| "Maggie May" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German picture sleeve | ||||
| Single byRod Stewart | ||||
| from the albumEvery Picture Tells a Story | ||||
| A-side | "Reason to Believe" | |||
| Released | July 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:50 (album version w/ Henry intro) 5:14 (single version) | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Rod Stewart | |||
| Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Maggie May" is a song co-written by singerRod Stewart andMartin Quittenton, performed by Stewart for his albumEvery Picture Tells a Story, released in 1971. In 2004,Rolling Stone ranked it number 130 inThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3] In 2017, theMercury Records single was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[4] The song is regarded as Stewart's signature song and as one of the best songs ever written.
Written from Stewart's personal experience, "Maggie May" expresses the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a boy involved in a relationship with an older woman. In the January 2007 issue ofQ magazine, Stewart recalled: "Maggie May was a true story, about the first woman I had sex with, at the 1961Beaulieu 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. DrummerMicky 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 theB-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 onTop of the Pops sawthe Faces joined onstage by DJJohn Peel, who pretended to play themandolin.[8] The mandolin player on the actual recording wasRay Jackson ofLindisfarne.
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 theRonnie Wood retrospectiveRonnie Wood Anthology: The Essential Crossexion. A version by the Faces recorded forBBC Radio appeared on the four-disc box setFive Guys Walk into a Bar.... A live version recorded in 1993 by Stewart joined by Wood for a session ofMTV Unplugged is included on the albumUnplugged...and Seated.
In October 1971, the song went to number one on theUK Singles Chart (for five weeks),[9] and simultaneously topped the charts inAustralia (four weeks),Canada (one week), and theUnited States (five weeks). It was the No. 2 record for 1971 on both the USBillboard 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]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[25] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
The Englishalternative rock bandBlur released a cover of "Maggie May" in 1993, for a CD given away with UK rock magazineQ.
