A Is For Allah

Album: A Is For Allah (1980)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When Cat Stevens converted to Islam and adopted the name Yusuf Islam in 1977, he was determined to give up his musical career as he felt he needed to dedicate himself to study of his new religion and avoid the secular aspects of the music business. However the birth of Yusuf's first child, a daughter named Hasanah, prompted a return to songwriting. He explained to Uncut: "I wrote a song in 1980 called 'A is For Allah.' I sang it to my first-born and then, when I was going around, a lot of people wanted me to give a talk and then they'd want me to sing something. I wouldn't have a guitar, so I'd just sing this song a cappella and it was recorded on people's cassettes."

    "It was probably one of the biggest hits of the Muslim world back in the '80s. Almost every family had it. From there I realized, these kids need music, they need something. So I started writing songs for children and we've had one of the most popular CDs in the Muslim world called I Look, I See."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.