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)
Hang on St. Christopher
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hang on St. Christopher
Through the smoke and the oil
Pumpin' iron around the scene
Let the radiator boil
Got no back down shift
And a two dollar grill
On an '85 hill
*Hang on St. Christopher
On the passenger side
Open it up tonight
So the devil can ride
Hang on St. Christopher
With a ballast door
Kick me up ...
Throw me out in the fog
Tell ... Jack ...
Drive a stake through his heart
Do a hundred on the grapevine
Do a jump on the start
Hang on St. Christopher
Now don't let me go
Get me to Reno
And bring it in low, low
Hang On St. Christopher
With the hammer to the floor
Put a highball in the crankcase
Nail a crow to the door
Give me a bottle for the jockey
Give me a two ...
There's a certain ...
Bustin' down Johnny's door
(*Repeat)
Let the devil ride
Let the devil ride
Let the devil ride
Hang On St. Christopher
Now don't let me go
Get me to Reno
Got to bring it in low
Put my baby on a flatcar
Tell 'em to burn down the caboose
Get 'em all jacked up with whiskey
And we'll turn the mad dog loose
(*Repeat)
Let him ride, let him ride
Let him ride, let him ride
Let him ride, let him ride
HAng on St. Christopher
Through the smoke and the oil
Get me to Reno
And bring it in low, low ...
The song 'Hang On St. Christopher' by Rod Stewart, which is composed by Tom Waits, has a driving rockabilly beat with lyrics inspired by the patron saint of travel, St. Christopher. The song starts with the singer telling St. Christopher, the patron saint of travellers, to "hang on" through the turbulence and chaos, with the line "Through the smoke and the oil, Pumpin' iron around the scene, Let the radiator boil." The singer is conveying a sense of urgency and desperation, a need to escape, and the need to hold on tight.
As the song progresses, the singer's lyrics become more cryptic, referencing a "ballast door" and a mission to "kick me up, Throw me out in the fog." The singer is asking St. Christopher to take them to Reno, a city known for its casinos and cheap divorces. The lyrics also mention driving at breakneck speed down California's Grapevine, a stretch of highway known for its steep elevation changes and winding turns.
Line by Line Meaning
Hang on St. Christopher
Hold on tight, St. Christopher (the patron saint of travelers and bachelors), we're in for a bumpy ride.
Through the smoke and the oil
Despite the danger and stress around us, we must push through.
Pumpin' iron around the scene
We're working hard and putting in a lot of effort.
Let the radiator boil
We're pushing the car to its limits, and we need to let the engine cool off.
Got no back down shift
We don't have the option to slow down or back up.
And a two dollar grill
We're not fancy or flashy, but we get the job done with what we have.
Got an '85 cab
on an '85 hill
We're driving an old car on a steep hill, which makes the journey even more challenging.
On the passenger side
We're not driving alone, we have a co-pilot with us.
Open it up tonight
Let's go full speed ahead and enjoy the ride.
So the devil can ride
Let's invite danger and take risks, even if it means having the devil along for the ride.
With a ballast door
We have a heavy and sturdy door, which will protect us from the outside world.
Kick me up ...
Throw me out in the fog
Tell ... Jack ...
Drive a stake through his heart
We're dealing with some tough or dangerous situations, and we're asking for divine (or supernatural) intervention to help us out.
Do a hundred on the grapevine
Do a jump on the start
We're not afraid to take risks and push the limits of our car's capabilities.
Now don't let me go
Get me to Reno
And bring it in low, low
We have a specific destination in mind, and we need to arrive there safely and smoothly.
With the hammer to the floor
We're stepping hard on the gas pedal, giving it all we've got.
Put a highball in the crankcase
Nail a crow to the door
We're doing whatever it takes to keep our car running, even if it means unconventional methods or good luck charms.
Give me a bottle for the jockey
Give me a two ...
There's a certain ...
Bustin' down Johnny's door
We have some specific requests and needs, which we hope will help us on our journey.
Let the devil ride
We're not afraid to let danger into our lives, even if it means making a deal with the devil.
Now don't let me go
Get me to Reno
Got to bring it in low
Once again, we have a specific destination in mind, and we need to arrive there safely and smoothly.
Put my baby on a flatcar
Tell 'em to burn down the caboose
Get 'em all jacked up with whiskey
And we'll turn the mad dog loose
We have a unique plan or idea, which we believe will help us reach our destination in style.
Let him ride, let him ride
We're giving someone (or something) a chance to influence our journey, for better or for worse.
Hang on St. Christopher
Through the smoke and the oil
Get me to Reno
And bring it in low, low ...
We're still holding on tight to St. Christopher, and we're still focused on reaching Reno safely and smoothly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS ALAN WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind