The Ultimate Dog v Cat Battle of the Bands Tournament, Round Two

My good friend Michele from Angels Bark and I are collaborating on a small battle tournament. On July 15, we had our Round One battles, and today, we are having our Round Two battles.



As a reminder for you seasoned readers and to help out those of you who may be new here

Here is how a battle works:

Step One - Listen to each of the contenders. TRY not to be persuaded by the videos (unless specifically requested - in the case of today’s battle, listening is more important than watching)


StepTwo - Pick the contender that you prefer the most


Step Three - Comment with your selection. (Yes, I know my blog can be pretty sometimes. Yes, I know you may not be familiar with the song(s) or artist(s). Don’t tell me about that. Instead, give me your opinion on which is the better contender.) 


Step Four - Visit Stephen’s blog to check out his battle and for a list of other bloggers that have have battles going on. We each have different battles, so please be sure to visit everyone. I'll provide a link below the videos to Stephen's blog for your convenience.

Alright - I’ll make this next part quick because I know you’ll want to get on to the other battles taking place today.


"Cat's in the Cradle" is a 1974 folk rock song by Harry Chapin. The song's lyrics began as a poem written by Harry's wife, Sandra "Sandy" Gaston; the poem itself was inspired by the awkward relationship between her first husband, James Cashmore, and his father, John, a politician who served as Brooklyn borough president. She was also inspired by a country music song she had heard on the radio. Chapin also said the song was about his own relationship with his son, Josh, admitting, "Frankly, this song scares me to death."


Contender #1 - Harry Chapin
The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only No. 1 hit song, it became the best known of his work and a staple for folk rock music. Chapin's recording of the song was nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.  Typically, I don’t like to use the original artist in these battles, but I think the other contender is strong enough to hold their own for a decent battle.  In other words, I’m crossing my fingers and praying this doesn’t become a blowout or a shutout.






Contender #2 - Ugly Kid Joe
In 1992, the hard rock band Ugly Kid Joe included a cover of the song, renamed "Cats in the Cradle", on their debut album America's Least Wanted. The cover was issued as a single in 1993 and peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, the group's highest ever position on that chart. The song also peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The single sold 500,000 copies domestically, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America





YOU DON’T NEED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH AN ARTIST OR A SONG TO KNOW WHICH ONE YOU PREFER.  There are no right or wrong votes, unless you vote for someone not listed as a contender or don’t vote at all.


I’ll keep the voting open until Saturday, August 11 @ 3pm EST with results posted on Monday, August 13. 

For those of you who may be interested - The battles take place twice a month. Once on the 1st, and again on the 15th. Some participants have chosen to participate only once a month - and that’s okay - we’re just happy to have you join us!
Your battle can consist of covers of the same song, different songs with the same title, or even a themed type battle. We just want you to join in the fun!
Catch the link to Stephen’s blog to join in the fun - all you need to do is drop him a comment on his blog and he’ll add you to the roster of participants.

I’d like to encourage you to visit the other bloggers participating in the battle of the bands as well, but especially would like to encourage you to visit Michele’s battle in this tournament.  We’ve put a lot of time and effort into putting together these battles and they are a lot of fun. Each blogger has a different battle taking place. You can find a current list on Stephen’s blog (don't forget you can also request to join the battle of the bands blog hop by simply commenting on his blog that you'd like to join us).