“New York Times” is a song on the album Back to Earth (1978) by Cat Stevens. He would convert to Islam and take a long break from music, and his next album (credited to “Yusuf/Cat Stevens”) was The Laughing Apple (2017).
     
“New York Times” does not take a happy view of the city. The music sounds like an “I Love New York” tourist promotion, but the lyrics are quite different. “You need a gun to walk into New York,” Stevens sings. “Everybody bites on the Big Apple. Leave the hungry in tears.”
 
   
Wikipedia: Back to Earth (Cat Stevens album)
Back to Earth is the eleventh studio album released by the British singer/songwriter Cat Stevens. It is the only album he recorded using the name Cat Stevens after his conversion to Islam until the release in September 2017 of The Laughing Apple, his fifteenth studio album (credited to “Yusuf/Cat Stevens”). It was also the last album of contemporary western music that he recorded until An Other Cup, nearly 30 years later.
(...)
Side two
1. “Last Love Song” – 3:27
2. “Nascimento” [instrumental] – 3:16
3. “Father” – 4:08
4. “New York Times” – 3:24
 
Genius.com (lyrics)
New York Times
Cat Stevens
Produced by Paul Samwell-Smith & Cat Stevens
Release Date December 3, 1978
(...)
Everybody bites on the Big Apple
Leave the hungry in tears
But no one gives a damn, no one really cares
How they feel, they’re just paper people not real
         
Twitter
supertom
@supertom
“New York Times” by Cat Stevens - most ridiculous song I’ve heard in quite a while.
2:18 PM · Apr 29, 2011·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
Colin Langenus
@Massdist
best worst song ever! Cat Stevens - New York Times: http://youtu.be/WXOYZurfB_4 a dystopian 80’s NYC tourism bureau commercial. hilarious!
6:53 PM · Jun 7, 2012·Twitter for Websites
 
Twitter
Luther Vandross
@luthervandross
DID YOU KNOW? Luther contributed backing vocals to “New York Times,” from Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ ‘Back to Earth,’ released on this day in 1978. It was Yusuf’s last album of contemporary music for nearly 30 years.
Listen Here:
New York Times - Yusuf / Cat Stevens
open.spotify.com
10:05 AM · Dec 3, 2018·Hootsuite
 
YouTube
Cat Stevens:-‘New York Times’
Apr 15, 2019
Frank Rogowski
From the album:-‘Back To Earth’ (December 3rd 1978)
   
Twitter
Richard Lee
@InfoMgmtExec
It’s great to see Yusuf Cat Stevens return to public performances. His last single for Island (New York Times) was such a dark reflection on the world that I doubted he ever would. He speaks about Islam, the fatwa and playing guitar again in this interview
Yusuf Cat Stevens on Islam, the fatwa and playing guitar again
The singer-songwriter tells Desert Island Discs about walking away from his fans, and the difficulties of following a spiritual path
theguardian.com
2:40 PM · Sep 27, 2020·Tweetbot for iΟS