Like Father, Like Son /David Cassidy, Sue Shifrin, Steve Diamond/

 First let's listen to that fabulous song 'Like Father, Like Son', from David Cassidy's album called 'Didn't You Used To Be' ,released in August 1992 on Scotti Bros.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KPpdWop8zE

It should have been a great hit.  So powerful and so personal , so brave because for DC his relationship with his own father was a pain for life. He wrote this song after his own son was born.

'Watching the birth of my son, was arguably the most joyous moment in my life.(..) Experiencing something that I never thought I would. Bringing another life into this world. Protecting him. Loving him(..) If you've never had a child, you can't ever imagine what's it like until it happened. And when it does happen, you can never be the same again.' (David Cassidy : Could It Be Forever?', 2007)

Of course, DC already had another child, but he didn't have any contact with Katie at that time. She was raised by her mother and stepfather, it was a happy full family , Sherry had 2 other daughters with her husband.

David said several times that being a good father was easy and natural for him, it was enough to do the things his father had never done. First of all to be with his own child.

Father and son. Jack and David. We only know David's  version..I'm not telling that Jack Cassidy was a good father, only that when a parent and a kid are so similar, especially a father and a son, it could be difficult even in normal circumstances, it needs a lot of time to understand each other, and ..forgive, and build a good relationship between a parent and a child on an adult level. Jack and David never had a chance for it.

 And poor David after Jack died in 1976 , was left with all that pain, the feeling of such loss, abandonment, hurt and I think also guilt. It was a reason of so many of his personal problems.. would it be different if he had became a stage actor instead of a teen idol? As Jack said 'a monkey in the cage'.. If he hadn't been so famous? More than his father? And that fame came so fast without years of hard work.. I don't know..I only know that I really feel for that little boy, who learned from other kids that his family didn't exist anymore, and for that teenager who had to watch his  father's new happy family. His dad's beautiful, famous new wife, and watch his own mother's unhappiness. His father's new sons , and him being alone...It speaks volumes about David, the kind of human being he was, that in spite of those circumstances he always had such a great relationship with his step- brothers. They were real brothers. Here are all of them, David , Shaun, Patrick and Ryan on a programme celebraiting the 60th birthday of that remarkable woman ,Shirley Jones. She  is 87 now, actually today is her birthday, and she is a great lady.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyo6fXi-Lb4&t=546s

'Didn't You Used To Be' is my fav DC's album from the 90s. I will write about it in the next post. Here is  another great song written by David and Sue...'One True Love',

... true love ,  DC was searching for it all his life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToCcOBl0UqU