Maggie May
"Maggie May" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
German picture sleeve | ||||
Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
from the album Every Picture Tells a Story | ||||
A-side | "Reason to Believe" | |||
Released | July 1971 | |||
Recorded | 1970 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 5:50 (Album version W/ Henry Intro) 5:14 (Single version) | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Songwriter(s) | Rod Stewart, Martin Quittenton | |||
Producer(s) | Rod Stewart | |||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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"Maggie May" is a song co-written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, and performed by Rod Stewart on his album Every Picture Tells a Story, released in 1971.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 130 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]
In 2017, the 1971 release of "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart on Mercury Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4]
Background
"Maggie May" expresses the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a boy involved in a relationship with an older woman and was written from Stewart's own experience. In the January 2007 issue of Q magazine, Stewart recalled: "Maggie May was a true story, about the first woman I had sex with, at the 1961 Beaulieu Jazz Festival."[5][6] The woman's name was not "Maggie May"; Stewart has stated that the name was taken from "an old Liverpudlian song about a prostitute."[6]
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 – except that no cymbals could be found. The cymbal crashes had to be overdubbed separately some days later.[7][6]
The song was released as the B-side of the single "Reason to Believe", but soon radio stations began playing the B-side and "Maggie May" became the more popular side. The song was Stewart's first substantial hit as a solo performer and launched his solo career. It remains one of his best-known songs. A 1971 performance of the song on Top of the Pops saw the Faces joined onstage by DJ John Peel, who pretended to play the mandolin.[8] The mandolin player on the actual recording was Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne.
The album version of "Maggie May" incorporates a 30-second solo guitar intro, "Henry", composed by Martin Quittenton.[6]
The original recording has appeared on almost all of Rod Stewart'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.... A live version recorded in 1993 by Stewart joined by Wood for a session of MTV Unplugged is included on the album Unplugged...and Seated.
Chart performance
In October 1971, the song went to number one on the UK Singles Chart (for five weeks),[9] and simultaneously topped the charts in Australia (four weeks), Canada (one week), and the United States (five weeks). It was the No. 2 record for 1971 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK singles charts.
The song re-entered the UK chart in December 1976, but only reached number 31.
At first, I didn't think much of "Maggie May." I guess that's because the record company didn't believe in the song. I didn't have much confidence then. I figured it was best to listen to the guys who knew better. What I learned is sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.
— Rod Stewart, 2015[6]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] | Gold | 10,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[25] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Personnel
- Rod Stewart – lead vocals
- Ronnie Wood – electric guitar, twelve-string guitar, bass guitar
- Martin Quittenton – acoustic guitar
- Micky Waller – drums, cymbals
- Ian McLagan – Hammond organ
- Ray Jackson – mandolin (listed on the album as "The mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne. The name slips my mind.")[26]
- Pete Sears – celesta
Blur cover
The English alternative rock band Blur released a cover of Maggie May in 1993 for a CD given away with UK rock magazine Q.
See also
- Maggie May (folk song)
References
- ^ Reed, Ryan (18 September 2019). "Rod Stewart Preps New Orchestral LP 'You're in My Heart'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Best of Love: 16 Great Soft Rock Hits". AllMusic.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 101-200". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#m [bare URL]
- ^ "Maggie May by Rod Stewart Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Myers, Marc (23 October 2015). "Maggie May – A Song of Loss". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. p. D6. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015.
- ^ Rod – The Autobiography ISBN 9781780890524
- ^ "John Peel". The Independent. 27 October 2004.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 265–66. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Go-Set Magazine Charts". www.poparchives.com.au. Barry McKay. January 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "Image: RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rod Stewart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "Rod Stewart – Maggie May" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002]
- ^ "Top 100 1971-10-23". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1971". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1971". MegaCharts. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "Top Pop 100 Singles" Billboard 25 December 1971: TA-36
- ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1971". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "Rod's Got The Face In New Zealand" (PDF). Cash Box. 30 March 1974. p. 53. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ "British single certifications – Rod Stewart – Maggie May". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rod Stewart – Maggie May". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Rod faces Maggie May action". BBC. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
External links
- Maggie May at Discogs (list of releases)
- Rod Stewart - Maggie May on YouTube
- v
- t
- e
- "It's All Over Now" (1970)
- "Reason to Believe"/"Maggie May" (1971)
- "Every Picture Tells a Story"/"Reason to Believe" (1971) Spain only
- "(I Know) I'm Losing You"/"Mandolin Wind" (1971)
- "Handbags and Gladrags" (1972)
- "You Wear It Well" (1972)
- "Angel" (1972)
- "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" (1972)
- "Twistin' the Night Away" (1973, 1987)
- "Oh! No Not My Baby" (1973)
- "Farewell" / "You Send Me" (1973)
- "Mine for Me" (1974)
- "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything" (1974) Stewart/Faces
- "Sailing" (1975)
- "This Old Heart of Mine" (1975)
- "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" (1976)
- "The Killing of Georgie" (1976)
- "Get Back" (1976)
- "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1977)
- "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1977, 1990)
- "You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)" (1978)
- "Hot Legs" (1978)
- "I Was Only Joking" (1978)
- "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (1978, 1997)
- "Ain't Love a Bitch" (1979)
- "Blondes (Have More Fun)" (1979)
- "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" (1980)
- "Passion" (1980)
- "Somebody Special" (1981)
- "Gi' Me Wings" (1981)
- "Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" (1981)
- "Young Turks" (1982)
- "How Long" (1982)
- "Baby Jane" (1983)
- "That's What Friends Are For" (1983)
- "Infatuation" (1984)
- "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (1984)
- "All Right Now" (1984)
- "People Get Ready" (1985, 1991, 1993) Stewart/Beck
- "Love Touch" (1986)
- "Every Beat of My Heart" (1986)
- "In My Life" (1987)
- "Lost in You" (1988)
- "Forever Young" (1988)
- "My Heart Can't Tell You No" (1988)
- "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" (1989) Stewart/Isley
- "Downtown Train" (1989)
- "It Takes Two" (1990) Stewart/Turner
- "Rhythm of My Heart" (1991)
- "The Motown Song" (1991)
- "Your Song" (1992)
- "Ruby Tuesday" (1993)
- "Have I Told You Lately" (1993)
- "Reason to Believe" (unplugged, 1993)
- "All for Love" (1993) Stewart/Adams/Sting
- "Leave Virginia Alone" (1995)
- "Ooh La La" (1998)
- "Rocks" (1998)
- "Cigarettes and Alcohol" (1998)
- "Faith of the Heart" (1999)
- "These Foolish Things" (2002)
- "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (2003)
- "Time After Time" (2003)
- "What a Wonderful World" (2004)
- "Blue Moon" (2004)
- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (2005)
- "I've Got a Crush on You" (2005)
- "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (2006)
- "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (2006)
- "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (2012)
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (2012)
- "Everyday" (2015)