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)
Heart Is on the Line
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When will you ever see
I gave it all nothing less
The feeling ain't mutual I guess
Why am I so confused
Why do I feel so used
This game at hand was made for two
But somehow I played without you
No I'm not sad
Nothin' lasts forever
Head over heels
Better late than never
[Chorus]
My heart is on the line
Running out of time
Love stop making a fool out of me
My heart is on the line
Running out of time
Love stop making a fool out of me
Telling my friends you're fine
Even our favorite wine
But you're not there and it hurts
Nobody knows how it hurts
Maybe I thought I knew
That I belonged to you
I dreamed a dream I couldn't have
I foolishly let myself dance
Inside your eyes
Oh don't be sad
I should've known better
Why didn't I realize
[Chorus]
Love stop making a fool out of me
Love stop making a fool out of me
Whenever you call me up
Everything else must stop
My heart says stay but I go
Cause I need you and you know
You're inside of me
I want you now and forever
Come on back to me
[Chorus]
My heart is on the line
Running out of time
Love stop making a clown out of me
Love stop making a fool out of me
Love stop making a clown out of me
Love stop making a fool out of me
"Heart Is on the Line" is a song by Rod Stewart that talks about the struggles of being in love with someone who doesn't love you back. The song starts with the singer expressing his feelings towards the person he loves and how much he has given to the relationship. However, he realizes that his love is not reciprocated, which has left him feeling used and confused. He carefully considers his actions and the way he has played the game of love without his partner's involvement.
The chorus speaks about the desperation he feels as he confesses that his heart is on the line, and time is running out for him. He pleads with love to stop making a fool of him and asserts that it's better late than never to stop his heart from being broken. He cannot hide his pain from his friends or even the wine that they enjoy, but he still holds on to the hope that the person he loves will come back to him.
The third verse emphasizes the depth of his longing for his lover, saying that everything else must stop when they call. His heart still wants the person he loves, and he pleads for them to come back to him. The song's chorus is repeated twice, saying that love should stop making a clown and fool of him.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you want from me
The singer is questioning what the other person wants from him
When will you ever see
The singer is asking when the other person will understand his feelings
I gave it all nothing less
The singer gave his all to the other person
The feeling ain't mutual I guess
The other person does not reciprocate the singer's feelings
Why am I so confused
The singer is confused about the situation with the other person
Why do I feel so used
The singer feels used by the other person
This game at hand was made for two
The situation between the singer and the other person was meant to be mutually beneficial
But somehow I played without you
The singer went through the situation alone without the other person's support
No I'm not sad
The singer denies being sad about the situation
Nothin' lasts forever
The singer acknowledges that things do not last forever
Head over heels
The singer is deeply in love with the other person
Better late than never
It is better for things to happen late than for them to never happen at all
My heart is on the line
The singer's heart is at stake in the situation
Running out of time
Time is running out for the singer to resolve the situation
Love stop making a fool out of me
The singer is asking love to stop making him feel foolish
Telling my friends you're fine
The singer is trying to make it seem like everything is okay with the other person to their friends
Even our favorite wine
The singer is reminded of the other person even when enjoying their favorite things
But you're not there and it hurts
The other person's absence is painful for the singer
Nobody knows how it hurts
The singer is suffering in silence and is not sharing their pain with anyone
Maybe I thought I knew
The singer may have been mistaken about their knowledge of the situation
That I belonged to you
The singer felt like they belonged to the other person
I dreamed a dream I couldn't have
The singer had a dream that was impossible to achieve
I foolishly let myself dance
The singer allowed themselves to get caught up in the moment and make decisions they now regret
Inside your eyes
The singer is reminiscing about the time spent gazing into the other person's eyes
Oh don't be sad
The singer is trying to comfort the other person
I should've known better
The singer regrets not knowing better about the situation
Why didn't I realize
The singer wonders why they did not realize what was happening sooner
Whenever you call me up
The singer is acknowledging that they drop everything whenever the other person contacts them
Everything else must stop
The singer is prioritizing the other person's needs above their own
My heart says stay but I go
The singer's heart wants to stay with the other person, but they end up leaving
Cause I need you and you know
The singer needs the other person and they are aware of it
You're inside of me
The other person has become a significant part of the singer's life
I want you now and forever
The singer wants to be with the other person forever
Come on back to me
The singer is pleading for the other person to return to them
Love stop making a clown out of me
The singer is asking love to stop making them feel foolish and embarrassed
Love stop making a fool out of me
The singer is asking love to stop making them look stupid
Love stop making a clown out of me
The singer is asking love to stop making them look like a fool
Love stop making a fool out of me
The singer is asking love to stop making them feel foolish and naïve
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAY DAVIS, ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind