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)
First I Look At The Purse
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some fellows look at the nose
Some fellows look at the size
Some fellows look at the clothes
I don't care if her eyes are red
I don't care if her nose is long
I don't care if she's underfeed
I don't care if her clothes are wrong
Some fellows like the smiles they wear
Some fellows like the legs that talk
Some fellows like the style of their hair
They want the waist line to be small
I don't care if their legs all vein
I don't care if their teeth are big
I don't care if she wears a ring
Why waste time looking at the waist line
'Cause first I look at the purse...yeah!
A woman can be as fine as can be
Kisses sweeter than honey
That don't mean a thing to me
If you ain't got no money, baby
'Cause if the purse is fat, that's where it's at yeahaa...
Some fellows like the way they walk
The way they swing and sway
Some fellows like the way they talk
If they can talk talk all day
I don't care if she waddles like a duck or talks with a lisp
I still think I'm in good luck if the dollar bills are crisp
'Cause first I look at the purse...yeah yeah
Keep an eye on the money
Woman's got to have some fine greenbacks hah
I ain't greedy guys
Oh I don't want to work no more
Rod Stewart's song "First I Look at the Purse" was originally written by Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers in 1965 for The Contours. Stewart's interpretation of the song is about his preference for women with money as opposed to looks. He asserts that a woman can be physically beautiful, but if she doesn't have any money, then he's not interested. The song talks about how some men look at a woman's eyes, nose, size, legs, or even their waistline, but, for him, it's all about the purse. If a woman has a lot of money in her purse, then that's where it's at for him.
In the first verse, he sings about various body parts that other men tend to focus on when seeking a woman, but he asserts that he doesn't care about any of that. He only cares about the contents of her purse. He goes on to say that even if a woman has physical flaws, it doesn't matter to him as long as her purse is full of money. In the second verse, he mentions how some men like the way women move or talk, but for him, it's still about the purse. The final verse emphasizes his preference for women with money, stating that he doesn't want to work anymore and needs a woman to take care of him financially.
Overall, the song perpetuates the stereotype that men are shallow and only care about a woman's financial status. It also highlights the gendered power dynamics at play in heterosexual relationships, where men are expected to be providers and women are expected to rely on their partners' financial support.
Line by Line Meaning
Some fellows look at the eyes
Some men pay attention to a woman's eyes when they are trying to decide if they like her or not
Some fellows look at the nose
Some men pay attention to a woman's facial features like her nose when they are deciding if they like her
Some fellows look at the size
Some men care about a woman's physical appearance and weight when deciding if they like her
Some fellows look at the clothes
Some men care about a woman's fashion sense and clothing when deciding if they like her
I don't care if her eyes are red
The color of a woman's eyes does not matter to me when deciding if I like her or not
I don't care if her nose is long
I am not concerned about a woman's facial features like her nose when deciding if I like her
I don't care if she's underfeed
A woman's weight or physical appearance does not matter to me when I am trying to decide if I like her
I don't care if her clothes are wrong
A woman's fashion sense or clothing does not matter to me when I am trying to decide if I like her
First I look at the purse
The first thing I consider when deciding if I like a woman is how much money she has
Some fellows like the smiles they wear
Some men care about a woman's smile when deciding if they like her
Some fellows like the legs that talk
Some men are attracted to a woman's legs and the way they look when she is walking
Some fellows like the style of their hair
A woman's hairstyle can be important to some men when they are deciding if they like her
They want the waist line to be small
Some men care about a woman's physical appearance and prefer if she has a small waist
I don't care if their legs all vein
The appearance of a woman's legs does not matter to me when I am deciding if I like her
I don't care if their teeth are big
The appearance of a woman's teeth is not important to me when I am trying to decide if I like her
I don't care if she wears a ring
Whether or not a woman is married or engaged does not matter to me when I am trying to decide if I like her
Why waste time looking at the waist line
It is pointless to spend time judging a woman's physical appearance when there is a quicker way to evaluate her
'Cause first I look at the purse...yeah!
The amount of money a woman has is the most important factor for me when deciding if I like her
A woman can be as fine as can be
A woman can be very attractive in many ways
Kisses sweeter than honey
A woman's kisses can be amazing
That don't mean a thing to me
Despite a woman being attractive and a good kisser, it does not necessarily mean I will like her if she does not have money
If you ain't got no money, baby
If a woman does not have money, it is a deal breaker for me
'Cause if the purse is fat, that's where it's at yeahaa...
The amount of money a woman has is the most important factor for me when deciding if I like her
Some fellows like the way they walk
Some men are attracted to the way a woman walks
The way they swing and sway
Some men are attracted to the way a woman moves her body
Some fellows like the way they talk
Some men are attracted to a woman's voice and the way she talks
If they can talk talk all day
Some men like women who are talkative and can hold a conversation for a long time
I don't care if she waddles like a duck or talks with a lisp
The way a woman walks or talks is not important to me when deciding if I like her
I still think I'm in good luck if the dollar bills are crisp
If a woman has crisp, new money then I consider myself lucky to have found her
'Cause first I look at the purse...yeah yeah
The amount of money a woman has is the most important factor for me when deciding if I like her
Keep an eye on the money
It is important for me to make sure the woman I am interested in has a lot of money
Woman's got to have some fine greenbacks hah
It is essential that a woman has a lot of money for me to be interested in her
I ain't greedy guys
I am not greedy, I just like women who have a lot of money
Oh I don't want to work no more
I want to find a woman who has a lot of money so I can stop working
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBERT ROGERS, SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tonyc c
brilliant version love the words what a voice .wish I had it posted by tonyc
H Yadav
one of the best blues covers... such a warm voice and heartfelt rendition with typical blues riffs...who wouldn't love this version
Latricia Thomas
My waistline is definitely not small but I do love a nice purse.
msattler111
There are a lot of better versions.
I do like Rod, but this is not one of his better efforts.
Even Raw Pussies did it better, and their bit sucks a lot.
The best work on the song is J. Geils band's bit from the Full House album.
Live from Detroit and spankin' it.
Leri Waters.
Too polished i'm afraid...remember the faces...
Charles Chandler
I say yeah!!!...:)O(:...