“Maggie was actually one of the first lovers I ever had, when I was sixteen. It was a jazz festival in England and I had it in there for about fifteen seconds and it was all over.”Rod Stewart (384)

“It’s all about being young at heart, young in spirit. That’s the most important thing.”Rod Stewart (384)

“I love ‘Forever Young’, because that was a real heartfelt song about my kids. I suddenly realised I’d missed a good five years of Sean and Kimberley’s life because I was so busy touring all the time.”Rod Stewart (851)

“I certainly try to write about things people haven’t written about before. I’ve made my niche with that kind of thing, like gays. Like ‘Georgie’. That’s the best track on the album. [Stewart who has been known to exaggerate, says the song is a “fairly accurate” story about a guy from Denver who left the sanctuary of his family when they discovered his homosexual leanings. Ending up in New York, the young man attended several concerts by the Faces, began hanging round their hotel, giving Rod records and convincing the artist that he was a “deep sincere person”. Unfortunately this young man’s life came to a rather untimely end – Ed]. The subject is fairly sophisticated. It’s a brave attempt. I actually winced when I wrote the words cause I didn’t think I’d get away with it. The lyrics looked trite on paper to me. The lyrics didn’t mean anything till I sang them then everything just fell into place. It was all true. Actually it all took place in ’74 not ’75 as the song says. I couldn’t find anything to rhyme with ’74. Useless word that.”Rod Stewart (850)

“That was a true story about a gay friend of The Faces. He was especially close to me and Mac. But he was shot or knifed, I can’t remember which.”Rod Stewart (851)

“‘Jo’s Lament’ is a song about a girl I fell in love with a long time ago and she didn’t want to know me.”Rod Stewart (852)

“‘Gasoline Alley’ is nowhere in particular to me. It was about a feeling I had when I was in Spain, and I couldn’t get back to England. I wanted to get back to England, but I didn’t have the money to get back. So it’s a song about going home; I’ve experienced that.”Rod Stewart (851)

“The one song I’m really proud of is a tribute to Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. It’s called ‘Muddy, Sam And Otis’. I’m really proud of that. Muddy died what, two, three years ago [1983, actually – Ed]. And I suddenly realised that all the people I’d loved down the years are dead. And they’re the three that have influenced me more than anybody, especially Sam Cooke. Al Jolson did as well, but it wouldn’t have sounded so good, Muddy, Sam And Al.”Rod Stewart (851)

“You know what the song’s about – your early teenage life when you’re leaving home and you’re exploring the world for yourself.”Rod Stewart (851)

“That’s probably what I accuse my son of now. If he ever does anything he’ll say, “No Dad, I was only joking”. And I say, “You can’t go through life saying you’re only joking. You’ve got to be responsible for your actions.” And I think that’s what I was writing about.. that I wasn’t being responsible for my actions. I wrote that in ’76, and I was talking about a period from ’68 through the early ’70s when I was a bit of a rascal. Messing people about [girls – Ed], things like that.”Rod Stewart (851)

“About a hooker that moves from one side of America to the other to earn a living in a high-class strip-joint, and then goes back home with a whole load of money and doesn’t upset her family because they didn’t know about it. I never thought I’d find myself writing songs like that – those dirty, rude, shagging songs.”Rod Stewart (851)