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 Was Only Joking
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I messed around with all the rules
Apologized, then realized
I'm not different after all
Me and the boys thought we had is sussed
Valentino's all of us
My dad said we looked ridiculous
In and out of jobs, running free
Waging war with society
Dumb, blank faces stared back at me
But nothing ever changed
Promises made in the heat of night
Creepin' home before it got too light
I wasted all that precious time
And blamed it on the wine
I was only joking, my dear
Looking for a way to hide my fear
What kind of fool was I?
I could never win
Never found a compromise
Collected lovers like butterflies
Illusions of that grand first prize
Are slowly wearin' thin
Susie, baby, you were good to me
Giving love unselfishly
But you took it all too seriously
I guess it had to end
I was only joking, my dear
Looking for a way to hide my fear
What kind of fool was I?
I could never win
Now you ask me if I'm sincere
That's the question that I always fear
Verse seven is never clear
But I'll tell you what you want to hear
I try to give you all you want
But giving love is not my strongest point
If that's the case, it's pointless going on
I'd rather be alone
'Cause what I'm doing must be wrong
Pouring my heart out in a song
Owning up for prosperity
For the whole damn world to see
Quietly now while I turn a page
Act one is over without costume change
The principal would like to leave the stage
The crowd don't understand
The first verse of the song talks about how the singer, Rod Stewart, was always one to break rules from his school days. He admits to not being different and realizes that he was just another person trying to find his place in the world. The second verse is about his teenage years, where he and his friends thought they were cool and stylish, but his father thought they were ridiculous. Despite this, they still managed to break a few hearts. However, throughout his youth, Rod Stewart was constantly in and out of jobs, feeling unattached to society with no changes ever made. The chorus of the song, "I was only joking, my dear, looking for a way to hide my fear. What kind of fool was I? I could never win," talks about how the singer would joke about everything as a way to hide his fear of not being good enough, but ultimately realizing that he was just foolish to think he could ever win.
Verse three of the song talks about the mistakes he made while being young, promises made in the heat of the moment, and wasted time due to excessive drinking. The fourth verse expresses the reality of his love life. He collected lovers, but the illusions of grandeur slowly began to wear off, leaving him to wonder what he really wanted. The bridge of the song is about his ex-girlfriend, Susie, who gave him love that he never expected but who ultimately took it too seriously, causing their relationship to fall apart. The last verse expresses his inability to give love and his inclination towards being alone. He confesses that he feels wrong for pouring his heart out in a song, but he owns up to his mistakes for the world to see.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since I was a kid in school
From the moment I started school as a child
I messed around with all the rules
I constantly broke the rules and never took anything seriously
Apologized, then realized
Admitted my fault and came to a realization
I'm not different after all
I'm not unique, just like everyone else
Me and the boys thought we had it sussed
My friends and I thought we were smart and had everything figured out
Valentino's all of us
We dressed up like Valentino, the famous film actor
My dad said we looked ridiculous
My father criticized us for looking foolish
But, boy, we broke some hearts
But we still managed to attract and charm many women
In and out of jobs, running free
We frequently changed jobs and lived life without any real responsibilities or commitments
Waging war with society
We were rebelling against societal norms and expectations
Dumb, blank faces stared back at me
People looked at us with blank expressions, as if we were foolish
But nothing ever changed
But despite all our efforts, nothing really changed
Promises made in the heat of night
We made promises to each other while under the influence of alcohol, in the middle of the night
Creepin' home before it got too light
We would sneak back into our homes before the sun came up
I wasted all that precious time
I regret spending all that time on meaningless things
And blamed it on the wine
And used the excuse that we were drunk
I was only joking, my dear
I wasn't being serious, my love
Looking for a way to hide my fear
I was trying to mask my insecurity
What kind of fool was I?
How foolish was I to behave that way?
I could never win
I could never accomplish what I aimed for in life
Never found a compromise
I was never able to reach a mutual agreement
Collected lovers like butterflies
I had many romantic partners, but never truly committed to any of them
Illusions of that grand first prize
I had illusions of achieving something great
Are slowly wearin' thin
But those illusions are becoming less and less believable
Susie, baby, you were good to me
You were kind and caring towards me, Susie
Giving love unselfishly
You gave your love freely and without reservation
But you took it all too seriously
But you were too serious about our relationship, and I wasn't ready for that commitment
I guess it had to end
I suppose our relationship had to come to an end
Now you ask me if I'm sincere
You're asking me if I mean what I say
That's the question that I always fear
That's a question I'm always afraid of
Verse seven is never clear
The meaning of the seventh verse is ambiguous
But I'll tell you what you want to hear
But I'll say what you want me to say
I try to give you all you want
I try to provide you with everything you desire
But giving love is not my strongest point
But I'm not very good at giving love
If that's the case, it's pointless going on
If that's how things are, there's no point in continuing our relationship
I'd rather be alone
I would rather be on my own
Cause what I'm doing must be wrong
Because what I'm doing is not working
Pouring my heart out in a song
Expressing my emotions through music
Owning up for prosperity
Owning up to my mistakes for the greater good
For the whole damn world to see
For everyone to know and understand
Quietly now while I turn a page
I'm turning over a new leaf, quietly and without fanfare
Act one is over without costume change
The first chapter of my life is complete, without any significant changes
The principal would like to leave the stage
I want to exit the stage of life without any fuss
The crowd don't understand
The people around me don't really comprehend my decisions and motivations
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GARY GRAINGER, ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind