# Before ‘Father and Son’, Cat Stevens wrote a soul classic for one of the greats, who never picked it up

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/before-father-and-son-cat-stevens-wrote-a-soul-classic-for-one-of-the-greats-who-never-picked-it-up/
- Published: 2026-11-08T16:16:40+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T17:41:50+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/cat-stevens-wrote-a-soul-classic-for-one-of-the-greats-who-never-picked-it-up/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Stevens wrote the song with Otis Redding in mind.
- P. P. Arnold recorded it after producer Mike Hurst passed it to her.
- Arnold connected its lyrics to her own past.

## Summary

Cat Stevens wrote ‘The First Cut Is the Deepest’ hoping Otis Redding would record it, but his producer, Mike Hurst, instead gave it to P. P. Arnold. The song became a hit and a lasting standard, illustrating how a writer’s early work can take on a life beyond its original intention.

Stevens sold the song to Arnold for £30 in 1967, equivalent to about £700 today, according to the article. Inspired partly by a breakup and by his love of R&B, he described it as a soulful tune; Arnold later said its lyrics resonated with her experience of an abusive teenage marriage. Stevens received a significant accolade for the song in 2005, though the supplied article text cuts off before explaining which one.

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