Songs Mentioning the Beatles: (I Never Wanted) To Be a Star

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Hi from Sonny’s in Somerset, Kentucky! I’ll get to North Carolina BBQ later, but I’m enjoying the favorite chain right now. Before I continue I’ll give you another song that mentions the Beatles as we celebrate Sir Paul McCartney’s birthday. Here’s today’s song. (I Never Wanted) To Be a Star - Cat Stevens I don’t know if you know about Cat Stevens’ journey. He was having the usual “this-success-isn’t-all-it’s-cracked-up-to-be” feelings in the mid-70s when he nearly drowned off the coast of California. After he made it back to shore he promised he’d get his life right. His brother, a Jewish convert (they were raised Greek Orthodox), gave him a Qu’ran. Stevens said he began to identify his life as a “superstar” with the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers and repeatedly mistreated. That’s what this song is about. Like another song earlier in the countdown (“Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You”), that life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Stevens referred to it in this song as “just another bean in the star machine.” He gave it up for his religious beliefs. You might find that hard to believe, but then again, you might find it hard to believe that the “stars” are miserable. As Jackson Browne sang in “The Load-Out,” “The only time that seems too short is the time that we get to play.” This song was the follow-up to “(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard,” which wasn’t that big a hit. I enjoyed both songs. (I Never Wanted) To Be a Star Written by Cat Stevens Recorded by Cat Stevens From Izitso, 1977 BEATLE REFERENCE LYRICS: The Beatles met the Queen