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)
Three Time Loser
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm wearin' my number,
But she said wear it,
Touching up another fool.
In a jukebox job downin' blues
In her leopard-skin anklehigh boots
While I'm jackin' off
I'm a three time loser.
Caught it up in Monterey,
Shook it up in East Virginia,
Now my friends say it's here to stay.
How dare you have a party
In a Chelsea basement
When the poor excited Jezebel said come outside.
She felt me up and kissed my face,
Put her dirty hands down in my pants.
She took all of my money,
Left me naked by the silvery moon.
I'm a three time loser.
Caught it up in Monterey,
Shook it up in East Virginia,
Now my friends say it's here to stay.
Roll away, roll away, all of you women;
I don't think I need you anymore.
There'll be no more doctor's bills,
There'll be no more swallowing pills.
And I've found a woman
That can witness that in blood out of me.
I'm a three time loser.
Caught it up in Monterey,
Shook it up in East Virginia,
Now my friends say it's here to stay.
I'm a three time loser.
Caught it up in Monterey,
Shook it up in East Virginia,
Now my friends say it's here to stay.
The lyrics of Rod Stewart's song "Three Time Loser" highlight the emotional turmoil of not being able to keep any relationship intact despite trying repeatedly. The first verse talks about the singer's nightly routine where he wears his number, which could symbolically refer to his identity as a loser. The line "touching up another fool" indicates that the person he loves is probably seeing someone else, and he feels like a fool for still waiting for her.
The second verse depicts the singer's despair as he loses himself to vices, such as jacking off and reading Playboy, a sign of his emptiness and loneliness. The third verse takes us to a point in time where the singer is at a party in a Chelsea basement, and a woman touched him and stole his money. This could symbolically indicate that the people he encounters only use him for his money and never accept him for who he is, adding to his feeling of loss and loneliness.
The final verse indicates that the singer finds a woman who accepts him for who he is, leading him to let go of all the past hurts and pain he felt. The chorus emphasizes that despite trying and failing multiple times, the singer is still a three-time loser. Overall, the song conveys a sense of hopelessness in relationships and the despair of being unable to find real love.
Line by Line Meaning
Stand here ev'ry night,
I'm stuck in this cycle of disappointment, standing here every night with my number on display waiting for something that may never happen.
I'm wearin' my number,
I'm emulating a prisoner, waiting for my turn to be called by the one who holds the key to my freedom.
But she said wear it,
She's the one who put this number on me, marking me as hers to control and manipulate.
Touching up another fool.
While I'm hoping for her affection, she's simply using me like she does all the other suckers.
In a jukebox job downin' blues
I have a dead-end job, drowning my sorrows in the melancholy tunes that match my mood.
In her leopard-skin anklehigh boots
I'm surrounded by the objects of my desire, but I can never quite reach them.
While I'm jackin' off
I'm using a cheap thrill to numb the pain and replace the intimacy I crave.
Readin' Playboy on a hot afternoon.
I'm stuck in a never-ending cycle of pleasure and dissatisfaction, chasing after something I can't seem to catch.
Caught it up in Monterey,
I've been burned before, and it's a wound that won't heal.
Shook it up in East Virginia,
I tried to shake off the pain and start fresh, but it followed me like a shadow.
Now my friends say it's here to stay.
Despite my efforts, my problems persist, and my friends can see that I'm in a state of constant turmoil.
How dare you have a party
I'm angry and resentful towards those who are enjoying life while I'm stuck in my own misery.
In a Chelsea basement
Even in the midst of a vibrant scene, I feel isolated and alone.
When the poor excited Jezebel said come outside.
Even when someone shows interest in me, I can't bring myself to leave my own darkness.
She felt me up and kissed my face,
But when I do give in to temptation, it only leads to more pain and regret.
Put her dirty hands down in my pants.
I'm trying to find temporary pleasure to fill the void, but it only leaves me feeling empty.
She took all of my money,
I'm so desperate for affection that I'll give everything I have in hopes of getting something back, but it only leads to further disappointment.
Left me naked by the silvery moon.
In the end, I'm left stripped of everything, exposed and vulnerable in the harsh light of reality.
Roll away, roll away, all of you women;
I'm finally giving up on the constant pursuit of fleeting pleasure and affection.
I don't think I need you anymore.
I'm realizing that my happiness doesn't come from external sources, but from within myself.
There'll be no more doctor's bills,
I'm done with trying to medicate or numb the pain; it's time to face it head on.
There'll be no more swallowing pills.
I'm done with chasing after temporary fixes or false hopes; it's time to find true healing.
And I've found a woman
I've finally found someone who sees the real me and accepts me for who I am.
That can witness that in blood out of me.
Someone who understands and shares my pain, and will help me through it, no matter how messy or ugly it gets.
I'm a three time loser.
I've been beaten down by life, but I still have the resilience to keep getting up and trying again.
Caught it up in Monterey,
I've made mistakes and suffered the consequences, but I won't let them define me.
Shook it up in East Virginia,
I've tried to escape my past and start fresh, but I know that true healing comes from facing the pain head on.
Now my friends say it's here to stay.
But I'm determined to overcome my struggles and find a way forward, with the help of those who care about me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROD STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind