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)
You've Really Got A Hold On Me
Rod Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seems that I'm always thinking of you
Oh oh oh you treat me badly
I love you madly
You really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
You really got a hold on me
Baby I don't want you but I need you
Don't want to kiss you but I need to
Oh oh oh you do me wrong now
My love is strong now
You really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
You really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
Baby I love you and all I want you to do
Is just hold me
(hold me)
Hold me
(hold me)
Hold me
(hold me)
Tighter
(tighter)
I want to leave you don't want to stay here
Don't want to spend another day here
Oh oh oh I want to split now
I just can't quit now
You really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
You really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
Baby I love you and all I want you to do
Is just hold me
(hold me)
Hold me
(hold me)
Hold me
(hold me)
You really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
Said you really got a hold on me
(you really got a hold on me)
Oh oh got a hold on me baby
(you really got a hold on me)
The lyrics of Rod Stewart's "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" express a complicated emotional state towards a lover. Stewart confesses to not liking this person but being unable to leave them, constantly thinking of them, and needing them despite their mistreatment of him. He declares his love for them but also admits his desire to leave and the difficulty of breaking free. The repetition of the title phrase emphasizes this feeling of being trapped and controlled by the other person's power over him.
The song's conflicting emotions can be interpreted in different ways. On one hand, Stewart may be expressing a toxic relationship where he is being emotionally manipulated and unable to leave. On the other hand, he may be admitting to his own emotional attachment and co-dependency. The ambiguity of the lyrics reflects the complexity of human relationships and the contradictions of our own emotions.
Overall, "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" is a powerful ballad that captures the intense and complicated feelings of love and attachment. The slow, soulful melody and Stewart's raspy vocals add to the emotional intensity of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like you but I love you
I have mixed feelings about you, but ultimately my love for you is stronger than my dislike.
Seems that I'm always thinking of you
You occupy my mind often, whether I want you to or not.
Oh oh oh you treat me badly
Your behavior towards me is not always kind or fair.
I love you madly
Despite your treatment of me, I am fervently in love with you.
You really got a hold on me
Your influence over me is strong and persistent.
Baby I don't want you but I need you
I try to convince myself that I don't desire you, but deep down I feel a strong need for you.
Don't want to kiss you but I need to
Although I might resist physical intimacy with you, I crave it.
Oh oh oh you do me wrong now
Your actions toward me are hurtful and disrespectful.
My love is strong now
Despite everything, my love for you has only grown stronger.
Baby I love you and all I want you to do Is just hold me
All I need from you is physical affection - a simple embrace will suffice.
Tighter
I want you to hold me more firmly, with greater force than before.
I want to leave you don't want to stay here Don't want to spend another day here
I am tempted to walk away from this relationship and not look back.
Oh oh oh I want to split now I just can't quit now
Although I feel like ending things, my love for you prevents me from doing so.
Said you really got a hold on me
I'm repeating myself because the grip you have on me is so strong and inescapable.
Oh oh got a hold on me baby
You have such a strong hold over me that my love for you feels almost like a physical restraint.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SMOKEY ROBINSON, WILLIAM ROBINSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind