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)
Dynamite
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a stupid little job
It's drivin' me insane
With those keyhole people
All they do is complain
About the tattoo on my arm
The ring in my ear
I just live through the week
And when I see them boys
You know their two-tone suits
They're all unimportants
If you need a set of hubcaps
Or a car painted
Girl, why don't you follow me
It's dynamite on Friday night
Under the big city lights
It's all right, all right
Yeah dynamite on Friday night
Under the big city lights
It's all right, all right
Play some sweet guitar, yeah
Well we meet on the corner
And we talk all night
About our wealth situation
At a rock'n' Roll drive
We go cruisin'
So the conversation turns to wise girls
And more pearls
I got a beat up old Mustang
And I painted it black
There's five in the front seat
And the rest in the back
Cruise up and down Sunset
And watch all the jailbait roll by
Yeah it's dynamite on Friday night
Under the big city lights
It's all right, all right
Yeah yeah, it's dynamite on Friday night
Under the big city lights
It's all right, it's all right
All right, all right, all right
All right
Are you ready. Bring it down now
Watch out. Well, well, well
Listen, one of these days
And it won't be long
Gonna hear that radio
Playin' my song
I'll be the darling of masses
No great pretender, not me, yeah yeah
'Cause I can play this guitar
Hangin' round my neck
I'm in love with its power
I believe in its strength
I got a head full of ideas
It's drivin' me insane
But until then
It's dynamite on Friday night
Under the big city lights
It's all right, all right
Yeah dynamite on Friday night
Under the big city lights
All right, all right, one time
It's dynamite, oh yes it's dynamite
It's just dynamite on friday night
It's dynamite, it's on friday night
Oh friday night
It's all right, all right, wired
It's dynamite on friday night
Under the big city lights
It's all right, all right
All together
The lyrics of Rod Stewart's song "Dynamite" describe the singer's longing to escape his tedious, mundane job and the judgment he receives from his coworkers for his tattoos and piercings. He finds solace in spending Friday nights cruising in his beat-up old Mustang with his buddies under the city lights, listening to rock 'n' roll, and talking about girls. The singer also dreams of becoming a famous musician, and believes in the power of his guitar and the ideas it inspires in him. The chorus celebrates the excitement and energy of Friday nights with the repetition of "dynamite" and the assertion that everything is "alright."
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the dullness and conformity of everyday life, and the way that music can provide an escape from these constraints. The idea of cruising in a car with friends is a common motif in rock 'n' roll, representing the freedom and rebellion that the music represents. The singer's tattoos, piercings, and black Mustang are all symbols of his nonconformity, while his desire to be a rock star reflects the glamor and excitement that rock 'n' roll promises. Overall, the song celebrates the power of music to provide an escape from the pressures of society and to create a sense of community and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, look out Bill!
A warning to someone named Bill.
I got a stupid little job
The singer has an unsatisfying occupation.
It's drivin' me insane
The job is causing the singer mental distress.
With those keyhole people
The people the artist works with are intrusive.
All they do is complain
The coworkers are always unhappy.
About the tattoo on my arm
The singer has a visible tattoo that coworkers judge.
The ring in my ear
The singer has a piercing that coworkers judge.
But I don't even care, no no
The artist is unbothered by their coworkers' opinions.
I just live through the week
The artist endures the work week.
And when I see them boys
The artist looks forward to seeing some boys.
You know their two-tone suits
The boys wear a specific style of suit.
They're all unimportants
The artist thinks the boys are unimportant.
If you need a set of hubcaps
The singer has something to sell.
Or a car painted
The singer can help with car paint jobs.
Girl, why don't you follow me
The singer invites someone to follow them.
It's dynamite on Friday night
Friday night is exciting.
Under the big city lights
The setting is a city at night.
It's all right, all right
Things are going well.
Play some sweet guitar, yeah
The singer requests music.
Well we meet on the corner
The artist meets with others on a street corner.
And we talk all night
The group spends the night conversing.
About our wealth situation
The group discusses their financial statuses.
At a rock'n' Roll drive
The group may be at a music venue or in a car listening to music.
We go cruisin'
The group drives around together.
So the conversation turns to wise girls
The conversation shifts to discussion of women.
And more pearls
The conversation may become fanciful.
I got a beat up old Mustang
The singer owns a specific car model.
And I painted it black
The car is black.
There's five in the front seat
The car is carrying many people.
And the rest in the back
Even more people are in the back of the car.
Cruise up and down Sunset
The group drives along a specific road.
And watch all the jailbait roll by
The artist and company observe young women passing by.
Are you ready. Bring it down now
The artist prepares for something.
Watch out. Well, well, well
An exclamation of some kind.
Listen, one of these days
The singer asserts something will happen eventually.
And it won't be long
The event the artist referenced is imminent.
Gonna hear that radio
The singer's music will be heard on the radio.
Playin' my song
The singer's music is heard.
I'll be the darling of masses
The singer's music will win over many fans.
No great pretender, not me, yeah yeah
The artist is not pretending.
'Cause I can play this guitar
The artist has guitar playing skill.
Hangin' round my neck
The singer wears the guitar on their person.
I'm in love with its power
The singer feels strongly about the guitar's importance.
I believe in its strength
The artist thinks the guitar can accomplish much.
I got a head full of ideas
The artist has many creative thoughts.
It's drivin' me insane
The artist's creative drive is overwhelming them.
But until then
Despite the creative drive, something else is happening instead (the dynamite...).
It's dynamite, oh yes it's dynamite
Reiteration of the excitement from earlier.
It's just dynamite on friday night
The excitement is specifically related to Friday nights.
It's all right, all right, wired
There's still something to look forward to and be excited about.
All together
The singer is addressing all those around them, asking for cooperation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER HOLSAPPLE, CHRISTOPHER CHARLES STAMEY, HOLDER GENE, WILL RIGBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind