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)
Farewell
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Getting drunk on cheap red wine
Two north London boys just out on the town
Catch a train up to cool Soho
The Marquee and The Flamingo
Pills and chills and girls in heels and Georgie Fame, yeah
Making out we were millionaires
Anything to get the girl upstairs
Skinny ties and mohair suits
White boys can't sing the blues
This was our time, our space, our songs, our generation
And I'll never know again
Someone as genuine
Someone as wonderful as you
And I can't believe you're gone
That's why I wrote this song
Goodbye my old friend
I'll miss you, yes, I will
So long my best pal
I'll miss you, yes, I will
Oh you, yeah you
Were like a brother to me
Take a walk down Wardour street
In the pub where we used to meet
I step inside and I imagine you're there
Dolled up in a hound's-tooth suit
Buttoned down shirt and Chelsea boots
We had a bond that should've lasted a lifetime
But I hope you're looking down
And I hope I made you proud
What I'd give to see you in the crowd tonight, ah yeah
And when we meet again
There will be no end
Just me and you, man
Goodbye my old friend
I'll miss you, yes, I will
Yeah, so long my best pal
I'll miss you, yes, I will
Oh you, yeah you
Were like a brother to me
Intellect and common sense
Means nothing at all if you sit on the fence
Anarchy is for the foolhardy
Why rail against society
Aim high, reach for the sky
How you gonna know unless you try
These are your words, not mine
So long old friend
Goodbye my old friend
I'll miss you, yes, I will
Oh, so long my best pal
I'll miss you, yes, I will
Oh you, yeah you
Were a brother to me
The song "Farewell" is a poignant tribute to a departed friend by Rod Stewart. It begins by describing a Friday night in the lives of two young men, presumably Rod and his friend. They are getting dressed up to go out for the night, drinking cheap wine and taking the train into Soho. There, they go to popular clubs such as the Marquee and the Flamingo and indulge in everything that Soho has to offer, including drugs and women. Despite their shabby clothes and limited means, they feel invincible and as if they are living the life they were meant to live. The song then moves on to describing the bond that existed between the two friends, which continues even after death.
The lyrics touch on the feelings of loss and grief that Stewart has experienced after losing his close friend. The verses are imbued with nostalgia, a sense of loss and moving past the memories of the times the two friends spent together. The song's chorus is a heartfelt farewell to the lost friend, expressing deep sadness at his absence and acknowledging the bond between them that was like that of family, brotherly.
Overall, the lyrics of "Farewell" are as personal and heartfelt as they can get - a tribute to a lost friend of Stewart. The song touches on themes of memory, loss, and love for those who have gone before us.
Line by Line Meaning
All dressed up on a Friday night
Dressed fancy on Friday and ready to enjoy the night
Getting drunk on cheap red wine
Drinking inexpensive red wine and getting drunk
Two north London boys just out on the town
Two boys from North London exploring the city
Catch a train up to cool Soho
Traveling to the trendy area called Soho by train
The Marquee and The Flamingo
Going to nightclubs called The Marquee and The Flamingo
Pills and chills and girls in heels and Georgie Fame, yeah
Taking drugs with girls wearing high heels while listening to music by Georgie Fame
Making out we were millionaires
Pretending to be rich
Anything to get the girl upstairs
Doing anything to impress a girl and bring her upstairs
What was it you said, humour before looks works every time
The line used to charm the girl, 'being funny beats good looks on any day'
Skinny ties and mohair suits
Wearing slim ties and suits made of a fabric called mohair
White boys can't sing the blues
Belief that white people cannot perform blues music well
This was our time, our space, our songs, our generation
Feeling nostalgic about a past era filled with unique music and experiences
And I'll never know again
Thinking about never experiencing certain things again
Someone as genuine
Missing a genuinely good person
Someone as wonderful as you
Remembering how wonderful a person was
And I can't believe you're gone
Struggling to accept that the person is no longer alive
That's why I wrote this song
Writing a song to express the feelings of loss and nostalgia
Goodbye my old friend
Saying goodbye to an old friend who passed away
I'll miss you, yes, I will
Expressing the magnitude of the loss
So long my best pal
A final farewell to the best friend
Oh you, yeah you
Referring to the friend who passed away
Were like a brother to me
Describing how deep the friendship was
Take a walk down Wardour street
Walking down a street called Wardour
In the pub where we used to meet
Going to the old pub where they used to meet
I step inside and I imagine you're there
Remembering the friend's presence in a place that was important to them
Dolled up in a hound's-tooth suit
Imagining the friend dressed in a suit made of houndstooth
Buttoned down shirt and Chelsea boots
Imagining the friend wearing a shirt with all the buttons done and Chelsea boots
We had a bond that should've lasted a lifetime
Reflecting on the deep and lifelong bond they shared
But I hope you're looking down
Believing that the friend is in heaven and watching over them
And I hope I made you proud
Wanting the friend to be proud of them
What I'd give to see you in the crowd tonight, ah yeah
Wishing they could see their friend in the audience of a concert
And when we meet again
Hoping to reunite with the friend in the afterlife
There will be no end
Believing that there will be no separation after death
Just me and you, man
Looking forward to being together with the friend in the afterlife
Intellect and common sense
Valuing intelligence and practicality
Means nothing at all if you sit on the fence
Not doing anything renders intelligence and practicality useless
Anarchy is for the foolhardy
Believing that anarchy is reckless and risky
Why rail against society
Questioning why fight against the system
Aim high, reach for the sky
Having high ambitions and aiming to achieve them
How you gonna know unless you try
Willingness to take risks to find out if one can achieve their goals
These are your words, not mine
Acknowledging someone else's advice
So long old friend
A final goodbye to the person with whom they shared unforgettable memories
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kevin Stuart Savigar, Rod Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@debraglendinning7038
this is for my brother Al who died from CoVid in February. Rod was his favourite, he travelled all over the world to see him. Missing you Al xx
@roderickdavidstewart5200
Thanks for liking, watching and listening to my songs, Thanks for your love♥️and moral support. I hope you have been well entertained over the years?
@debraglendinning7038
This is my favourite of your many songs also reason to believe and handbags and gladrags, my top 3, hard to choose x
@roderickdavidstewart5200
@Debra Glendinning
Thanks for being the best fans possible♥️ kindly note that you can send me a mail via my google address just by adding 0 (zero to my full Name) and that’s makes up my google address. Looking forward to receiving your mails.
@eddionrodanronnie
Really sorry about Al, you must miss him terribly & thanks for sharing this as I have so much loss myself & Rod’s songs are a family favourite, this one in particular brings back so many happy memories
It’ll keep Al & you together as love has a way of not letting go
@andrewpollock4599
God bless you. I have just got clear of covid literally today,I was one of the lucky ones-I barely noticed I had it.May you have happy memories of your brother this Christmas-and he had great taste!
@theresabushey5827
Age 29 and he knew he would be a big star!! Here at 77 he is a giant star. Just the best.
@metalguru5226
This is definitely one of Rod's very best compositions. As good as "Maggie May". Fantastic lyrics and melody.
@connoroleary591
Brilliant and so poignant and melancholic. So sad that so much time has passed. Bless all of us with peace and understanding.
@trafalgar624
This takes me straight back to 1974, eighteen years old and having the time of my life. Great times 😍