Maggie May

"Maggie May" is a song written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton and recorded by Stewart in 1971 for his album Every Picture Tells a Story. Most versions of "Maggie May" incorporate a 30-second solo guitar intro, "Henry", composed by Martin Quittenton. "Maggie May" expresses the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a young man 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 more or less a true story, about the first woman I had sex with, at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival." It was initially released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of the single "Reason to Believe," but DJs became fonder of the B-side and, after two weeks on the charts, the song was reclassified, with "Maggie May" becoming the A-side. However, the single continued to be pressed with "Maggie May" as the B-side. In October 1971, the song went to number one in the UK and simultaneously topped the charts in the United States. Every Picture Tells a Story achieved the same status at the same time, a feat achieved by only a handful of performers, notably The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Beyoncé. 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 famous live performance of the song on Top of the Pops saw The Faces joined onstage by DJ John Peel, who pretended to play the mandolin (the mandolin player on the recording was Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne). Stewart himself was amused by the song's success, saying, "I still can't see how the single is such a big hit. It has no melody. Plenty of character and nice chords, but no melody. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song #130 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

[Verse 1] Wake up, Maggie I think I got something to say to you It's late September and I really should be back at school [Chorus 1] I know I keep you amused But I feel I'm being used Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore You led me away from home Just to save you from being alone You stole my heart and that's what really hurts [Verse 2] The morning sun, when it's in your face Really shows your age That don't worry me none In my eyes, you're everything [Chorus 2] I laughed at all of your jokes My love you didn't need to coax Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore You led me away from home Just to save you from being alone You stole my soul and that's a pain I can do without [Verse 3] All I needed was a friend To lend a guiding hand But you turned into a lover, and mother what a lover! You wore me out [Chorus 3] All you did was wreck my bed And in the morning kick me in the head Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried anymore You led me away from home 'Cause you didn't want to be alone You stole my heart, I couldn't leave you if I tried [Guitar Solo] [Verse 4] I suppose I could collect my books And get on back to school Or steal my daddy's cue And make a living out of playing pool [Chorus 4] Or find myself a rock & roll band That needs a helping hand Oh, Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face You made a first-class fool out of me But I'm as blind as a fool can be You stole my heart, but I love you anyway [Instrumental Interlude] [Outro] Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face I'll get on back home one of these days, ooh, ooh, ooh