First recorded (as “The Old Schoolyard”) by Linda Lewis (1975).
Hit version by Cat Stevens (US #33/MOR #28/CAN #27/UK #44/AUS #18 1977).
From the wiki: “‘(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard’ was inspired by the playground at St. Joseph’s in London, where Stevens went to school, recalling simple days filled with childhood fun.
“Stevens wrote the song for Linda Lewis, who was the first to record the song. Lewis had sung on Stevens’ 1972 album Catch Bull At Four and had accompanied him on his 1974 ‘Bamboozle’ tour. Clive Davis of Arista Records signed Lewis on the strength of her performance of ‘The Old Schoolyard’, which she released as an album track on her 1975 collection, Not A Little Girl Anymore.
“This song and others on the Izitso album have synthesizers, which was a departure for Stevens. ‘(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard’ was the last Cat Stevens song to hit the Top 40 in America or make the singles chart in the UK. Later in 1977 he became a practicing Sunni Muslim, changed his name to Yusuf Islam and left the entertainment business to devote himself to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community.”
“(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard”, Cat Stevens (1977):