Cats In The Cradle

Album: America's Least Wanted (1992)
Charted: 7 6
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Although best known as a heavy metal band, Ugly Kid Joe scored their biggest chart hit with a faithful cover of the Harry Chapin classic "Cat's In The Cradle" off their full-length debut, America's Least Wanted. In the 2015 book Survival of the Fittest: Heavy Metal in the 1990s, the band's lead singer, Whitfield Crane, explained why they covered it.

    "We didn't have enough songs to fill the record, and Mercury/Polygram was so driven to release something," he said. "We sat there and told the label, 'Yeah, yeah. We have the songs - no worries.' And we really didn't have enough songs to fill a proper LP. I was like, 'Why don't we put 'Cat's in the Cradle' on this record?' Just as a filler, really. We did that, and everything was moving real quick. There was a radio station in Texas that started playing it – it went #1 immediately. And then we made a video with Matt Mahurin, and we got the Ozzy/Moto?rhead tour. We got to travel around the world - I never thought I'd leave California."
  • Ugly Kid Joe landed a hit with their first single, "Everything About You," in 1991. They cultivated a reputation for goofy fun, so it was surprising when they released the very sincere "Cat's In The Cradle."

    "I love that song – I love it to this day," Whitfield Crane said in Survival of the Fittest. "So no double-edge sword. It was great. It showed a different dynamic of the band, because we came off this massive cheeky song, 'Everything About You,' and then we had some depth with 'Cats,' and we kept our humor with 'Neighbor.' What's funny enough is we went out on tour for the last two years all around the world, and you go and talk to people, and that song really affected people the same way Harry Chapin's original version affected me."
  • Ugly Kid Joe removed the apostrophe from the title, making their version "Cats In The Cradle," not "Cat's In The Cradle." This means, interpreted literally, there is more than one cat in their cradle.
  • Harry Chapin's original was a #1 hit in America but didn't chart anywhere in Europe. Ugly Kid Joe's version covered a lot more territory, charting across that continent, reaching #7 in the UK and #3 in Ireland. It also went to #1 in Canada and Australia.

Comments: 1

  • Pete from Nowra Australianew fathers to be and existing ones take note
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.