‘Maggie May’: How Rod Stewart’s classic hit almost missed the cut
Rod Stewart can be toe-curlingly cringeworthy.
At times, he almost plays the satirised version of an over-zealous, sexually charged rockstar, and I guess, to many, that is his appeal. Which, on the whole, would be fine if it wasn’t for the fact that somewhere in there is a genuinely talented and interesting artist, trying to be heard amongst all the irreverent noise.
Before tracks like ‘Hot Legs’ and ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’, where Stewart unashamedly leaned into his caricature, there were more soulful rock takes like ‘The Killing Of Georgie’ or ‘Maggie May’. The latter, in fact, was what many would consider his breakout hit, showcasing the delicately gruff voice that became so iconic.
From the utterance of the song’s very first line, “Wake up Maggie!”, you’re introduced to a voice that feels natural. Part Otis Redding, part Elvis Presley, it clings to the melody of the song, straining with a captivating sense of adolescent emotion. It’s performances like this one that make the latter stages of Stewart’s career so undeniably goddamn frustrating, for we knew what sort of songwriting legacy he could have created.
But that wayward decision-making has clearly been a part of Stewart’s make-up from the very start. Because during the writing sessions of ‘Maggie May’, he initially questioned the quality of the song. Maybe it was part hesitancy, pouring a deeply personal story into his songwriting, or maybe it was the arrangement, but something about it didn’t sit right with Stewart.
“At first, I didn’t think much of ‘Maggie May’,” he explained. “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.”
Or maybe it was the fact that the song came with too much ease. Nothing more than a budding musician at the time, Stewart may have seen bands like The Beatles carving out works of genius and felt like his music needed to be more laboured over, and so mistook efficiency for mediocrity.
“I remember the sessions for Every Picture… because they were so easy,” Stewart recalled in his Storyteller Collection. “In two days we had ‘Maggie May,’ ‘Reason To Believe,’ and ‘Every Picture Tells A Story,’ and made a start on ‘Mandolin Wind’ – not bad considering we spent as much time in the pub as we did in the studio.”
But sadly, looking at how Stewart’s career panned out after Every Picture Tells A Story, there’s a high likelihood that he has a deep-seated desire to abandon good music. Because when Stewart formed The Faces not long after, he once again bypassed one of their greatest hits in ‘Ooh La La’, claiming that he didn’t like it and thus refused to provide the vocals for the song. There are many tales of misused talent in the music industry, and while this one doesn’t end in a drug-induced spiral into madness, it’s equally as sad.
