I Love My Dog

"I Love My Dog"
Italian single issue cover
Single by Cat Stevens
B-side"Portobello Road"
Released30 September 1966[1]
Recorded10 July 1966[2]
StudioDecca, London[3]
Genre
Length2:26
LabelDeram
Songwriters
ProducerMike Hurst
Cat Stevens singles chronology
"I Love My Dog"
(1966)		 "Matthew and Son"
(1966)
Audio
"I Love My Dog" on YouTube

"I Love My Dog" is a song written by Cat Stevens, and was his first single (b/w "Portobello Road"), appearing the following year on his debut album Matthew and Son. Stevens later acknowledged that he had essentially written the lyrics to the music of American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef's "The Plum Blossom", from his 1961 Eastern Sounds. Stevens indicated that he "told Yusef Lateef about it, gave him a big cheque, and in fact, started paying him royalties." The song is now released with credits that include Yusef Lateef.[3]

The B-side, "Portobello Road", is about the famous street of the same name and market in London, England. The song lyric was written by American Kim Fowley, and Stevens was asked to collaborate by composing music for it. It was later covered by Stevens' first guitarist, Alun Davies, after signing with Island Records in 1970. Davies' version appeared on his first solo album, Daydo, in 1974.

"I Love My Dog" peaked at No. 28 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1966, spending seven weeks on that chart.[5] In Canada it reached No. 45.[6]

The song has also been covered by Carolyn Hester, Theo Bikel, Linda Tillery, and Mike Batt.[7]

Composition

Lyrically, Stevens was inspired by his family's dachshund Pepe.[8]

Personnel

  • Cat Stevens - vocals, guitar
  • Alan Tew - orchestral arrangements

Chart performance

Chart (1966–67) Peak

position

Canada (RPM)[6] 45
Netherlands (Veronica Top 40)[9] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 16
UK (Disc and Music Echo Top 50)[11] 31
UK (Melody Maker Pop 50)[12] 29
UK (New Musical Express Top 30)[13] 28
UK (Record Retailer Top 50)[5] 28
US (Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100)[14] 118
US (Cash Box Looking Ahead)[15] 106
US (Record World Singles Coming Up)[16] 112

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Tracy 1988, p. 5.
  2. ↑ DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 17.
  3. 1 2 DeYoung & Stevens 2001, p. 64.
  4. ↑ Samadder, Rhik (31 January 2017). "Dogs-Reggae-Soft-Rock-10-Top-Dog-Tracks". The Guardian.
  5. 1 2 "I Love My Dog by Cat Stevens". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 Anon. (2 January 1967). "RPM 100" (PDF). RPM. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  7. ↑ "Cat Stevens Scrapbook - Cat Stevens Under The Covers". Majicat.com. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  8. ↑ Bell, Max (9 September 2020). "Cat Stevens". Record Collector. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "I Love My Dog" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Cat Stevens - I Love My Dog" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Archived from the original on 28 February 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Anon. (19 November 1966). "Top 50" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  12. ↑ Anon. (5 November 1966). "Pop 50". Melody Maker. p. 2.
  13. ↑ Anon. (22 October 1966). "NME Top Thirty". New Musical Express. p. 7.
  14. ↑ Anon. (24 December 1966). "Bubbling Under The Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  15. ↑ Anon. (24 December 1966). "Cash Box Looking Ahead" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 88. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  16. ↑ Anon. (24 December 1966). "Singles Coming Up" (PDF). Record World. p. 28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 November 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.

Sources


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