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)
All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playin' for recognition of the New York town.
See, me and the boys got a rock 'n' roll band,
They were so damn good, gonna lift up the man.
Well, we got ups, we got downs,
We got just so high 'til the sun goes down.
Got the ego, can be abused,
And I can sing the blues.
[Chorus:]
Look out, kids, it's the F. B. I.
We got a problem, you keep me high.
Put on your clothes, take the smile off your face
And put your money where your mouth is or get out this place.
New York town is a meanass town,
We got a thousand bands singin' underground.
Way down in New Orleans it's the same old thing,
Emotional music, a merry old thing.
Old King Soul, he finally gave us a jolt,
He played the vibes 'til nine and read from ten to four.
He played upside down, he played inside out,
Then a uniform band he was thrown into jail.
[Chorus]
Gettin' hungry I know little woman,
Can't get a smell 'cause my nose is blocked.
I'm so high, I can't believe it,
Hotel dogs are knockin' on my door.
Two night of singin' nearly out on the end,
Left the two parts red, oh what a square.
As soon as the man, there's no sweeter song,
Listen, McCartney, we're the band on the run.
[Chorus]
Oh yeah.
The opening verse of Rod Stewart's song "All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll" vividly describes the struggle of a struggling rock 'n' roll band trying to make a name in the highly competitive New York music scene. The singer and his bandmates hop on the two forty-nine train downtown, with the hopes of gaining recognition for their music in the big city. The band is talented but has faced their fair share of ups and downs, they take each gig as an opportunity to showcase their talents to the world. The band exudes confidence, but they are well aware that the music industry is a tough place to thrive in; they know that they have to play their cards right to climb the ladder of success.
The second verse of the song talks about the challenges that come with being a musician, especially one who plays rock 'n' roll music. The band members have massive egos but still remain moved by the audience, which can result in excessive use of drugs and alcohol. They have two-toned shoes and can sing the blues; they are, after all, rock stars that were born to play this genre of music. However, life on the road can be difficult as the FBI is always after them, trying to catch them off-guard, and the hotel they're staying in has rules that everybody, including the band members, has to follow.
The song's chorus talks about the challenging situations that rock musicians face as they try to make it in this competitive world of music. It's all in the name of rock 'n' roll, and artists often have to put on their best show, even when life is getting tough. They have to believe in themselves, put their money where their mouth is, and be ready to face any situation that comes their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Went downtown on the two forty-nine,
I took the train to downtown New York
Playin' for recognition of the New York town.
I played music in hopes of being noticed by the city
See, me and the boys got a rock 'n' roll band,
My bandmates and I play rock music
They were so damn good, gonna lift up the man.
Our music was so good that it would uplift people's spirits
Well, we got ups, we got downs,
We've had both successes and failures
We got just so high 'til the sun goes down.
We got really high on life until it was nighttime
Got the ego, can be abused,
Our confidence can sometimes be taken advantage of
I got my two-toned shoes,
I have a specific pair of shoes
And I can sing the blues.
And I can sing sad songs
[Chorus:] Look out, kids, it's the F. B. I.
Beware, kids, the FBI is here
We got a problem, you keep me high.
We have an issue because we're always high
Put on your clothes, take the smile off your face
Put clothes on and stop smiling so much
And put your money where your mouth is or get out this place.
Either back up what you say with money or leave
New York town is a meanass town,
New York City can be a tough place
We got a thousand bands singin' underground.
There are many bands playing music that's not mainstream
Way down in New Orleans it's the same old thing,
Even in New Orleans, it's the same old music scene
Emotional music, a merry old thing.
It's a happy thing to be making emotional music
Old King Soul, he finally gave us a jolt,
A legendary musician gave us inspiration
He played the vibes 'til nine and read from ten to four.
He played music until late and read until morning
He played upside down, he played inside out,
He played his instrument in a unique way
Then a uniform band he was thrown into jail.
Then he got arrested by a uniformed band
[Chorus]
Refrain
Gettin' hungry I know little woman,
I'm getting hungry, honey
Can't get a smell 'cause my nose is blocked.
I can't smell because my nose is congested
I'm so high, I can't believe it,
I'm so happy and high on life that I can hardly believe it
Hotel dogs are knockin' on my door.
Hotel staff are calling my room
Two night of singin' nearly out on the end,
Two nights of singing almost at the end
Left the two parts red, oh what a square.
We left each other with red marks from our faces and it was funny
As soon as the man, there's no sweeter song,
As soon as we get out of here, nothing will be better
Listen, McCartney, we're the band on the run.
Listen, even Paul McCartney would admire our music
[Chorus]
Refrain
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind