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)
Windy Town
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We done some gigs on the Clyde and the Tyne
They flew us in from a Hamburg strip
The taste of Dusseldorf still on our lips
And on the bus there is a friend of mine
We go way back to the scene of the crime
We sit up front and share a cigarette
And try to remember what we tried to forget
He say Do you remember?
He say Do you recall?
I say yeah I remember, oh, I remember it all
Every time that cold wind blows
Every time I hear that sound
Late night trains shunting down by the river
I remember windy town
We come so far and we move so fast
Making hay see it all go past
Round the world and round again
Up and down on that gravy train
but every time that cold wind blows
Every time I hear that sound
The east coast cross winds on the cold wet stone
I remember windy town
The freezing corners and the empty streets
The burning passion and the cold wet feet
Three tricky miles home every night
Dodging from the shadows underneath those amber light
No car for kissing and nowhere to go
Except inside each other and I loved you so
I held your face as you shivered in the rain
Girl I´ll always love you and I´ll love you again
Oh everytime, everytime
Every time that cold wind blows
Every time I hear that sound
Late night trains shunting down by the river
I remember windy town
Every time that cold wind blows
Every time I hear that sound
The east coast cross winds on the cold wet stone
I remember windy town
The first verse of the song Windy Town depicts the journey home from a series of gigs in different places in Scotland. It is said that the band had just performed in Hamburg and still had the taste of Dusseldorf in their mouths while driving home. The second person in the song, referred to as a friend of the singer, joins him on the drive home. They reminisce about their past experiences and try to remember what they tried to forget. The first line of the second verse suggests that they have come a long way and moved so fast in their careers, but despite it all, whenever the cold wind blows or the sound of the late-night trains shunting down by the river is heard, they remember Windy Town.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving home from the highland line
Heading back home after playing gigs near the Scottish border
We done some gigs on the Clyde and the Tyne
Performed in two cities in Scotland, respectively on the River Clyde and the River Tyne
They flew us in from a Hamburg strip
Arrived from Hamburg by air
The taste of Dusseldorf still on our lips
Just came from a show in Dusseldorf, Germany
And on the bus there is a friend of mine
Traveling with a childhood friend on the same bus
We go way back to the scene of the crime
Both know each other for a long time, remember a past event fondly
We sit up front and share a cigarette
Sitting at the front of the bus and smoking together
And try to remember what we tried to forget
Reflecting on memories they intentionally suppressed
He say Do you remember?
My friend asks if I remember something significant
He say Do you recall?
My friend asks if I can recall a specific memory
I say yeah I remember, oh, I remember it all
Responding that I do remember the memory in question
Every time that cold wind blows
When the frigid air gusts in
Every time I hear that sound
Anytime I hear that particular noise
Late night trains shunting down by the river
The sound of trains passing along the river late in the night
I remember windy town
It reminds me of the place that is known for its high winds
We come so far and we move so fast
We have achieved a lot in a short amount of time
Making hay see it all go past
Seizing opportunities as they come and go
Round the world and round again
Touring around the world many times
Up and down on that gravy train
Living luxuriously, experiencing an extravagant lifestyle
The east coast cross winds on the cold wet stone
The wind in the eastern coastal areas feeling raw and unyielding on wet surfaces
The freezing corners and the empty streets
The bitterly cold, deserted street corners
The burning passion and the cold wet feet
The intense and heated emotions with numb, wet feet
Three tricky miles home every night
A challenging commute of three miles every evening
Dodging from the shadows underneath those amber light
Avoiding the shadows cast under the streetlamps with the amber glow
No car for kissing and nowhere to go
Without a car to drive around for romantic moments
Except inside each other and I loved you so
Finding solace in each other and expressing one's tender affection
I held your face as you shivered in the rain
Holding the face of the loved one in the rain, trembling with cold
Girl I´ll always love you and I´ll love you again
Making a commitment of everlasting love
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANTON REA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind