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)
If I Had You
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You by my side
You by my side
(Ooh, ooh)
The other day I saw you walkin' (ooh)
You looked as pretty as a peach
You seemed so near
If I had you I'd have the power (I'd have the power)
To do most anything I choose (whatever you wanted)
Oh, oh, oh, I would not care
Sometimes I'd win (you win, you win)
Sometimes (sometimes) I'd lose, oh, wee
I could change the world [if I could change the world]
If I had you [by my side]
I could change the world [if I could change the world]
If I had you (by my side, yeah)
My momma told me not to worry (I don't cheating)
She said "It'll all come to those who wait"
(Come to you and you won't be wait)
But as I wait, I feel, oh, no
That it's much too late
That's why (never too late, baby)
I could change the world [if I could change the world]
(Change the world)
If I had you (ooh, you, if I had you)
I could change the world [if I could change the world]
(If I could change the world)
If I had you (only you) by my side (yeah) by my side
If I could change the world
(If I had you?ooh?)
If I could change the world (ooh)
(I could change the world)
Oh, yeah
I could change the world [if I could change the world]
If I had you (just me and you, just me and you, baby, yeah) [by my side]
I (ooh, ooh) could change the world [if I could change the world]
(Whatever you wanted)
If I had you (oh, yeah, if I had you) oh, yeah
I could change the world (oh)
If I had you (if I had you)
I could change the world (never, never too late now, no, no)
If I had you, oh, yeah
I (oh, yeah, yeah) could change the world
(I could change the world, I could change the world)
If I had you (if I only, if I only)
I could change the world
(I could change the world, I could change the world)
If I had you (by my side, oh, yeah) [yeah]
I could change the world
[Oh, you, whatever you need, I gave what you need]
(I could change the world)
If I had you
I could change the world
(I could change the world) [could change the world, yeah, yeah]
If I had you (if I get you) [oh, yeah, yeah]
I [ooh, ooh] could change the world (I could change the world)
If I had you (if I had, if I get you)
I?
At first glance, "If I Had You" seems like a love song, with the singer expressing his desire to have the person he loves by his side. However, upon closer inspection, the song reveals a deeper longing for power and control. The singer believes that if he had the person he loves with him, he would have the power to do anything he chooses. He goes on to say that he would not care about winning or losing, as long as he had this power. The singer's desperate desire for control is juxtaposed with his feelings of being out of reach, unable to attain this power on his own.
The chorus of the song provides a glimmer of hope, as the singer believes that having the person he loves by his side would enable him to change the world. This desire for change seems to be driven by the singer's desire for power, as he believes that with this power, he could have a significant impact on the world around him.
Overall, "If I Had You" is a complex and layered song that explores themes of love, power, control, and the desire for change. The singer's feelings of being out of reach, coupled with his desire for power and control, create a tension that runs throughout the song, culminating in the chorus's hopeful declaration that having the person he loves by his side would enable him to change the world.
Line by Line Meaning
You by my side
Expressing the desire to have the person they love beside them.
You looked as pretty as a peach
Commenting on the attractiveness of the person they saw recently.
You seemed so near And yet somehow you're out of my reach
Expressing the feeling of being unable to get closer to the person they love despite their proximity.
If I had you I'd have the power To do most anything I choose
Expressing a belief that being with the person they love would give them the strength to accomplish their goals.
Oh, oh, oh, I would not care Sometimes I'd win (you win, you win) Sometimes (sometimes) I'd lose, oh, wee
Expressing a willingness to put aside the fear of failure and accept the risks that come with pursuing their dreams.
I could change the world [if I could change the world]
Expressing the belief that they could make a significant impact on the world with the help of the person they love.
My momma told me not to worry (I don't cheating) She said "It'll all come to those who wait" (Come to you and you won't be wait) But as I wait, I feel, oh, no That it's much too late That's why (never too late, baby)
Recalling advice from their mother to be patient in love, but feeling like time may have already run out for them to be with the one they love.
If I had you (ooh, you, if I had you) My momma told me not to worry (I don't cheating) She said "It'll all come to those who wait" (Come to you and you won't be wait) But as I wait, I feel, oh, no That it's much too late That's why (never too late, baby)
Repeating the desire to be with the one they love and the fear that it may be too late.
If I had you (only you) by my side (yeah) by my side If I could change the world (If I had you?ooh?) If I could change the world (ooh)
Reiterating that being with the person they love would give them the power to change the world.
I could change the world [if I could change the world] If I had you (just me and you, just me and you, baby, yeah) [by my side]
Affirming that being with the person they love would allow them to make a difference in the world.
I (ooh, ooh) could change the world [if I could change the world] (Whatever you wanted) If I had you (oh, yeah, if I had you) oh, yeah I could change the world (oh)
Indicating a willingness to do anything for the person they love and the belief that they could change the world together.
If I had you (if I had you) I could change the world (never, never too late now, no, no) If I had you, oh, yeah I (oh, yeah, yeah) could change the world
Affirming that being with the person they love would give them the power to make a difference in the world, regardless of the past.
(I could change the world, I could change the world) If I had you (if I only, if I only) I could change the world (I could change the world, I could change the world)
Reiterating the belief that being with the person they love would allow them to change the world.
If I had you (by my side, oh, yeah) [yeah] I could change the world [Oh, you, whatever you need, I gave what you need] (I could change the world)
Assuring the person they love that they are willing to support them in whatever they need to make a difference in the world.
If I had you I could change the world (I could change the world) [could change the world, yeah, yeah] If I had you (if I get you) [oh, yeah, yeah] I [ooh, ooh] could change the world (I could change the world)
Reiterating the belief that being with the person they love would allow them to change the world, no matter what it takes to be with them.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GORDON MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind