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)
The Killing of Georgie Part I and II
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In these days of changing ways
So called liberated days
A story comes to mind of a friend of mine
Georgie boy was gay I guess
Nothin' more or nothin' less
The kindest guy I ever knew
His mother's tears fell in vain
The afternoon George tried to explain
That he needed love like all the rest
Pa said there must be a mistake
How can my son not be straight
After all I've said and done for him
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Leavin' home on a Greyhound bus
Cast out by the ones he loves
A victim of these gay days it seems
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Georgie went to New York town
Where he quickly settled down
And soon became the toast of the great white way
Accepted by Manhattan's elite
In all the places that were chic
No party was complete without George
Along the boulevards he'd cruise
And all the old queens blew a fuse
Everybody loved Georgie boy
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
The last time I saw George alive
Was in the summer of seventy-five
He said he was in love I said I'm pleased
George attended the opening night
Of another Broadway hype
But split before the final curtain fell
Deciding to take a short cut home
Arm in arm they meant no wrong
A gentle breeze blew down fifth avenue
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Out of a darkened side street came
A New Jersey gang with just one aim
To roll some innocent passer-by
There ensued a fearful fight
Screams rang out in the night
Georgie's head hit a sidewalk cornerstone
A leather kid, a switchblade knife
He did not intend to take his life
He just pushed his luck a little too far that night
The sight of blood dispersed the gang
A crowd gathered, the police came
An ambulance screamed to a halt on fifty-third and third
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Georgie's life ended there
But I ask who really cares
George once said to me and I quote
He said "never wait or hesitate
Get in kid, before it's too late
You may never get another chance
'Cause youth a mask but it don't last
Live it long and live it fast"
Georgie was a friend of mine
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Da da da da da da duh
Oh Georgie stay,
Don't go away
Georgie please stay
You take our breath away
Oh Georgie stay,
Don't go away
Georgie please stay
You take our breath away
Oh Georgie stay,
Don't go away
Georgie, Georgie stay (please stay)
You take our breath away
The song "The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)" by Rod Stewart tells the story of a gay man named Georgie who is rejected by his family and forced to leave home. Despite this, he finds acceptance in New York City and becomes successful and popular among Manhattan's elite. However, his life is tragically cut short when he is brutally attacked and killed by a gang in a hate crime.
The song highlights the struggles that LGBTQ+ individuals face in a society that often discriminates against them. It also addresses the importance of living life to the fullest and seizing opportunities before they pass by.
The lyrics are powerful and emotional, with the recurring refrain of "Georgie please stay, you take our breath away" emphasizing the devastating impact of his death on those who knew and loved him.
Overall, the song is a poignant tribute to those who have lost their lives due to hatred and prejudice, and a call for acceptance and love towards all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation.
Line by Line Meaning
In these days of changing ways
In this era of changing social norms
So called liberated days
So-called free and liberal times
A story comes to mind of a friend of mine
A story of my friend Georgie comes to my mind
Georgie boy was gay I guess
Georgie was gay, I believe
Nothin' more or nothin' less
That's all there was to it
The kindest guy I ever knew
He was the nicest person I had ever met
His mother's tears fell in vain
His mother cried but it didn't change anything
The afternoon George tried to explain
One afternoon, Georgie tried to tell his family
That he needed love like all the rest
That he wanted to be loved just like everyone else
Pa said there must be a mistake
His father thought it was an error
How can my son not be straight
How could his son not be straight?
After all I've said and done for him
After all he had done for Georgie
Leavin' home on a Greyhound bus
Georgie left home by taking a Greyhound bus
Cast out by the ones he loves
He was rejected by his family
A victim of these gay days it seems
A victim of the times when being gay was not accepted
Georgie went to New York town
Georgie moved to New York City
Where he quickly settled down
He found a place to live and work
And soon became the toast of the great white way
He became famous and well-liked on Broadway
Accepted by Manhattan's elite
He was welcomed and accepted by the upper class in Manhattan
In all the places that were chic
In all the fashionable and trendy spots
No party was complete without George
George was always invited to parties and they were not complete without him
Along the boulevards he'd cruise
He would walk or drive along the streets
And all the old queens blew a fuse
And all the elderly gay men were excited to see him
Everybody loved Georgie boy
Everyone loved Georgie
The last time I saw George alive
The last time I saw Georgie before he died
Was in the summer of seventy-five
It was in the summer of 1975
He said he was in love I said I'm pleased
He told me he was in love and I was happy for him
George attended the opening night
Georgie went to the opening of a new play
Of another Broadway hype
Of another popular show on Broadway
But split before the final curtain fell
But he left before the show ended
Deciding to take a short cut home
He thought he would take a shorter way home
Arm in arm they meant no wrong
He was walking with someone he didn't mean to harm
A gentle breeze blew down fifth avenue
It was an evening in summer with a gentle breeze
Out of a darkened side street came
A group of people came out of a dark alley
A New Jersey gang with just one aim
A gang from New Jersey who wanted to attack someone
To roll some innocent passer-by
To attack and rob someone who was doing nothing wrong
There ensued a fearful fight
A terrible fight broke out
Screams rang out in the night
People were screaming in the darkness
Georgie's head hit a sidewalk cornerstone
Georgie's head hit the corner of a curb
A leather kid, a switchblade knife
One of the attackers had a knife
He did not intend to take his life
The attacker did not mean to kill him
He just pushed his luck a little too far that night
The attacker was taking a chance that didn't end well
The sight of blood dispersed the gang
The attackers ran away when they saw blood
A crowd gathered, the police came
People gathered and police arrived at the scene
An ambulance screamed to a halt on fifty-third and third
An ambulance stopped at the corner of 53rd and 3rd streets
Georgie's life ended there
Georgie died on that street corner
But I ask who really cares
But I wonder if anyone really cares
George once said to me and I quote
Georgie once said to me, and I remember clearly
He said 'never wait or hesitate
He said to never hesitate or wait
Get in kid, before it's too late
Take every opportunity before it's too late
You may never get another chance
This may be your only opportunity
'Cause youth a mask but it don't last
Youth is short-lived and is like a mask
Live it long and live it fast
Live life to the fullest and quickly
Oh Georgie stay, Don't go away
The singer is asking Georgie to stay
Georgie please stay
He wants Georgie to stay with him
You take our breath away
Georgie is very important to them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christine Scarff
@Filippo I am SO old , I never knew a gay guy when I was young cos it had not long since been decriminalised ! But my daughter has several gay friends who I’ve known quite well over the years ( she’s nearly 36 now ! ) and they really are lovely people and have been really good friends to her . The problem is that my cousin an apparently hardline ‘ good churchgoing catholic ‘ has turned out to be gay and has a Hong Kong Chinese partner , but he and his mother sent my ‘ non catholic ‘ father ‘ to Coventry ‘ for the entire 24 years he lived after my mother’s death basically just because he wasn’t a bloody catholic !
And once when staying with the same aunt overnight I was going to Mass on the Sunday morning with her and her catholic husband ( I’m catholic too ! ) and my ‘ non catholic ‘ husband expressed the wish to come to church with us and my aunt said at the top of her voice ‘ don’t let W come with us Christine , cos he isn’t a catholic ‘ ! My ‘ good catholic’ aunt masked the fact that her son was a promiscuous gay ( and in hindsight he WAS promiscuous ) but permitted herself to despise my father even though he was a ‘ thinking ‘ confirmed Anglican !
It seems to be - I’m allowed my prejudice but I’ll mask things so you can’t show yours !
My cousin told me he was in a civil partnership the day before my daughter’s wedding ( I actually thought he was just going to finally tell me he was gay ! ) as he’s her godfather and was playing the church organ for her wedding and he told me to phone and tell my dad . My dad nearly collapsed in a heap I could tell , cos he’d been ostracised for just being a practising Christian of another denomination whereas my cousin’s promiscuous homosexual activities had just been hidden by all the ‘ saintly ‘ catholic family !!
Finally, I watched a programme on BBC1 a few months ago about a group in Ireland trying to organise an LBTQ rally during the covid restrictions and one of the organisers said he was quite religious and has thought of becoming an evangelical minister and later you saw him in the Orange Order uniform and marching through Belfast in one of those dreadful Orange order ‘ celebrations ‘. So he wanted to be accepted as gay or ‘ bicurious ‘ or whatever , but he clearly hated catholics !
They say ‘ my enemy’s enemy is my friend ‘ but it seems more like ‘ my enemy’s prejudice is my enemy , but my prejudice is my friend ‘ !!
Incidentally 2 more members of my mum’s family ( my cousins ) have now turned out to be bisexual and dumped their wives and children !!
There’s nowt as QUEER as folk - ha ! ha! ha ! 🤷♀🙃🤪😂
Graeme Aiken
It is easy to forget now what a ground breaking song this was for an artist like Rod in 1976. Still an amazing and great song with a message as relevant today as it was then.
Iain Tarr
I was born in 1977, Rod was my Mum's idol... This song means alot to me...
YES I DID
No truer words have ever been spoken !
Graham Booker
Love most of Rod's stuff, but to me, his groundbreaking song was Maggie May in 1971 and just got better from there.
David Talany
He ripped off 'Don't Bring me Down' By the Beatles. How is that groundbreaking?
Song Circus
@David Talany Part II provides a coda to the song and employs a melody identical to The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down". In a 1980 interview, John Lennon said, "the lawyers never noticed".[5] Stewart noted: "It does sound like it", adding "I’m sure if you look back to the 60s, you’d find other songs with those three chords and that melody line.
Jonathan Irvin
This song saved my life. I'll never forget Mr. Stewart's courage and empathy in putting this out when he did! I'm forever indebted to you, Mr. Rod Stewart! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Josef
This is a great song for three reasons. First of all it has a message that matters. If you don't appreciate that you have a heart of stone. Secondly because it's a great composition. Fine musical figures, great melody. Thirdly because it is immaculately excuted. Great instrumental arrangement, wonderful sound mixing. A gem in the history of pop music that will live forever.
Mr Adrian Mark Penn
Very very well written stuff..( !) (!)
Carol McKellar
I felt all Rod the mod’s music is fabulously made loved rod from the first time I heard Maggie May I-LISTENED&danced to him ❤❤❤❤❤ still do lm 64