Yesterday we reported on the ranking of the ten best Faces songs. And, as if he had read it, Sir Rod Stewart has now also compiled a hit list of what he considers to be the ten greatest songs of all time. The 80-year-old revealed his personal ranking of songs, some of which sound very familiar to us, to the English Express.
So let's get started. Firstly, there's SONNY BOY by Al Jolson. ‘I grew up with him, I listened to him with my mum and dad,’ says Rod. ‘They loved it. My brothers loved it. We all loved Al Jolson. I was brought up to love Al Jolson. My big brother John took me to see the two films they had made about him and I fell in love with him.’ He added: ‘This man sang without a microphone, which I think is incredible. To get up and sing without a microphone in front of 2,000 people. So, Al, thank you to the top.’
Next on Rod's list is THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, the 1950s rock anthem by Little Richard. ‘When I was little, my brother Bob, who was a bit of a teddy boy, brought this record home. I put it on over and over again - another song that was a big influence on me, and then I met him. What a sweet man. God bless him.’
Let's move on to a man who, I'm sure we can all agree, had a huge influence on the work of our Roderick David: Otis Redding. The next song in his personal hit ranking is TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS, a song that Rod presented to us all in 1988 on his album OUT ORDER. Sir Rod particularly remembers a live performance by Redding. ‘I saw Otis in the Cuban State and cried my eyes out when he sang that song. The interesting thing about the show was that he only played for 20 minutes. They had Booker T. & the MG's, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave booked and they all played 10, 20 minutes and the show was over in an hour and a half.’
Redding became famous for his famous version of ‘Try a Little Tenderness’ by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby and died in a tragic plane crash on 10 December 1967 at the age of 26.
A lesser-known choice is CARS AND GIRLS by Prefab Sprout. Stewart particularly emphasises. He praised frontman Paddy McAloon for his ability to blend pop and jazz influences in this track, calling it ‘just great’.
McAloon also contributed to Stewart's 2018 album ‘Blood Red Roses’, although the two have never met in person: ‘This band, I can tell you, is just wonderful. He lifts his sound out of the rock'n'roll genre. It's almost jazz. Long live Prefab Sprout.’
Somewhat surprisingly, Rod's next favourite song might be UPTOWN FUNK by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars. The track became a worldwide sensation in 2014, and Stewart praised both Ronson's production and Mars' performance.
He added: ‘Bruno Mars is not another Michael Jackson to me. I think he's a man in his own right. He does something absolutely brilliant. That song, in my opinion, is one of the best records that's ever come out. I love it so much. The production, Mark Ronson, goes without saying, it's just in a class of its own. The actual horn riff that goes round is there, it's a James Brown thing. But that's what makes it so attractive.’
LOOKIN' FOR A LOVE by Bobby Womack is another one of Rod Stewart's hits. Womack's deep, soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics made this track stand out for Stewart, who often referred to Womack as one of the greatest soul singers of all time - and even sampled the string arrangement from his song ‘(If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It’ in his 1978 hit ‘Da Ya Think I'm Sexy’. Rod released his version of the Womack classic in 2009 on his compilation THE ROD STEWART SESSIONS 1971 - 1998.
Muddy Waters is another artist who had a huge impact on the young Rod Stewart and this continues to this day. I FEEL SO GOOD is a kind of key song in Stewart's career - as a solo artist and as frontman of the Faces. ‘It was one of the first albums I bought,’ he revealed. ‘I think it was ‘Live at Monterey’, a live album. It was also a big influence on the Faces because we used to play that song all the time. I think we recorded it and it's just marvellous, Little Walter on harmonica, Francis Clay, Willie Dixon on bass, just haunting!’
The Stewart albums from the 2000s of the GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOKS were also influenced by earlier musicians. THESE FOOLISH THINGS by Billie Holiday made it onto IT HAD TO BE YOU, the first album in the GAS series, in 2002 with the famous Rod stamp. Sir Rod appreciates Holiday's ability to express complex emotions through her voice and sang a cover of her song CRAZY HE CALLS ME with Jools Holland in BBC Radio 2's Piano Room in 2024
Let's move on to Rod's last two top tracks: THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN by Eddie Cochran not only influenced Rod, but also many other artists. ‘I didn't look at singers and think, ‘I want to move like that’, I kind of wanted to sound like them,’ Rod once said in an interview with the Chronicle. ‘I started with Eddie Cochran - that raspy voice - and went on to Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack and David Ruffin.’
Finally, CUPID by Sam Cooke rounds off the list. Known for his ability to mix pop and soul, Cooke became one of the most influential voices of the 1960s. ‘Sam was probably the biggest influence after Eddie Cochran. I remember going to work with a friend of mine and we were listening to a little transistor radio. Then came this heavenly voice, Sam Cooke. Cupid. I never got to see him sing. I regret that very much. I wish I'd gone to see him sing live,’ said Stewart. Instead, Rod gifted us with his version of the song CUPID on the album of the same name for Valentine's Day 2021.
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