Maggie May

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"Maggie May"
Maggiereason.jpg
German picture sleeve
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Every Picture Tells a Story
A-side "Reason to Believe"
ReleasedJuly 1971
Recorded1970
Genre
Length5:50 (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
"It's All Over Now"
(1970)
"Reason to Believe" / "Maggie May"
(1971)
"(I Know) I'm Losing You"
(1971)

"Maggie May" is a song cowritten by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart for his album Every Picture Tells a Story , released in 1971. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it number 130 in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [3] In 2017, the Mercury Records single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [4]

Contents

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]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [23] Gold10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] Platinum600,000
United States (RIAA) [25] 2× Platinum2,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Stewart</span> British singer-songwriter (born 1945)

Sir Roderick David Stewart is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 120 million records worldwide. His music career began in 1962 when he took up busking with a harmonica. In 1963, he joined the Dimensions as a harmonica player and vocalist. In 1964, Stewart joined Long John Baldry and the All Stars before moving to the Jeff Beck Group in 1967. Joining Faces in 1969, he also launched a solo career, releasing his debut album, An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down, that year. Stewart's early albums were a fusion of rock, folk music, soul music, and R&B. His third album, 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story, was his breakthrough, topping the charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, as did its ballad "Maggie May". His 1972 follow-up album, Never a Dull Moment, also reached number one in the UK and Australia, while going top three in the US and Canada. Its single, "You Wear It Well", topped the chart in the UK and was a moderate hit elsewhere.

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