“Cat's In The Cradle” by Harry Chapin

"Cat's in the Cradle" comes from Verities & Balderdash, Harry Chapin's fourth studio album, in 1974, and it's the song that became his calling card: a folk rock short story with a sting in its tail. Chapin wrote it with Sandra Campbell Chapin, and he sings it as a father too wrapped up in his job to make time for the boy who idolizes him and swears he'll turn out the same. The years spin by; the grown son, fresh out of college, would rather have the car keys than an afternoon with his dad, and when the retired father finally calls asking for some company, the son is buried in a job and a family of his own. The kid kept his promise, and that's the heartbreak.

In December 1974 it went to number one on the Hot 100, Chapin's only chart-topper. It picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.