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)
Red Hot In Black
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Legs like a young giraffe
She was sitting reading Baudelaire
Not exactly working class
She had a studio in St. Michel
Crucifix around her waist
Che Guevara all over the wall
Hey boys, what a look
Stop a train at fifty feet
Matching hair, matching clothes and eyes
Kinda like a tiger in heat
Red hot in black
Red hot in black
Revolution running through her veins
A radical from head to toe
The only record that she ever played
Was "just like a rolling stone"
We started talking by the candlelight
Her lips get closer to mine
We started dancing all around the room
Helped by a bottle of wine
Hey boys, mystery
Didn't even know her name
One night in Paris, with a girl like that
Never going home again
Red hot in black
Red hot in black
Oh my, when I woke up
She'd already gone out to her work
My head was aching and my back was scratched
I've never, never, never known a night like that
Took a walk along the avenue
So in love and so confused
My plane was leaving in half an hour
What would you have done in my shoes?
Hey boys, so you see
Couldn't get her out a my head
My regards to the folks back home
Gonna spend some time with red
Red hot in black
Red hot in black
In "Red Hot In Black," Rod Stewart recounts his encounter with a woman he met in a little French cafe with legs like a young giraffe. She was reading Baudelaire, which makes it evident that she’s familiar with art and culture. He describes her as not working-class since she had a studio in St.Michel and had a crucifix around her waist and pictures of Che Guevara all over her walls. He identifies her demeanor as one who doesn't enjoy the sun on her face, so she dresses in all black, with matching hair and eyes, giving her a tiger-like appearance.
The song reveals that the woman is a radical who believes in revolutionary ideals, confirmed by her Che Guevara pictures, and "The only record that she ever played was 'just like a rolling stone.'" Stewart's description of her attracted him since she was mysterious, captivating, and exciting. She was a woman prepared for a challenge, which Stewart found challenging, and together, they danced throughout the night, aided by a bottle of wine. As a result, Stewart found himself besotted with the woman and unable to forget her, even after she left without saying goodbye.
Line by Line Meaning
I met her in a little French cafe
I saw her at the café while I was passing by
Legs like a young giraffe
She had long legs like that of a young giraffe
She was sitting reading Baudelaire
She was reading Baudelaire's work
Not exactly working class
She wasn't from a working-class background
She had a studio in St. Michel
She owned a studio in St. Michel
Crucifix around her waist
She wore a crucifix around her waist
Che Guevara all over the wall
Her room was decorated with Che Guevara's images
She can't stand the sun on her face
She didn't like the sun on her face
Hey boys, what a look
Wow, she had a stunning appearance
Stop a train at fifty feet
She was so attractive that even a train would stop at 50 feet
Matching hair, matching clothes and eyes
She had matching hair, clothes, and eyes, which looked amazing
Kinda like a tiger in heat
She was as fiery as a tiger in heat
Red hot in black
She was enchanting in her black attire
Revolution running through her veins
She was a revolutionary who had rebellion in her blood
A radical from head to toe
She was a radical in every way
The only record that she ever played
She would only play 'Just Like a Rolling Stone'
Was "just like a rolling stone"
She would play only this song
We started talking by the candlelight
We began chatting in candlelight
Her lips get closer to mine
She came closer to me as we talked
We started dancing all around the room
We started dancing in the room
Helped by a bottle of wine
The wine we drank made us dance more
Hey boys, mystery
There was something mysterious about her
Didn't even know her name
I didn't ask her name
One night in Paris, with a girl like that
Spending a night in Paris with a girl like her was unforgettable
Never going home again
I felt like I could stay there forever
Oh my, when I woke up
I was surprised when I woke up
She'd already gone out to her work
She had gone to work already
My head was aching and my back was scratched
I had a headache and back pain
I've never, never, never known a night like that
I'd never experienced a night like that before
Took a walk along the avenue
I went for a walk on the avenue
So in love and so confused
I was confused but in love
My plane was leaving in half an hour
I had to catch my flight in half an hour
What would you have done in my shoes?
What would you have done if you were in my position?
Hey boys, so you see
Guys, you get it now right?
Couldn't get her out a my head
I couldn't stop thinking about her
My regards to the folks back home
Please convey my regards to my family back home
Gonna spend some time with red
I am going to spend some time with that girl in red
Red hot in black
She was still enchanting in black
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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