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)
Until The Real Thing Comes Along
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you
If that isn't love, it'll have to do
Until the real thing comes along
I'd gladly move the earth for you
To prove my love, dear, and it's worth for you
If that isn't love, it'll have to do
With all the words, dear, at my command
I just can't make you understand
I'll always love you, darling, come what may
My heart is yours, what more can I say?
I'd sigh for you, I'd cry for you
I'd tear the stars down from the skies for you
If that isn't love, it'll have to do
Until the real thing comes along
With all the words, dear, at my command
I just can't make you understand
I'll always love you, baby, come what may
My heart is yours, what more can I say?
I'd lie for you, I'll cry for you
I'd lay my body down and die for you
But if that isn't love, it's gonna have to do
Until the real thing comes along
Until the real thing comes along
The lyrics to Rod Stewart's song "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" describe a love that is unwavering and willing to do anything for the other person. The singer is willing to work, slave, beg, or be a knave for his beloved, just to show his love for them. He is willing to move the earth and tear stars down from the sky to prove his love's worth. The singer's love is so great that he is even willing to lie, cry, and die for the other person.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more desperate to make the other person understand his love for them. He has all the words at his command, but they still don't fully express his love. The only thing he knows for sure is that his heart belongs to the other person and he will always love them, no matter what happens.
The lyrics are a nod to the idea of waiting for the real thing, for true love, to come along. The singer is willing to do everything in his power until he finds that love. It's a reminder that loving someone doesn't always come easy, but it's worth it in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd work for you, I'd even slave for you
I am willing to do all the hard work and even go to extremes just to show you my love.
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you
I am ready to give up my dignity and even become a beggar just for you.
If that isn't love, it'll have to do
If my devotion is not what you call love, then I will settle for it until the real thing comes along.
I'd gladly move the earth for you
I am willing to do the impossible just to prove my love for you.
To prove my love, dear, and it's worth for you
I want to demonstrate the value of my love for you.
With all the words, dear, at my command
I have all the words and vocabulary at my disposal.
I just can't make you understand
Unfortunately, my words are not enough to make you comprehend my love for you.
I'll always love you, darling, come what may
No matter what happens, I will always love you, my dear.
My heart is yours, what more can I say?
My heart belongs to you, and there's nothing more I can do or say to express it further.
I'd sigh for you, I'd cry for you
I am ready to express my emotions outwardly and be vulnerable for you.
I'd tear the stars down from the skies for you
I am willing to do the impossible and destroy the universe just to show you my love.
I'd lie for you, I'll cry for you
I am ready to tell a lie or even cry for you, as long as it shows my love for you.
I'd lay my body down and die for you
I am willing to sacrifice my life and die for you, just to prove my love.
But if that isn't love, it's gonna have to do
If my willingness to go to extremes for you is not enough to be considered love, then it will have to do for now.
Until the real thing comes along
I will continue to wait for that real, pure love to come into my life.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alberta Nichols, L.E. Freeman, Mann Holiner, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind