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)
Dixie Toot
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sun's shining on my back and it hurts (child)
The FM station plays another bad 45
And it's been so long since I had a good time
It's been so long since I had a good time
Never wrecked my head on a bandstand
in the trombone or clarinet line
When those for a cryin' just stay behind in the bar
'Cause it's been so long since I had a good time
Yeah it's been so long since I had a good time
I'm gonna lose control of my powers
I might even lose my trousers
Smash some glass, act like trash if I want
Wear a skirt be a flirt if I want
'Cause it's been so long since I had a good time
This prodigal man from Dixieland needs a good time
right now, show me a good time right now
You better take it while you can
You gotta get it while you can
And when the Man Upstairs he calls me
He'll say "It's your turn son to come"
Don't play the blues down in old Toulouse for me
Let sleighbells ring and children sing in the street
And tell all of my friends that I had a good time
Open up the sky won't you ride me high
Let's have a good time
And if I'm late at heaven's gate blame a good time
And when the angels sing I will join in
Let's have a good time really
I took my luck, I didn't give a fuck, I had a good time
Tell all my friends only all my best to have a good time
Goodbye
In "Dixie Toot," Rod Stewart expresses his longing for a good time. The song begins with the singer reflecting on his current state of mind while sitting on his back door. He feels lost and unsure of where to go. The sun is shining on his back like an indicator of the burden weighing down on him. The FM station is playing another bad 45, adding to his frustration. It has been a long time since he had a good time, and he seems desperate for it.
Moving on to the next verse, Stewart reminisces about not having played in a band for a long time. He longs to come alive in the heat of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras, where everyone's happy and joyful. He implies that he's going to let loose and do whatever he wants, even if it means being trashy, wearing a skirt or losing control of his powers. In the final verse, he talks about how his time is limited, and when the ultimate call comes, he doesn't want anyone to play the blues down in old Toulouse for him. Instead, let's remember the good times and open up the sky, rise high, and have a good time.
The song reminds us to enjoy life and cherish the good moments. It's also a reminder that we should take advantage of our time because we never know when it might be over.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting on my back door wondering which way to go
I am sitting and contemplating which direction should I take
The sun's shining on my back and it hurts (child)
Sun's rays are falling on my back and it's slightly hurting me
The FM station plays another bad 45
The radio is playing another bad song which I don't like
And it's been so long since I had a good time
It's been a long time since I enjoyed myself or had any fun
Never wrecked my head on a bandstand in the trombone or clarinet line
I never had a headache or had to face difficulties while playing music instruments on stage
When I come in heat on Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras
When I am passionate and excited about participating in Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street
When those for a cryin' just stay behind in the bar
When people who can't handle the excitement just stay behind in the bar and cry
'Cause it's been so long since I had a good time
Because I haven't had any true fun and enjoyment in a long time
Yeah it's been so long since I had a good time
Yes, it sure has been a long time since I had any real fun
I'm gonna lose control of my powers
I will lose control of myself and go wild
I might even lose my trousers
I might get so wild that I might even lose my pants
Smash some glass, act like trash if I want
I can break some glasses and behave badly if I want
Wear a skirt be a flirt if I want
I can wear a skirt and be flirty if I want
'Cause it's been so long since I had a good time
Because it's been a long time since I truly had fun
This prodigal man from Dixieland needs a good time right now, show me a good time right now
I am a lost and rebellious person from Dixieland who needs to have some real fun right now, so please show me a good time right now
You better take it while you can
You should take the opportunity while you still have a chance
You gotta get it while you can
You must grab the opportunity while you still have it
And when the Man Upstairs he calls me
When God calls me
He'll say "It's your turn son to come"
God will say that it's my turn to go to heaven
Don't play the blues down in old Toulouse for me
Don't mourn my loss in Toulouse, France with blues music
Let sleighbells ring and children sing in the street
Let sleighbells chime and children sing joyfully on the street
And tell all of my friends that I had a good time
Tell all my friends that I truly had some fun
Open up the sky won't you ride me high
Open the sky and allow me to rise high
Let's have a good time
Let's enjoy ourselves and have some fun
And if I'm late at heaven's gate blame a good time
If I happen to reach heaven late, it's because I was having too much fun
And when the angels sing I will join in
When the angels begin to sing, I will join in too
Let's have a good time really
Let's have some true and genuine fun
I took my luck, I didn't give a fuck, I had a good time
I trusted my luck, I didn't care about anything else, and I truly enjoyed myself
Tell all my friends only all my best to have a good time
Tell all my friends to have a good time and to enjoy the best things in life
Goodbye
Farewell
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RON WOOD, RODERICK DAVID STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Darren Plumpton
Rod Stewart is said to think this is his worst album(he said in a interview "look at the cover it's like a f**** chocolate box") but I think he is so very wrong and because I LOVE IT!! IT IS BRILLIANT. As for Dixie Toot, Mine for me, Girl from the North Country, You make me feel like a Natural Man, and Farewell I love them, love them, love them, LOVE THEM!!!!
Song Shed
Agree. It's a very good album along with his ones previous to this.
Narinder Dhanjal
Love it!
upload boardo
It was a loosely fone group of songs I mean listen to them all. It's fabulously ecclectic. The opposite of control isn't chaos, it's sometimes beauty.
MrGoat61
Brilliance, right there.
Johnny Thunder
Great record.
Jeffrey Barlow
were is the johnny connection, i need to know I like both
Jade Donato
This song is about right now!Its been so long since I've had a good time!
Trevor Taylor
My first rod song i loved
Filmgespräch
Wonderful Chris Barber's Jazz Band. R.I.P. Chris.