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)
Julia
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About a girl that I once knew
Julia
She lived in a great big house
With golden gates where servants bowed
For Julia
Unashamed I'd sit outside and wait for hours
This beautiful girl as pretty as any flower had a hold on me
Upstairs in my lonely room
I would dream of being cool
With Julia
I lived in obsessive bliss
Carefully planning my first kiss
Off Julia
One day I was feeling awfully brave and asked her
If she'd like to come on a date, I just had to
She bent down and gently kissed my face and said oh someday
Oh my god how I loved this girl
But no one ever said that love could burn
Waiting by the phone for days
For a call that never came
From Julia
But love is cruel and has no wings
But I still hear angels sing
For my Julia
I remember being overwhelmed by her prettiness
If only she would look my way I might be in business
To tell the truth she didn't even know I existed, Julia
Summer took her pretty clothes
Winter came in grey and snow oh Julia
And I found out she'd moved away
Her best friend said to the north country
Julia
Now all this happened many years ago my friend
Regrettably there is no happy end, oh no
She was fourteen, I was only ten, oh my Julia
Rod Stewart's song "Julia" is a poignant ballad about a young man's infatuation with a girl named Julia who lived in a grand house with servants. From outside her home, he would wait for hours, hoping she would come down from her high place and notice him. He relentlessly fantasized about her, planning his first kiss with her and living in obsessive bliss, but his love was unrequited. When he finally asked her out on a date, she gently kissed his face but told him that they could only be friends. Eventually, Julia moved away, leaving the singer pining for her.
The song captures the innocence and intensity of a first crush, and the bittersweet pain of unrequited love. The imagery of Julia's grand house with gold gates and servants bowing reinforces the singer's perception of her as a goddess. The repetition of her name throughout the song emphasizes his preoccupation with her, and the angelic chorus in the background adds a dreamy quality to his recollection of their encounter. The singer's nostalgia for his past and regret for missed opportunities is palpable in his final lines, where he reflects that the chance for a happy ending was lost many years ago.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's a song I sing for you
I wrote this song for you
About a girl that I once knew
This song is about a girl from my past
Julia
Her name was Julia
She lived in a great big house
Julia lived in a very large and luxurious house
With golden gates where servants bowed
The entrance to Julia's house had fancy golden gates and the servants would show great respect to her
For Julia
Everything in Julia's life revolved around her
Unashamed I'd sit outside and wait for hours
I didn't care about being seen waiting for Julia, sometimes for very long periods of time
Hoping that she'd climb down from her ivory towers
I wished that Julia would come down from her high and mighty position to spend time with me
This beautiful girl as pretty as any flower had a hold on me
Julia's beauty and charm had a strong influence on me
Upstairs in my lonely room
I spent a lot of time alone in my room
I would dream of being cool
I daydreamed of being a cool and charismatic person
With Julia
I imagined being with Julia in my dreams
I lived in obsessive bliss
My thoughts were consumed by Julia, and I was in a state of obsession
Carefully planning my first kiss
I thought a lot about the perfect moment to kiss Julia for the first time
Off Julia
That kiss would be shared with Julia
One day I was feeling awfully brave and asked her
I mustered up the courage to ask Julia out on a date
If she'd like to come on a date, I just had to
I knew I had to ask her out because I was deeply infatuated with her
She bent down and gently kissed my face and said oh someday
Julia kissed my face kindly, but didn't give me a straight answer about the date
Oh my god how I loved this girl
I had strong feelings of love for Julia
But no one ever said that love could burn
Love can be painful
Waiting by the phone for days
I became obsessed with the hope of hearing from Julia
For a call that never came
Unfortunately, Julia never called me
From Julia
I was waiting for a call from Julia
But love is cruel and has no wings
Love can be harsh and unyielding
But I still hear angels sing
Despite the pain, there are still moments to cherish
For my Julia
I still have warm memories of Julia
I remember being overwhelmed by her prettiness
The beauty of Julia was breathtaking for me
If only she would look my way I might be in business
I thought that if Julia only noticed me, I might have a chance with her
To tell the truth she didn't even know I existed, Julia
Unfortunately, Julia never really paid attention to me
Summer took her pretty clothes
Summer ended, and the warm weather wore off
Winter came in grey and snow oh Julia
The cold winter season arrived, and I still missed Julia
And I found out she'd moved away
I learned that Julia had moved
Her best friend said to the north country
Julia moved to the more northern part of the country
Julia
I can never forget Julia
Now all this happened many years ago my friend
These memories of Julia are from a long time ago
Regrettably there is no happy end, oh no
Sadly, my relationship with Julia did not have a happy ending
She was fourteen, I was only ten, oh my Julia
I was young and naive when I was infatuated with Julia, but I still think of her fondly
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: D Thomas, John Mclaughlin, Rod Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind