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)
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time we say goodbye I wonder why a little
Why you guys above me who must be in the know
Say so little to me they allow you to go
When you're near there's such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
There's no love song finer but how strange the change
When you're near there's such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
You see there's no love song finer but how strange the change
From major to minor every time you say honey
There's no love song finer but how strange
The change from major to minor every time we say goodbye
Rod Stewart's rendition of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" is a romantic ballad recollecting the feeling of missed opportunities, grief, and despair that arises every time the singer bids a tearful farewell to his lover. He expresses his pain through the clever use of metaphors, as he says he dies a little every time and wonders out loud why the heavens could let her go without telling him. He talks about the happiness and hope that surrounds him when he's with her, but how that feeling changes every time they say goodbye, leaving him feeling empty and vulnerable.
The usage of the metaphor of the "air of spring" suggests the fresh, uplifting feeling of rejuvenation he feels in her company. The sound of the lark signifying the arrival of spring highlights the hope and warmth that surrounds both of them. However, he laments how every time they say goodbye, it results in a change from major to minor, indicating the shift in his emotional state from happiness to sadness, leaving him heartbroken each time they bid adieu.
In summary, Rod Stewart's rendition of "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" is an emotional tune that epitomizes the pain of separation from a loved one. The clever choices of metaphors, the shift from major to minor chords and the poignant lyrics culminate in a moving, heartbreaking ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time we say goodbye I die a little
I feel a part of me dying whenever we part ways
Every time we say goodbye I wonder why a little
I can't help but question why our time together has to end
Why you guys above me who must be in the know
I don't understand why those in charge allow you to leave me
Say so little to me they allow you to go
I wish there was more communication to explain why we have to part ways
When you're near there's such an air of spring about it
Your presence brings a feeling of rejuvenation and new beginnings
I can hear a lark somewhere begin to sing about it
The happiness that you bring is contagious and spreads to those around us
There's no love song finer but how strange the change
Our love is a beautiful melody, but it's bittersweet how it can quickly transition from happiness to sadness
From major to minor every time we say goodbye
Our love song shifts from a major to minor key, symbolizing the sadness and pain that comes with saying goodbye
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PORTER, COLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind