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 Nearness Of You
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That thrills and delights me, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
In these verses, Rod Stewart is expressing that it is not just the physical presence of the person that excites him but how close they are to him. He doesn't require anything else but the "nearness" of the person to feel complete. The moon, which is traditionally associated with romance and love, does not hold the same thrill for him as the person's very real physical presence does. It's not even their conversation that causes these sensations, it is merely the fact that the person is in his vicinity.
He then describes the feeling of being close to this person, how it makes his wildest dreams feel tangible and come to life. In fact, he doesn't even need any other elements like "soft lights" to enchant him, all he desires is to hold the person tightly and feel their presence in the night.
Overall, these lyrics communicate a deep sense of longing for another person and how their very presence can be enough to make someone's heart sing. It speaks to the power of physical intimacy and how being close to the person you love can fulfill you in ways that nothing else can.
Line by Line Meaning
Its not the pale moon that excites me
The singer is not moved or captivated by the moon's appearance, rather something else.
That thrills and delights me, oh no
The singer is not enchanted, excited or amused by superficial aspects of life.
Its just the nearness of you
The singer is only enthralled by being physically close to their significant other.
It isn't your sweet conversation
The artist is not infatuated solely by the pleasant talk or manner of the person they love.
That brings this sensation, oh no
The artist experiences powerful emotions not because of any verbal exchanges with their companion.
Its just the nearness of you
The singer longs to be close to their loved one and cherish the intimate moments shared together.
When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
The singer relishes holding their companion and being near them physically.
All my wildest dreams come true
Being near the person they love fulfills and satisfies the artist's deepest desires.
I need no soft lights to enchant me
The artist isn't seeking any external sources of attraction, merely their partner's love and proximity.
If you'll only grant me the right
The artist is asking their partner for permission to hold them and stay close to them.
To hold you ever so tight
The singer wants to embrace their lover closely, cherishing each moment of intimacy.
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
Being close to their companion at night brings immense joy and happiness to the artist.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind