Stewart's music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined The Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars before moving to the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces in 1969, he also maintained a solo career releasing his debut album that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and R&B. His third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its ballad "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album, Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.
After Stewart had a handful more UK top ten hits, the Faces broke up in 1975. Stewart's next few hit singles were ballads with "Sailing", off the 1975 UK and Australian number-one album, Atlantic Crossing, becoming a hit in the UK and the Netherlands (number one), Germany (number four) and other countries, but barely charting in North America. A Night on the Town (1976), his fifth straight chart-topper in the UK, began a three-album run of going number one or top three in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia with each release. That album's "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" spent almost two months at number one in the US and Canada, and made the top five in other countries. Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977) contained the hit "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" as well as the rocker "Hot Legs". Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and its disco-tinged "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" both went to number one in Canada, Australia and the US, with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" also hitting number one in the UK and the top ten in other countries. Stewart's albums regularly hit the upper rungs of the charts in the Netherlands throughout the 70s and in Sweden from 1975 onward.
After a disco and new wave period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stewart's music turned to a soft rock/middle-of-the-road style, with most of his albums reaching the top ten in the UK, Germany and Sweden, but faring less well in the US. The single "Rhythm of My Heart" was a top five hit in the UK, US and other countries, with its source album, 1991's Vagabond Heart, becoming, at number ten in the US and number two in the UK, his highest-charting album in a decade. In 1993, he collaborated with Bryan Adams and Sting on the power ballad "All for Love", which went to number one in many countries. In the early 2000s, he released a series of successful albums interpreting the Great American Songbook.
In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked him the 17th most successful artist on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists". A Grammy and Brit Award recipient, he was voted at No. 33 in Q Magazine's list of the Top 100 Greatest Singers of all time. As a solo artist, Stewart was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and he was inducted a second time into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Faces.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart
Studio albums
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969)
Gasoline Alley (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Never a Dull Moment (1972)
Smiler (1974)
Atlantic Crossing (1975)
A Night on the Town (1976)
Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977)
Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
Body Wishes (1983)
Camouflage (1984)
Every Beat of My Heart (1986)
Out of Order (1988)
Vagabond Heart (1991)
A Spanner in the Works (1995)
When We Were the New Boys (1998)
Human (2001)
It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002)
As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003)
Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III (2004)
Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV (2005)
Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006)
Soulbook (2009)
Once in a Blue Moon: The Lost Album (2010)
Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Merry Christmas, Baby (2012)
Time (2013)
Another Country (2015)
Blood Red Roses (2018)
The Tears of Hercules (2021)
'Till There Was You
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No, I never heard them at all 'til there was you
There were birds in the sky but I never saw them winging
No, I never saw them at all 'til there was you
Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew
No I never heard it at all 'til there was you
Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew
There was love all around but I never heard it singing
No, I never heard it at all 'til there was you
In Rod Stewart's song 'Till There Was You, the lyrics paint a picture of a person who was living their life with an incomplete outlook, not taking the time to appreciate the beauty around them until they met their loved one. The song opens with the lines, "There were bells on a hill but I never heard them ringing, No, I never heard them at all 'til there was you." The bells on the hill symbolize the beauty of nature and life that were always present but went unnoticed by the person until they fell in love with their partner. The next line, "There were birds in the sky but I never saw them winging, No, I never saw them at all 'til there was you," reinforces this idea that the person was living their life in a bubble, not fully engaged with the world around them.
The chorus then emphasizes the impact that their partner had on their life, "Then there was music and wonderful roses, They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew, There was love all around but I never heard it singing, No I never heard it at all 'til there was you." The music and roses are metaphors for the beauty that love brings to one's life. The fragrant meadows of dawn and dew indicate the freshness and newness of this love. And finally, the line "There was love all around but I never heard it singing" insinuates that the person had love around them all the time, but they only realized it once they found their partner.
Overall, the lyrics of 'Till There Was You' convey a beautiful message about love and the transformative power it can have on a person's perspective towards life. The song reminds the listener to appreciate the beauty in the world around them and to be grateful for the love they have in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
There were bells on a hill but I never heard them ringing
There were opportunities and good things in life, but I was not aware of them
No, I never heard them at all 'til there was you
I was blind to the positive things in life until I found you
There were birds in the sky but I never saw them winging
There were beautiful things in life, but I never appreciated them
No, I never saw them at all 'til there was you
I only began to appreciate the beauty of life when I met you
Then there was music and wonderful roses
You brought music and beauty to my life
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew
Everything around me seems more beautiful and fragrant with you in my life
There was love all around but I never heard it singing
Love was present in my life, but I was not aware or receptive to it
No I never heard it at all 'til there was you
I only recognized the presence of love when I met you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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