So, Rod Stewart was doing his sweet/sexy/romantic/raunchy thing in the mid-70s. Churning out hits, becoming a legend with his unique, unmistakable rasp. He was all over our radios and mix tapes in Delhi.  And then, suddenly, Disco happened big time around 1976. Most of the big Hard Rock acts looked on helplessly, not knowing what hit them as the music-buying public embraced this new phenomenon.  Well…… no, not all of them. The Rolling Stones adapted quickly and came out with the huge disco-rock hit “Miss You” (one of my all time favourite songs – I am definitely going to write about Jagger and his pals very soon !). Rod Stewart heard “Miss You” and saw it’s success and decided he too wanted some of that. And so, he reinvented himself and wrote “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy”, the third of his #1 songs. I so remember hearing the song debut on Radio Australia on the SW3 band on our Panasonic radiogram – absolutely loved the song. Now, you have to remember that for us middle-class kids in Delhi there weren’t any clubs to go to – The Number One at the Taj Man Singh and Ghunghroo at the Maurya were too expensive. So, the story about this boy and girl locking eyes across the club and ending up spending the night together was, kinda…..fantasy for us. The song was a smash globally, but fans of Rod’s original blues-rock style felt that he had let them down by, quite literally, changing his tune.

Many years later I became aware that “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” wasn’t as much an original as I always thought it was. Rod himself has acknowledged the amazing on the song riff was “borrowed” from Bobby Womack’s “If You Want My Love (Put Something Down On It)” – you can hear the riff, much slower in tempo, oozing s…o….u….l…. ( click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFYNyGzTchI). Rod also acknowledged – legally – that that fantastic chorus melody of the song, which, frankly, really makes the song, was “borrowed” from Brazilian-Ethiopian singer Jorge Ben jor’s song Taj Mahal (yes – Jorge from Brazil wrote a paen to that symbol of everlasting love in Agra). Bobby Womack didn’t sue Rod for plagiarism. However, Jorge’s did sue. And, he obviously won. Rod Stewart settled and agreed to donate all proceeds from the song to UNICEF. You really should listen to Jorge’s song above – Jorge has a fabulous voice and the song is brilliant. (It also helps that he looks like Denzel Washington, one of my favourite actors! ). The chorus melody that was copied onto “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” starts at 1:16 and is a really fantastic Samba rhythm with Rock guitars and Jazz improvs…. blissful perfection!!

My favourite Rod Stewart song was actually released on 1991, so this is a bit of a cheat. His cover version of Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately” is quite simply, outstanding. It reminds me of Rod’s early stuff, from the early 70s, almost making his disco and new age periods seem like an aberration. Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with “horny” Rod signing “Da Yo Think I’m Sexy” or “Baby Jane” or “Infatuation” – they are cracking tunes, absolute floor fillers! But give Rod a love song (as different from a lust song) and he really, truly kicks ass. From “Maggie May” to “What Am I Gonna Do” and from ” The First Cut Is The Deepest “ to “Have I Told Your Lately“ , romantic Rod is sublime. His raw rasp combines brilliantly with the raw emotion he seems able to put into his songs making these songs seem…well… raw – not polished set pieces that other singer put out, but stuff that you or I might sing (I wish – but you know what I mean..). This is Rod at his absolute best.

My #2 favourite Rod Stewart song is 1988’s “Forever Young”. Now, while a lot of his songs – “Hot Legs” and “Infatuation” for example, have aged terribly, a few have the texture of a 16 year old Lagavulin, that’s becoming better by the day. “Forever Young” is probably the song that has aged best. I first heard “Forever Young” way back in ’88 when it came out, but to be honest, thanks to my callow youth, I broadly ignored it 🤦🏽‍♂️ – don’t forget this was when I was discovering Dire Straits and U2! 😇 But over the years, as I’ve become a father, and I’ve watched Rukmini and Harsh grow into wonderful young adults, the lyrics of this song have meant more and more to me. The lyrics say everything that, as a Dad, I wish and pray for them, every day and night. For me, there is only one other song that comes close to putting this sublime father-daughter-son love into words like this song. That is Paul Simon’s “Father & Daughter” from 2002 – and yes, I do tear up when I hear both these songs!

May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
Surround you when you’re far from home
And my you grow to be proud, dignified and true
And do unto others as you’d have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you’ll always stay
Forever young. (Forever young)

When Stewart’s “Forever Young” was written and ready, the similarity to Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” became pretty obvious (…hmmm!). Before it was released and things could get sticky, Rod Stewart came to an agreement with Dylan and gave him joint songwriting credit, with a share of royalties. Good call!

“Young Turks” in 1981 is another fantastic Rod Stewart song. I think I first heard it at AIR during the time that I was occasionally on the radio – it may even have been during the time all of us were asked to be announcers for Asiad ’82. I have to admit that for the longest time I thought the song was called “Young Hearts Run Free” 😄.  Come on, no sniggering in the cheap seats – I’m sure you did too! Thing is, the words “Young Turks” never once appear in the lyrics of the song. While this is a story of teenage pregnancy and of two lovers running away, the snatches of lyrics I heard and understood in my teens from this song of teen rebellion were really cool. Forty years later, they are still cool!

We got just one shot of life
Let’s take it while we’re still not afraid
Because life is so brief
And time is a thief when you’re undecided
And like a fistful of sand
It can slip right through your hands
Young hearts be free tonight

Rod is still going strong, releasing albums well into his late 70s (he just released Tears of Hercules last month!), looking dapper as ever and still retaining that mischievous glint in his eye.

Da Ya Think He’s Sexy???!