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)
Here To Eternity
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the year of '75
Jimmy Doyle took his child bride
Amanda, for a drive
She was only seventeen
He just lived to see her smile
Their commitment to each other
Burned like a forest fire
As a trooper pulled them over
And said Jimmy where you been
Someone matching your description
Has just robbed the liquor store
Amanda said He's been with me
But they weren't listening anymore
Down at Precinct Number Five
They questioned Jimmy through the night
The sheriff said He's gotta stand trial
Armed robbery is the charge
Amanda said This cannot be
Gonna stay right here until you set him free
And I love him
Here to eternity
Forever
Unto eternity
Oh God gave me something
I must hold on to
Gonna hold on him
No matter what you do
The old courthouse was crowded
As the judge reviewed the case
In a year of re-election
He was desperate to impress
Innocent or guilty
He saw an opportunity
To send Jimmy down for life
To the Penitentiary
Disbelief and anger
As they dragged him away
In a cell below the courthouse
They beat him like a slave
But his use of martial arts
Struck a blow for liberty
Felled a guard with a fist of iron
And killed him instantly
All the press surrounded Amanda
Coming down the courthouse steps
Pleading for her young man's life
And in a moment seen by millions
She bowed her head and cried
Show my man some mercy
He's the father of my child
I love him
Here to eternity
Forever
Unto eternity
Oh God gave me something
I must hold on to
Gonna hold on him
No matter what you do
I love him
Here to eternity
Jimmy Doyle appeared again
In a second public trail
For the murder of a prison guard
They sentenced him to die
But Amanda with her long red hair
Made one last plea
As the court fell into silence
She cried out desperately
This man of mine is innocent
As one day I shall prove
It's an open case of self defense
All this circumstantial evidence
You place before your court
Has robbed me of my husband
Forget I will not
I love him
Here to eternity
Forever
Unto eternity
Oh goodbye my Jimmy
'Til we meet again
In a better world than this
I swear I'll clear your name
'Cause I love you
Here to eternity
The lyrics of the song "Here to Eternity" by Rod Stewart tell a story of a young couple, Jimmy and Amanda, who are deeply in love. The young couple is driving down the road listening to Otis Redding's "Stand By Me" on the radio when they are suddenly pulled over by a trooper who accuses Jimmy of robbing a liquor store. Despite Amanda's pleas to prove his innocence, Jimmy is sent to prison and ends up killing a guard in self-defense. Amanda stands by her man throughout the trials and even after he is sentenced to death. She vows to clear his name and expresses her undying love for him.
The lyrics depict a bittersweet love story that faces challenges and obstacles at every turn. The unbreakable bond between the two lovers is strengthened by their mutual commitment to each other. Amanda is portrayed as a strong-willed and devoted woman who will go to any length to prove her husband's innocence. The lyrics are emotionally charged and paint a vivid picture of a tragic love story that ends in a promise of eternal love.
Line by Line Meaning
On a hot summer's night
On a night which exuded warmth and intense sultriness.
In the year of '75
In the year 1975.
Jimmy Doyle took his child bride
Jimmy Doyle, who was a man of advanced age, married a woman who was still a minor and yet to attain the age where it was legally acceptable to get married.
Amanda, for a drive
Jimmy Doyle took his wife, Amanda, for a ride in his car.
She was only seventeen
Amanda, Jimmy's wife, was just seventeen years old.
He just lived to see her smile
Jimmy lived only for the sake of seeing Amanda's beautiful smiles and making her happy.
Their commitment to each other
The bond between Jimmy and Amanda was extremely strong and unbreakable.
Burned like a forest fire
Their love and commitment to each other were so intense that it resembled a blazing forest fire.
Otis on the radio singing Stand By Me
The song Stand By Me by Otis Redding played on the radio.
As a trooper pulled them over
A police officer stopped and pulled over Jimmy and Amanda's car.
And said Jimmy where you been
The police officer asked Jimmy where he had been.
Someone matching your description
The police officer claimed that someone who resembled Jimmy had committed a crime.
Has just robbed the liquor store
The robbery in question had taken place at a liquor store.
Amanda said He's been with me
Amanda confirmed that Jimmy had been with her during the time of the robbery.
But they weren't listening anymore
The police officers refused to hear Amanda's plea and were not interested in her side of the story.
Down at Precinct Number Five
They went to the police station located at Precinct Number Five.
They questioned Jimmy through the night
The police interrogated Jimmy for the entire night.
The sheriff said He's gotta stand trial
The sheriff declared that Jimmy would have to undergo a trial regarding the alleged robbery.
Armed robbery is the charge
Jimmy was being charged with armed robbery.
Amanda said This cannot be
Amanda was stunned at the turn of events and could not believe what was happening.
Gonna stay right here until you set him free
She decided to stay put until Jimmy was released.
And I love him
She still loved Jimmy despite the accusations and charges against him.
Here to eternity
Their love was eternal - it would last forever.
Forever
Their love was everlasting and would never fade away.
Unto eternity
Their love was timeless and would never come to an end.
Oh God gave me something
God had blessed Amanda with something.
I must hold on to
She was determined to hold on to that blessing.
Gonna hold on him
She was going to cling onto Jimmy - her love - no matter what happened.
No matter what you do
No matter what life threw at them, she would always love Jimmy.
The old courthouse was crowded
The court was overflowing with people.
As the judge reviewed the case
The presiding judge was going through the details of the case.
In a year of re-election
It was the year of re-election for the judge.
He was desperate to impress
The judge was eager to make an impression and be re-elected.
Innocent or guilty
Whether Jimmy was innocent or guilty was irrelevant to the judge.
He saw an opportunity
The judge saw this as a chance to prove his worth and exercise his power.
To send Jimmy down for life
He decided to sentence Jimmy to life imprisonment.
To the Penitentiary
He sent him to the penitentiary.
Disbelief and anger
A sense of disbelief and anger was evident among Jimmy's supporters.
As they dragged him away
The guards forcibly took Jimmy away.
In a cell below the courthouse
Jimmy was locked up in a cell located beneath the courthouse.
They beat him like a slave
The guards subjected Jimmy to severe beatings, treating him like a slave.
But his use of martial arts
Jimmy's proficiency in martial arts came in handy during his time of incarceration.
Struck a blow for liberty
He used his knowledge of martial arts to free himself from captivity.
Felled a guard with a fist of iron
He brought down a guard with a single powerful punch.
And killed him instantly
The guard died on the spot due to the severity of the punch.
All the press surrounded Amanda
The media crowded around Amanda.
Coming down the courthouse steps
Amanda was walking down the steps of the courthouse.
Pleading for her young man's life
She begged for mercy and clemency for Jimmy's life.
And in a moment seen by millions
The entire world witnessed this moment.
She bowed her head and cried
Amanda became emotional and cried.
Show my man some mercy
She requested the judges to show compassion towards Jimmy.
He's the father of my child
Jimmy was the father to Amanda's child.
Jimmy Doyle appeared again
Jimmy had to face another trial.
In a second public trail
This was the second time the case was being tried in public.
For the murder of a prison guard
Jimmy was being charged with killing one of the prison guards.
They sentenced him to die
Jimmy was sentenced to capital punishment - he was to be executed.
But Amanda with her long red hair
But Amanda, with her striking long red hair, wouldn't give up on Jimmy.
Made one last plea
She made one final request.
As the court fell into silence
The courtroom fell silent.
She cried out desperately
Amanda screamed, filled with desperation.
This man of mine is innocent
She declared that Jimmy was not guilty.
As one day I shall prove
She vowed to prove Jimmy's innocence someday.
It's an open case of self defense
She claimed that Jimmy acted in self-defense.
All this circumstantial evidence
She said all the evidence presented was simply circumstantial.
You place before your court
The judge was presented with this evidence in Jimmy's trial.
Has robbed me of my husband
All the evidence presented was taking her husband - Jimmy - away from her.
Forget I will not
She vowed to never forget Jimmy and what he meant to her.
Oh goodbye my Jimmy
She bid farewell to Jimmy.
Til we meet again
She hoped to see him again someday.
In a better world than this
A world where they could be together without any obstacles or hindrances.
I swear I'll clear your name
She made a solemn promise to clear Jimmy's name and prove his innocence.
'Cause I love you
Jimmy was her one true love and she would love him always.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KEVIN SAVIGAR, ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind