Cat Stevens’ “Lady D’Arbanville” Lyrics Meaning
“Lady D’Arbanville” is someone whom the singer describes as being, succinctly put, dead. For instance, he states that she “look(s) so cold”. And he also goes on to say that her “lips feel like winter” and that her “skin has turned to white”. And if the listener still decides that such metaphors may have a different meaning, he drives the idea home by stating that she is also ‘lying in her grave’.
Yet metaphorical is what they are. More specifically “Lady D’Arbanville” is a pseudonym which points to a real-life woman, Patti D’Arbanville, who is still very much alive getting to 50 years after this song was initially released. And in reality, this musical piece is something akin to a breakup song.
Patti D’Arbanville
Patti D’Arbanville is a lady whom Cat Stevens was in a romantic relationship with at the time he dropped this song. In fact it wasn’t until she by happenstance heard the track that she “knew it was over for good”. And basically, according to history, Cat was more vested in the relationship than Patti. At the time she was a successful model (she would have only been turning 19 in 1970) who frequently traveled internationally, thus not allotting as much time to Stevens as he preferred. So basically, he took the fact that she wasn’t willing to settle down personally.
Moreover there is a persistent rumor that she was also seeing Mick Jagger concurrently with Cat. And if such were actually so, that definitely could have been an impetus to inspire him to write a song basically saying that Patti was dead.
So in knowing the history behind this track, in that the titular “lady” is not deceased as the song suggests, in addition to she being a romantic interest of the singer, then it’s pretty easy to come to a logical conclusion concerning it meaning. And such is that she is dead, to the singer himself, from an emotional standpoint. And this would rationally be indicative of her doing something which hurt him so bad that he no longer wants anything to do with her.
Facts about “Lady D’Arbanville”
This song was written by Cat Stevens and produced by Paul Samwell-Smith.
“Lady D’Arbanville” is featured on Cat Stevens’ “Mona Bone Jakon”, which was his first album under Island Records (and third overall). And the song was released with the album on 24 April 1970.
“Lady D’Arbanville” reached a peak position of number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
Elton John did a cover of this song. The year he most likely would have recorded it would have also been 1970. And it did eventually come out, in 1994, on an album called “Chartbusters Go Pop”.
Cat also featured a live version of this song on a compilation project he released in 2001.
I love Cat Stevens. The lyrics of this song are fascinating. It was used in the Australian film “Hounds of Love”.
For years i was under wrong impression with lyrics of this song .
Thanks for clarification.
Still a fabulous song
A very talented and sensitive composer of song. I loved many that he wrote.
I always loved this beautiful song. It still revives the crush I had 40 years ago on Patti D’Arbanville when I saw her in a David Hamilton’s movie titled ”Bilitis”.
She claims they were still together when he composed the song. While she was away working in NYC. That it was just supposed to signify that he, himself, felt dead when they were apart. So…
Just a lovely romentic song written from the heart and thats why it gets you, esp with his voice…
A beautiful song that has more than one meaning. I recently rediscovered this song watching Hounds of Love. Very glad I did.