Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits is released on June 27th and to celebrate the release over the next few weeks we will be bringing you the low down on all the classic tracks that have been brought together in the compilation to include songs ranging from todays track his 1971 hit, âMaggie Mayâ to selections from 2024âs âSwing Fever,â
In August 1971, Mercury records released Rod’s new single, his version of Tim Hardinâs “Reason To Believe” as the official A-side. The single made its Top 40 debut, at No.31, and as it climbed to No.19 in America.
Soon radio stations began playing the B-side and “Maggie May” became the more popular side. written by Rod and Martin Quittenton
Rod developed the melody to Martin’s chords, with Rodâs lyrics based on his real life experiance as a young man with an older woman, in a 2007 interview in Q Magazine Rod explained âMore or less a true story about the first woman I had sex with, at the 1961 Beaulieu Jazz Festival.â he also admitted getting the title name from the well known Liverpudlian song about a prostitute.
The song was recorded in just two takes in one session. Drummer Micky Waller often arrived at recording sessions with the expectation that a drum kit would be provided and, for “Maggie May”, it was â except that no cymbals could be found. The cymbal crashes had to be overdubbed separately some days later.
As well as Micky on drums the studio line-up included Faces members Ronnie Wood on both electric guitar and bass and Ian McLagan on organ, Martin Quittenton played acoustic guitar, and Ray Jackson from Lindisfarne on mandolin.
Rod first appeared on Top Of The Pops performing “Maggie May” on August 19, on an edition presented by BBC Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn. The following month, dance troupe Panâs People danced to it. By the time the single climbed to No.11, “Maggie May” was listed as the A-side
It was the now famous performance with friend to the Faces DJ John Peel , Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones who also never played on the track on the September 30 Top of the Pops show, as the song stood at No.2, behind The Tams “Hey Girl Donât Bother Me,” that sent “Maggie May” to the top.
On the next week chart, “Maggie May” made it to No.1, with “Every Picture Tells A Story” already in its second week atop the album charts.
The hit spent five-weeks Billboard Hot 100âŠand a week later started a five-week run at top of the UK Singles chart, and also simultaneously topped the charts in Australia (four weeks), and Canada (one week), It was the No. 2 record for 1971 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK singles charts. launching Rod’s solo career.
Speaking to SMILER in 2021 reflecting on “Every Picture Tells A Story” Rod said “It was a great album to make as I wasn’t living up to anything. No one telling me to go and make a hit and I just put “Maggie May” on it because that was what I had left to give the record company. Then I just hoped for the best,”
“I remember when Micky Waller turned up to record “Maggie May” He only had half a kit, he never had a full kit and turned up with no cymbals. I had no idea “Maggie May” would be so big. If you had told me at the time that it would be number one on both sides of the Atlantic with both the single and album, I would have said NO CHANCE! Especially as I said “Maggie May” nearly didn’t make the album as it didn’t have a hook or something you could sing a long to and it was over five minutes long, Even when it came out it was the B-side to “Reason To Believe” until the famous story of the DJ in Cleveland flipped then round..A twist of fate and nobody had ever done that before, not even Elvis or The Beatles!”
The album version of “Maggie May” incorporates a 30-second solo guitar intro, “Henry”, composed by Martin Quittenton.
The original recording has appeared on all of Rod’s compilations, and even appeared on the Ronnie Wood retrospective “Ronnie Wood Anthology: The Essential Crossexion”. A version by the Faces recorded for BBC Radio appeared on the four-disc box set “Five Guys Walk into a Bar”âŠ. A live version recorded in 1993 by Rod and Ronnie for a session of MTV Unplugged is included on the album “UnpluggedâŠand Seated”.
The song re-entered the UK chart in December 1976, but only reached number 31.
Chart Peaks from 1971
Australia Go-Set National Top 40 1
Canada 1
Germany 11
Ireland 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 3
New Zealand 3
Switzerland 5
UK Singles Chart 1
US Billboard Hot 100 1
US Cash Box Top 100 1
Zimbabwe (ZIMA) 8
In 1976 it also reached
Ireland 13
UK 31
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[25] 2Ă Platinum 2,000,000