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)
I'd Rather Go Blind
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I saw you and him talking
Something deep down in my soul said, cry boy
When I saw you and him out walking
I would rather, I would rather go blind girl
Than to see you walk away from me child
So you see I love you so much
Most of all I just don't, I just don't want to be free
I was just, I was just sitting here thinking
Of your kiss and your warm embrace child
When the reflection in the glass
That I been held to my lips now baby
Revealed the tears I had on my face
I would rather, I would rather be blind child
Than to see you walk away from me
Baby, baby, baby I would rather go blind
Than to see you walk away from me
The lyrics of Rod Stewart's song "I'd Rather Go Blind" speak to the anguish and heartbreak of losing love. The song tells the story of a narrator who realizes that his lover is leaving him for someone else. The opening line of "Something told me it was over" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is filled with a deep sense of foreboding and sadness, realizing that his love is slipping away from him. As he watches his love and the new person in her life, the singer is overcome with grief and the desire to cry. The pain of seeing his love with someone else is so great that he would rather go blind than watch her leave him.
In the second verse, the singer explains just how much he loves his partner. He doesn't want to be without her and he doesn't want her to leave him. The thought of being separated from her is unbearable. He thinks of her kiss and her warm embrace, and the memories bring tears to his eyes. As he looks at his reflection in a glass, he can see the tears on his face, reflecting his pain and sorrow. Even at this moment of deep hurt, the thought of losing her is too much to bear.
This song is a powerful expression of heartbreak and the intense emotions that come with the end of a relationship. The singer's willingness to go blind rather than see his love walk away is a testament to the depth of his feelings. The song is a poignant reminder of the power of love, both to bring great joy and also to inflict deep pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Something told me it was over
I had a gut feeling that our relationship had come to an end.
When I saw you and him talking
I realized our relationship was truly over when I saw you having a conversation with another man.
Something deep down in my soul said, cry boy
I felt such an intense, deep sadness that all I wanted to do was cry.
When I saw you and him out walking
Watching you walk around with another man only confirmed the heartbreak that I was already feeling.
I would rather, I would rather go blind girl
I would rather lose my sight than have to witness you leaving me.
Than to see you walk away from me child
More than anything else, I can't bear the thought of you leaving me.
So you see I love you so much
I hope you realize how deeply in love with you I am.
I don't want to see you leave me baby
I can't handle the thought of losing you from my life.
Most of all I just don't, I just don't want to be free
The idea of being free without you is unbearable, because all I want is to be with you.
I was just, I was just sitting here thinking
I've been lost in my own thoughts about you for a while now.
Of your kiss and your warm embrace child
I can't stop thinking about the feeling of your embrace and the sweetness of your kisses.
When the reflection in the glass
As I looked at myself in the mirror,
That I been held to my lips now baby
While holding a glass up to my lips.
Revealed the tears I had on my face
I noticed tears on my face that I didn't even realize I was shedding because I was so lost in thought.
I would rather, I would rather be blind child
I would rather be blind than have to see you leave me and the pain that would come with it.
Baby, baby, baby I would rather go blind
My love for you is so strong that I would rather lose my sight than lose you.
Than to see you walk away from me
Because the thought of you leaving me is too much to bear.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Foster, Ellington Jordan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronnie Smith
"I'd Rather Go Blind"-lyrics
Something told me it was over
when I saw you and him talking
Something deep down in my soul said "Cry boy"
when I saw you and him out walking
I would rather, I would rather go blind girl
than to see you walk away from me child
So you see I love you so much
I don't want to see you leave me baby
most of all I just don't, I just don't want to be free
I was just, I was just sitting here thinking
of your kiss and your warm embrace child
When the reflection in the glass
that I been held to my lips now baby
revealed the tears I had on my face
I would rather, I would rather be blind child
than to see you walk away from me
Baby, baby, baby I would rather go blind
than to see you walk away from me
Florena Avila
I love Rod Stewart's version of this song! One of my all-time favorite songs.
CLYDE HAYDEN
@888WulfDog888 … Yes Fool… It’s a Etta James song.. SMH
rie vano
Asikin Aja..
June Van Staden
Absolutely. Lockdown December
Carolyn Boyd
@Florena Avila I don't care who wrote it.Rod will make it his vibe,
Glyn Hannaford
@Florena Avila Well said and great knowledge! 👍
Glyn Hannaford
Sublime vocals and superb instrumentation. A classic. It's gems like this one which make Rod's back catalogue one of the most impressive ever. Thank you for posting here.
Tim Hoover
@D. H. Partly...
D. H.
Written by the great Etta James.
R.L Lynch
Love this version so much!!! Ronnie Woods guitar work is exceptional.