# Who played piano on Cat Stevens’ 1971 song ‘Morning Has Broken’?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/who-played-piano-on-cat-stevens-1971-song-morning-has-broken/
- Published: 2026-11-12T15:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T16:49:18+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/who-played-piano-cat-stevens-1971-morning-has-broken/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Rick Wakeman played the piano on Cat Stevens’ hit.
- The song is based on a hymn and an older Gaelic melody.
- Stevens arranged payment for Wakeman 37 years after the session.

## Summary

Cat Stevens’ 1971 hit ‘Morning Has Broken’ was a cover of a hymn first published in the early 1930s, set to the older Gaelic folk melody ‘Bunessan’. Its success helped introduce the song beyond church settings and reflected Stevens’ shift towards more spiritual, stripped-back songwriting after a serious illness.

The flowing piano arrangement was played by Rick Wakeman, then the keyboardist for Yes and a sought-after session musician. Wakeman reportedly adapted material intended for his own album, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and was not paid for the session until Stevens arranged payment 37 years later. The single reached number nine in the UK; Wakeman later recorded a solo piano version for his 2017 album Piano Portraits.

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