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 Only
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
to all of my closest friends,
and knew that it was over
and the party had to end.
If only, I'd have noticed
the sadness in your eyes,
she'd still be in my arms tonight
if only.
If only I'd have realized
the unimprotance of being cool,
to give a kiss,
maybe just say,
"Darling I love you."
If only I'd said I'm sorry
I'd have been a much better man,
she'd still be in my arms tonight,
if only.
There's an emptiness
that fills my heart
now that she's not here.
I loved her more than my own life,
something I've always feared,
if only.
If only I'd come home at night
instead of stayin' out for one more drink,
if only I'd been unconcerned
what the other guys may think,
if only I'd held her tight,
but I guess it's too late now.
Oh how blind can one man be,
if only.
Whoa but I will not be sad
after all the fun we've had.
You live some
and you learn some, if only.
If only I could convince her
the importance of one more chance,
if only God would allow me
one more celestial dance,
If only I have the nerve
to call her up and tell her how I feel,
she'd still be in my arms tonight,
if only.
But it's only love
and love ain't real,
it's only a four letter word.
We spend half our lives chasing after it,
how wonderf'ly absurd,
if only.
Oo whoa but I will not be sad
after all the fun we had.
You live some and you learn some,
whoa but I will not be sad
after all the fun we had.
You live some and you learn some,
you learn some. if only.
If only I'd come home at night
instead of stayin' for one more drink
The song If Only by Rod Stewart delves into regret, loss, and the importance of recognizing and taking action before it is too late. The lyrics describe a scenario where the singer is reflecting on his past relationship and realizing that there were many things he could have done differently to keep the love of his life in his arms. The lines "If only I'd ever listened / to all of my closest friends" indicate that the singer ignored some wise counsel and delayed in ending a relationship that was already over. Similarly, the singer laments not being able to recognize "the sadness in your eyes" and failing to show appreciation for his partner.
Another theme that emerges is the idea of masculinity and vulnerability. The singer realizes that he was too concerned with being "cool" and detached to show affection or even apologize when he was wrong. The lines "if only I'd held her tight / but I guess it's too late now" convey the regret of not being physically present with his partner when she needed him the most. The song also highlights the fleeting and elusive nature of love, with the line "it's only love / and love ain't real / it's only a four letter word" suggesting that the singer's realization has come too late.
Line by Line Meaning
If only I'd ever listened to all of my closest friends
I regret not heeding my friends' advice about the end of our relationship
And knew that it was over and the party had to end
I failed to acknowledge that our relationship was ending and I should've moved on
If only, I'd have noticed the sadness in your eyes
I should have paid closer attention to my partner and could have prevented the end of our relationship
She'd still be in my arms tonight if only
I regret the end of my relationship and wish we were still together
If only I'd have realized the unimportance of being cool
I should have prioritized my relationship over trying to be cool
To give a kiss, maybe just say, "Darling I love you"
I should have shown my partner more affection and expressed my love for them more often
If only I'd said I'm sorry I'd have been a much better man
I regret my mistakes and know that apologizing would have been the right thing to do
There's an emptiness that fills my heart now that she's not here
I feel a sense of sadness and loneliness since the end of our relationship
I loved her more than my own life, something I've always feared, if only
I regret not expressing my love and fear losing someone so important to me
If only I'd come home at night instead of stayin' out for one more drink
I neglected my relationship by prioritizing other things, such as drinking with friends, over spending time with my partner
If only I'd been unconcerned what the other guys may think
I placed too much importance on the opinions of others, rather than prioritizing my relationship
If only I'd held her tight, but I guess it's too late now
I wish I had been more affectionate and attentive to my partner, but now the opportunity is gone
Oh how blind can one man be, if only
I realize my mistakes and how my lack of attention and affection led to the end of our relationship
If only I could convince her the importance of one more chance
I regret losing my partner and want another chance to show her how much I care
If only God would allow me one more celestial dance
I wish for another opportunity to be with my partner and dance together
If only I have the nerve to call her up and tell her how I feel
I want to express my love and regret to my partner, but I'm unsure if I have the courage to do so
But it's only love and love ain't real, it's only a four letter word
I failed to appreciate the true value and depth of love, and now I realize it was only a word to me
We spend half our lives chasing after it, how wonderf'ly absurd, if only
I see how many people prioritize finding love, but often fail to appreciate it when they have it and only recognize its value after it's gone
You learn some, if only
I've realized my mistakes and wish I had acted differently in my relationship
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: JIM CREGAN, KEVIN SAVIGAR, ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
vitordragon
One of the best in Rod´s career. My list would include "Strangers again", "My girl", "I was only joking", "Broken arrow" and "Ten days of rain" among the songs known only by true fans.
RodStewartfan1
I AGREE!!!
Mark Williams
Most underrated song of all time.
stan dawson
Fantastic Rod track,does,nt do it enough at his live shows,right up there with the best ever !
Nuno Rua
Grande balada e um voz inesquecível!!!
Dorothy Kuveke
This is my first time hearing the song If only and I love it ❤️ I think most of your fans would agree that when it comes to singit about heartache or losing someone you truly love when you sing your fans as well as me feel your pain💔. Rod that is a special gift to be able to express your emotions through a song. You got everything in there from how you felt about her to what you did wrong to recovering to finally realizing the mistakes you made. I don't know any other artists that can do that💯 put all those emotions in a 2 minute song. Job well done 🎶🌹🎶☘️
M L
Greatest Rod Stewart song by far!
Emerson Rocha
Que solo maravilhoso meu Deus.
Vera Lucia Pinto Rios
Belíssimo ❤
Mark Nicholls
My mum passed away on November the 5th and I reckon she was probably the shortest adult female to adore Rod Stewart lol ..these lyrics say how sad I am every day for the loss ..all you people.out there who still have your mum tell them every day you love them ..everyday cause it could be your last chance