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)
Downtown Train
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has punched a hole in the night time mist
I climb through the window and down to the street
I'm shining like a new dime
The downtown trains are full
Full of all them Brooklyn girls
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds
They have nothing that'll ever capture your heart
They're just thorns without the rose
Be careful of them in the dark
Oh if I was the one
You chose to be your only one
Oh baby
Can't you hear me now
Can't you hear me now
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night
It's just the same
On a downtown train
I know your window and I know it's late
I know your stairs and your doorway
I walk down your street and past your gate
I stand by the light of the four way
And watch them as they fall, oh baby
They all having their heart attacks
They stay at the carnival
But they'll never win you back
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night
It's just the same
You leave me lonely
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
All my dreams, all my dreams
Fall like rain
On a downtown train
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
Every night, every night
It's just the same
Will I see you tonight
On a downtown train
All my dreams, all my dreams
Fall like rain
On a downtown train
On a downtown train
All my dreams fall like rain
On a downtown train
Ooh ooh, ooh oooh
Ooh ooh
"Downtown Train" is a song about a man who is in love with a woman who appears to be unattainable. The opening lines of the song describe the man's view of the world as he steps out into the night, with the yellow moon creating a hole in the mist. The man is shining like a new dime, ready to face the world, and he soon finds himself drawn to the downtown trains that are full of Brooklyn girls who are eager to break out of their limited worlds. The man is drawn to the women's energy and vitality, but he also recognizes that they are just thorns without the rose, that is, they have nothing that could ever capture his heart.
The bridge of the song is the man's plea to the woman to notice him and consider him as her only one. He wonders if he'll see her tonight on a downtown train. The chorus repeats this question, and the verses describe the man's journey through the city, past the woman's house, to try and find her. However, as the song progresses, it is clear that the woman remains elusive, and the man's dreams fall like rain on a downtown train. The song ends with a series of oohs that express the man's disappointment and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside another yellow moon
The full moon is shining brightly and painting the sky yellow
Has punched a hole in the night time mist
The moon's light is so bright that it's piercing through the misty darkness of the night
I climb through the window and down to the street
The singer is sneaking out of his home and going down to the street below
I'm shining like a new dime
The singer is feeling confident and bright, like a shiny new coin
The downtown trains are full
The public transport trains are crowded and busy
Full of all them Brooklyn girls
The trains are filled with ambitious girls from Brooklyn
They try so hard to break out of their little worlds
These girls are trying hard to escape their narrow and confined lifestyles
You wave your hand and they scatter like crows
The singer is addressing someone who has the power to exercise control over these girls, as they flee like birds when commanded to
They have nothing that'll ever capture your heart
The girls' efforts to impress this other person are futile and won't win their love
They're just thorns without the rose
The girls are insignificant without the love of the person being addressed
Be careful of them in the dark
The singer is warning this other person to be cautious around these girls in dark or dangerous situations
Oh if I was the one
The singer is imagining a scenario in which they are the person being addressed
You chose to be your only one
The singer is hoping that they would be chosen by the person being addressed to be their only love
Oh baby
The singer is addressing the person they're talking about in an endearing way
Can't you hear me now
The singer is expressing a desire to be heard and understood by the person they're addressing
Will I see you tonight
The singer is wondering if they will have a chance to meet with the person they're thinking about
On a downtown train
The singer is thinking about a specific mode of transportation that they associate with meeting this person
Every night, every night
The singer is emphasizing the consistency of their desire to see this person
It's just the same
The singer is feeling frustrated by the repetitiveness of their situation, always waiting to see if they'll meet the person they're thinking about
I know your window and I know it's late
The singer knows the person they're thinking about is likely to be awake, as they're familiar with their living situation
I know your stairs and your doorway
The singer is intimately familiar with the other person's home, perhaps having been there before
I walk down your street and past your gate
The singer is physically moving toward the other person's home
I stand by the light of the four way
The singer is using the light from the intersection of several roads to illuminate their path or provide a moment of clarity
And watch them as they fall, oh baby
The singer is observing someone else's attempts to connect with the person they are trying to reach
They all having their heart attacks
These other people are making grand gestures or taking big risks to try and win the love of the person being addressed, like a heart attack of emotion
They stay at the carnival
These other people are stuck in a cycle of trying to impress the person being addressed, like they're living in a carnival of unrequited love
But they'll never win you back
The singer is confident that no one else can win the love of the person being addressed, as they are the one destined for that honor
You leave me lonely
The singer is feeling alone and incomplete without the person they're addressing
All my dreams, all my dreams
The singer is realizing that all of their hopes and aspirations are tied to this other person
Fall like rain
The singer's feelings and dreams come crashing down like a torrential storm
On a downtown train
The singer still clings to the hope of connecting with this other person on a train downtown
Ooh ooh, ooh oooh
The song ends with a soulful, emotional vocalization that speaks of the singer's longing and sadness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tom Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind