Rhythm Deep Dive: "Wild World" by Cat Stevens

About this lesson

In this lesson I’ll look at Wild World by Cat Stevens, and break down the counting & rhythm needed to play this song at the proper tempo. This is in reply to a question I got about the beats per minute (BPM) this song uses. Some other teachers write it up at 75bpm, while in my Wild World tutorial I recommend playing it at 150bpm. This video explains these two different BPM approaches, and how ultimately they’ll yield the same musical result if you space your strumming out properly.

Update on Oct 9, 2025: Scroll to the bottom of this page for some additional insights on this topic, specifically around counting in cut time (i.e. the 2/2 time signature)… which sounds like it may be what’s going on here!

Instructional PDF 5 pages

Lesson Discussion

Extended Video Lessons

Here’s a few extra videos, made in thanks to those supporting me with Premium membership here on my Song Notes website. To those showing your support, you have my true thanks and appreciation — and I hope you find these additional videos helpful!

Strum-Along Practice (75bpm)

This video shows me playing the song at the same pace as Cat Stevens, with counting at 75bpm. Chords & strumming are shown on screen for each line of the verse and chorus, so you can follow along. I count in two full measures before starting, which should help you settle into the rhythmic groove I’m using. Notice how this BPM approach puts the strong beats on the quarter notes (i.e. the 1, 2, 3, and 4 counts), and requires us to use 16th note counting for the strumming pattern.

Strum-Along Practice (150bpm)

This practice track takes the same audio above (Wild World played at Cat Stevens’ pace), but with counting at 150bpm. Chords and strumming are shown accordingly for each line of the verse and chorus. This effectively doubles the amount of “counts” we’ll have, which means most chords are played for one full measure. Likewise, the strumming here is rhythmically simpler, as only need to use 8th notes to count it (no 16th notes required). I count in for four full measures to help you settle into the groove before I begin.

Related & Recommended

If you’re looking for some other Cat Stevens guitar lessons, I’ve got a few! This includes my full tutorial for Wild World, should you want guidance with the rest of the song.

"Wild World" by Cat Stevens

$ Song Sheet Available

Practice Notes for "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens

★ Instructional PDF

"Father and Son" by Cat Stevens

$ Song Sheet Available

"The Wind" by Cat Stevens

$ Song Sheet Available

If you’re interested in other rhythm break-downs for specific songs, here’s some you might enjoy. Each of the lesson pages below contains links & resources for that song (e.g. with a link to my full song lesson, in cases where I’ve made one).

Rhythm Deep Dive: "Guitar Town" by Steve Earle

★ Instructional PDF

Strumming Guide for "Fast Car" (Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs)

★ Instructional PDF

"Me and Bobby McGee" Strumming Comparison (Kris vs. Janis)

★ Instructional PDF

How to Strum 16th Notes ft. "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison

★ Instructional PDF

Quick Tips for Strumming in 6/8 Time (feat. No Hard Feelings by The Avett Brothers)

★ Instructional PDF

How I learned the opening chord to Neil Young's Old Man

★ Instructional PDF

Bouncing Basslines with Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind"

★ Instructional PDF

Learning about “Cut Time” and the 2/2 Time Signature

After publishing my lesson, I got some helpful feedback from Carl (who sent in the original question). He shared some discoveries he’d made on this topic about cut time, and I wanted to share them — as this is new to me as well.

Cut time (sometimes written as “2/2”) is two beats per measure, where the half-note gets 1 beat. See the attached screenshots of Guitar Pro 8 files I’ve made. Cut-time version has 1 chord per measure, using 8th notes. Regular 4/4 time has 2 chords per measure, using 16th notes. 4/4 is way more difficult to read (for me!).

Cut time is very common in Bluegrass music where foot-taps are on every other quarter-note or half note. Instead of tapping your foot on 1234, you tap on 1 and 3. Every time I work on a new tune, I learn new things about music. Always fascinating.

Example of acoustic songs that use cut time:

• The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel
• Never Going Back by Fleetwood Mac
• Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver
• Maxwell’s Silver Hammer by The Beatles
• Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash
• Jolene by Dolly Parton

Here’s some videos I recommend on this topic. I agree with Carl… the process of discovery and learning has no end, and can be quite an adventure!