Cat Stevens - Lady D'Arbanville

Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou, 21 July 1948, in Marylebone, London, England), originally and commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is a British musician. He is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam.

His early 1970s record albums Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat were both certified as Triple Platinum by the RIAA in the United States; his 1972 album Catch Bull at Four sold half a million copies in the first two weeks of release alone and was Billboard's number-one LP for three consecutive weeks. He has also earned two ASCAP songwriting awards in consecutive years for "The First Cut Is the Deepest", which has been a hit single for four different artists.

Stevens converted to Islam in December 1977 nand adopted his Muslim name, Yusuf Islam, the following year. In 1979, he auctioned all his guitars for charity and left his music career to devote himself to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community.

He has been given several awards for his work in promoting peace in the world, including 2003's World Award, the 2004 Man for Peace Award, and the 2007 Mediterranean Prize for Peace. In 2006, he returned to pop music with his first album of new pop songs in 28 years, entitled An Other Cup. He now goes professionally by the single name Yusuf. His newest album, Roadsinger, was released on 5 May 2009.

"Lady D'Arbanville" is a song written and recorded by Cat Stevens, and released in April, 1970. He was already a successful songwriter, and this was his first single released upon signing a contract with Island Records, fostering a folk rock direction for the young composer. "Lady D'Arbanville" has a madrigal sound, and was written about Stevens' former girlfriend, Patti D'Arbanville, metaphorically laying her to rest.
As Stevens was nearing the end of his period of recuperation, he attended a party that boasted a gathering of musicians in London; including Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, and others in attendance. Among the party-goers was a very young American woman who was pursuing a modeling career, named Patti D'Arbanville. The two began dating over a period of more than a year. Despite Stevens willingness to invest more in serious relationship, his young girlfriend was looking forward to a successful modeling carrier.

While Stevens' previous singles featured orchestration, this was the first single to contain only acoustic guitars, bass, percussion, and vocals. "Lady D'Arbanville" was issued in June 1970 and became his third Top Ten hit in the United Kingdom, with the album Mona Bone Jakon, beginning a modest climb up the charts as well.

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