuy25 ( 2008 - 07 - 22 ), Cat 's In The Cradle - Johnny Cash, retrieved 2016 - 08 - 11 Jump up ^ Rutherford, Adrian ( 30 January 2016 ). `` Eerily prophetic Troubles ad that shocked us in 1993 gets 500,000 views in one day ''. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2016. Jump up ^ O'Doherty, Malachi ( 30 January 2016 ). `` Landmark in NIO propaganda that showed us how bad Troubles were ''. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2016. Jump up ^ Martin, Matt ( 2014 - 11 - 18 ). `` Here 's all 162 new songs in the refreshed GTA 5 soundtrack ''. VG247.com. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Youtube : Quitline ''. 23 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` TD Ameritrade TV Commercial, ' Cat 's in the Cradle ' Song by Joseph Angel ''. 11 June 2017. External links Lyrics at The Harry Chapin Archive Guitar Tabs and Chords at Fretbase Harry Chapin Ron Palmer Tim Scott John Wallace Stephen Chapin Tom Chapin Mike Masters Doug Walker Howie Fields Ron Evanuik Kim Scholes Yvonne Cable Studio albums Heads & Tales Sniper and Other Love Songs Short Stories Verities & Balderdash Portrait Gallery On the Road to Kingdom Come Dance Band on the Titanic Living Room Suite Sequel Live albums Greatest Stories Live Legends of the Lost and Found Posthumously Produced Harry Chapin Tribute The Last Protest Singer The Bottom Line Encore Collection Compilations Remember When the Music The Gold Medal Collection Story of a Life DVDs Rockpalast Live Remember When : The Anthology Singles `` Taxi '' `` Could You Put Your Light On, Please '' `` Sunday Morning Sunshine '' `` A Better Place to Be '' `` WOLD '' `` Cat 's in the Cradle '' `` I Wanna Learn a Love Song '' `` What Made America Famous ? '' `` Dreams Go By '' `` A Better Place to Be ( Live ) '' `` Flowers Are Red '' `` Sequel '' `` Remember When the Music '' `` Story of a Life '' Other songs `` 30,000 Pounds of Bananas '' `` Corey 's Coming '' `` Halfway to Heaven '' `` The Mayor of Candor Lied '' `` Mr. Tanner '' `` Six String Orchestra '' `` Sniper '' Related articles Discography The Night That Made America Famous Ricky Skaggs Studio albums That 's It Sweet Temptation Waitin ' for the Sun to Shine Family & Friends Highways & Heartaches Do n't Cheat in Our Hometown Country Boy Love 's Gonna Get Ya ! Comin ' Home to Stay Kentucky Thunder My Father 's Son Solid Ground Life Is a Journey Big Mon : The Songs of Bill Monroe Ricky Skaggs and Friends Sing the Songs of Bill Monroe Solo ( Songs My Dad Loved ) Mosaic Country Hits Bluegrass Style Collaborative albums Second Generation Bluegrass One Way Track Skaggs & Rice Bluegrass Rules ! Ancient Tones Soldier of the Cross History of the Future The Three Pickers Brand New Strings Instrumentals Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby Salt of the Earth Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass : Tribute to 1946 and 1947 Music to My Ears Hearts Like Ours Live albums Live in London Live at the Charleston Music Hall Cluck Ol ' Hen Compilation albums Favorite Country Songs Super Hits Notable singles `` You May See Me Walkin ' '' `` Crying My Heart Out Over You '' `` I Do n't Care '' `` Heartbroke '' `` I Would n't Change You If I Could '' `` Highway 40 Blues '' `` You 've Got a Lover '' `` Do n't Cheat in Our Hometown '' `` Honey ( Open That Door ) '' `` Uncle Pen '' `` Something in My Heart '' `` Country Boy '' `` You Make Me Feel Like a Man '' `` Cajun Moon '' `` I 've Got a New Heartache '' `` Love 's Gonna Get You Someday '' `` Love Ca n't Ever Get Better Than This '' ( with Sharon White ) `` Thanks Again '' `` Lovin ' Only Me '' `` Let It Be You '' `` Heartbreak Hurricane '' `` Hummingbird '' `` He Was On to Somethin ' ( So He Made You ) '' `` Life 's Too Long ( To Live Like This ) '' `` Same Ol ' Love '' `` Cat 's in the Cradle '' Related articles Discography Mark O'Connor `` Make You Mine '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cat%27s_in_the_Cradle&oldid=854279344 '' Categories : 1974 singles 1993 singles Harry Chapin songs Ugly Kid Joe songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Number - one singles in Australia Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs written by Harry Chapin 1974 songs Elektra Records singles Mercury Records singles Songs about parenthood Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Song recordings produced by Paul Leka Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from October 2016 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Italiano Português Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 10 August 2018, at 05 : 18 ( UTC ). 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Question: who wrote the song the cat's in the cradle
Answer: Harry Chapin