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)
Standin' in the Shadows of Love
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm just waitin' for the heartaches to come
I want to run but there's no place to go
'Cause heartaches will follow me I know
Without your love the love I need
'Cause you've taking away
All my reason for living
When you pushed aside
All the love I been giving
Didn't I treat you right now, baby, didn't I?
Didn't I do the best for you now, didn't I?
Don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
All alone I'm destined to be
With misery my only company
Might come today, might come tomorrow
But it's for sure I ain't got nothing but sorrow
Now don't your conscience
Kind of bother you
How can you watch me cry
After all I done for you, now hold on a minute
Didn't I treat you right now, honey, didn't I?
Didn't I do the best for you now, didn't I?
So don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
Getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
I want to run but there's no place to go
'Cause heartaches will follow me I know
Without your love the love that I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
Now don't your conscience
Kinda, kinda bother you
How can you watch me cry
After all the things I done for you
Didn't I treat you right now, baby, didn't I?
Didn't I do the best for you, couldn't I?
Didn't I do right by you, didn't I?
Didn't I screw you right now?
Kept you in luxury, didn't I?
Didn't I do the best for you, didn't I?
Didn't I treat you right now, didn't I?
Didn't I do the best for you now, didn't I?
I'm trying hard not to cry
You know my crying ain't gonna help me now
Without your love, the love that I need
It's the beginning of the end for me
So don't you leave me
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing in the shadows of love
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
Standing, standing, standing, standing
Standing, standing, standing, standing
Standing, standing, standing, standing
The lyrics to Rod Stewart's song "Standing in the Shadows of Love" are about a person who has lost their lover, causing them to feel alone and in emotional pain. The lyrics express how the person is preparing for heartaches that are sure to come, as they are now left with only misery as their companion. Although they want to run away from their feelings, they know that heartaches will follow them wherever they go. The lyrics express the singer's frustration as they question why their lover would leave them after all the love they have given. They remind their lover of all the good things they did for them and beg them not to leave them "standing in the shadows of love."
One interpretation of the song is that it reflects the pain of a breakup or a failed relationship. The singer is left heartbroken, empty and lost as they struggle to come to terms with what has happened between themselves and their partner. The lyrics offer a sense of desperation and helplessness as the singer is unable to change their situation despite all that they have done.
Another interpretation of the song is that it explores the idea of unrequited love. The singer may be in love with someone who does not love them back. They are "standing in the shadows" of the person they love, longing for their affection but unable to have it. The lyrics suggest a sense of resignation as the singer knows that they are destined to be alone with their heartache.
Overall, "Standing in the Shadows of Love" is a poignant and emotional song that speaks to the universal theme of lost love and heartache.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in the shadows of love
The singer is in a vulnerable position, anticipating that more heartache is on its way.
I'm getting ready for the heartaches to come
He is bracing himself for more pain.
I'm just waitin' for the heartaches to come
He's emotionally preparing himself for the worst that will befall him.
I want to run but there's no place to go
He feels trapped within his own agony.
'Cause heartaches will follow me I know
He fully expects things to get worse.
Without your love the love I need
The end of this relationship has left the singer feeling incomplete.
It's the beginning of the end for me
This is his way of saying that everything has fallen apart since the end of the relationship.
'Cause you've taking away
The woman has stripped him of his reason for living.
All my reason for living
His life force, his passion, the thing that gave him purpose.
When you pushed aside
His affection means nothing to his ex.
All the love I been giving
The time and energy he put into a relationship got him nowhere.
Didn't I treat you right now, baby, didn't I?
He's feeling drastically undervalued.
Didn't I do the best for you now, didn't I?
He's trying to convince himself that he was the better half of the relationship.
Don't you leave me
He's begging the woman to stay.
All alone I'm destined to be
This situation has destroyed the singer's heart.
With misery my only company
He's left with nothing except his sense of pain.
Might come today, might come tomorrow
He fears that his sadness will never go away.
But it's for sure I ain't got nothing but sorrow
This marks the first time the singer admits that he feels empty.
Now don't your conscience
He's questioning her morality.
Kind of bother you
His ex will have to live with the consequences of her actions.
How can you watch me cry
He's asking how she could live with causing him pain.
After all I done for you, now hold on a minute
The singer is racked with frustration that nothing he did mattered.
So don't you leave me
He's still desperately pleading with her to remain in his life.
Getting ready for the heartaches to come
He knows that he hasn't seen the end of his suffering.
Now don't your conscience
He echoes his earlier line, as if he's hoping for some accountability from her.
Kinda, kinda bother you
He asks her how she can live with her own sense of wrongdoing.
Couldn't I?
He's trying to convince himself that he did everything right.
Didn't I do right by you, didn't I?
He's trying to justify why he's hurt.
Didn't I screw you right now?
He's lashing out in anger, feeling that he deserves something in return.
Kept you in luxury, didn't I?
The singer is questioning why none of his actions had any value for his ex.
I'm trying hard not to cry
His emotions are coming to a head; he's on the verge of breaking down.
You know my crying ain't gonna help me now
He's saying that there's no solution that can end his pain.
So don't you leave me
He repeats the line once more in a final effort to keep her near.
Standing, standing, standing, standing
The final repetition of the word 'standing' isn't important.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JR., BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD, JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind