Although Rod Stewart isn't usually remembered for his songwriting talents — quite a few of his biggest tunes were actually self-written. Despite such hits as “Maggie May” and “You Wear It Well” sounding effortless to our ears — Rod admitted that back in the day, he struggled to get the songs right.
During a chat with BBC Radio 2, Rod recalled, “They used to have to lock me up with a bottle of wine and take the key and say, 'Get it finished in the next four or five hours.' That would work. I’d hear them all in the corridor, laughing, at the Holiday Inn: 'Oh yeah look at Stewart. He is there trying to finish the lyrics.' That’s the worst feeling, when you think you’re writing absolute tripe.”
In regards for his decades on top as one of rock's most exciting showmen, Rod admitted: “You’ve really got it or you haven’t. It’s either in your blood or it’s a natural feel for music. I’ve always loved listening to music. I have gained a lot more confidence now of course. These are the happiest days of my life.”
With Rod Stewart once again taking charge in the studio over the recent years, we asked him if he was trying in some way to recapture the magic found on his classic early-'70s albums: “Well, you can't recreate those, y'know, the atmosphere that was around in the studio (and) the way I felt back in those days, y'know? In those days I was in my late-20's. Y'know, you've done this music and you've done it once and I swear to God you can do it again if you put your mind to it. The themes of the songs are a little bit more adult now; there's no 'Hot Legs' or 'Do You Think I'm Sexy?' but there are songs I think people can relate to.”
