him<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\tThere was also a nursery-rhyme chorus, intro orchestration straight out of a period movie western, and lyrics aimed at boomers suddenly nearing 30, none of which screamed \u201cAmerica\u2019s Top 40.\u201d Yet, somehow, the song pushed its way past proto-disco (Carl Douglas\u2019 \u201cKung Fu Fighting\u201d and the Three Degrees\u2019 \u201cWhen Will I See You Again\u201d) and horror-nightmare pop (Helen Reddy\u2019s nightmarish \u201cAngie Baby\u201d) to hit Number One.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe fact that the deeply adult and dramatic \u201cCat\u2019s in the Cradle\u201d connected is only half the story. As laid out in director Rick Korn\u2019s new doc, Harry Chapin \u2014 Cat\u2019s in the Cradle: The Song That Changed Our Lives<\/em>, Chapin\u2019s parable has persisted over generations and genres. You may remember Ugly Kid Joe\u2019s mope-grunge remake in the Nineties, which also topped the charts. But who other than those who collect the late Chapin\u2019s royalties recall Johnny Cash\u2019s version or Darryl \u201cDMC\u201d McDaniels\u2019 overblown 2006 cover, which packed in rap, metal, and Sarah McLachlan\u2019s voice on the chorus? Or that YouTubers who\u2019ve recently played and reacted to it often mispronounce his last name as \u201cChapp<\/em>-in,\u201d rather than \u201cChay<\/em>-pin\u201d? All those examples and more are stuffed into the film, making it consistently fascinating and entertaining. As one young YouTuber ponders when the song ends, \u201cWow \u2026 some deep shit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n