Rod Stewart shouldn't have done it. In 2002, the guy with the spiky hair and the gravel-pit voice—the same man who sang "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"—decided to pivot. He ditched the leopard print for a tuxedo. He swapped the stadium rock anthems for Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin. Critics sharpened their knives immediately, calling it a desperate move for a fading star or a bored millionaire playing dress-up. They were wrong. The Rod Stewart Great American Songbook series didn't just sell; it became a cultural juggernaut that redefined the second act of a legendary career.
It was a massive gamble. Honestly, nobody expected a rock icon known for "Maggie May" to find his soul in the 1930s jazz era. But the numbers don't lie. What started as a single album, It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook, exploded into a five-volume saga that moved over 20 million copies worldwide. It wasn't just a nostalgic cash-in. It was a masterclass in interpreting the backbone of American music through a lens that was uniquely, stubbornly British.
Why the Critics Hated It (And Why the Fans Didn't Care)
Music journalists are a cynical bunch. When the first volume dropped, the reviews were... let's say "mixed" to be polite. Many felt Stewart’s voice, famously described as sounding like it was "soaked in whiskey and dragged over gravel," was too rough for the delicate nuances of "The Way You Look Tonight." They wanted the smooth, velvet delivery of Frank Sinatra or the pristine clarity of Ella Fitzgerald. Rod didn't give them that. Instead, he gave the songs a lived-in, slightly frayed quality that felt more honest than a polished imitation.
The fans ate it up. They didn't want another Sinatra clone. They wanted to hear Rod. There is a specific kind of intimacy in hearing a voice that has survived decades of touring tackle lyrics about "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square." It felt like a late-night conversation at a dimly lit bar. He wasn't trying to be a crooner; he was a storyteller who happened to be singing some of the greatest melodies ever written.
Think about the context of the early 2000s. Pop music was getting glossy and digital. In the midst of that, Rod Stewart provided a refuge of organic instrumentation and timeless songwriting. He tapped into a demographic that felt ignored by Top 40 radio but wasn't quite ready for the "easy listening" bin. He made these songs cool again for a whole new generation.
The Secret Sauce: Clive Davis and the Power of Collaboration
You can't talk about the Rod Stewart Great American Songbook without mentioning Clive Davis. The legendary record executive, known for his "Golden Ears," was the architect behind this pivot. Davis saw something that others missed: the inherent soulfulness in Rod’s rasp was perfectly suited for the melancholy of a torch song.
They didn't just record these in a vacuum. The guest list across the five volumes reads like a Who's Who of musical royalty. You have Cher joining him for "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," Stevie Wonder bringing his harmonica to "What a Wonderful World," and even Elton John stopping by. These weren't just gimmicks. They were strategic pairings that grounded the project in musical credibility.
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Take the duet with Dolly Parton on "Baby, It's Cold Outside." It’s playful, cheeky, and perfectly captures the chemistry between two legends who have nothing left to prove. Or his work with Bette Midler on "Manhattan." These collaborations reminded everyone that Rod wasn't an outsider crashing the party; he was a peer among giants.
Breaking Down the Five Volumes
- Volume I (2002): The experiment. It focused on the heavy hitters like "You Go to My Head" and "These Foolish Things." It peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
- Volume II (2003): Titled As Time Goes By, this one doubled down. It featured the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, on "What a Wonderful World."
- Volume III (2004): Stardust. This was the pinnacle. It finally bagged Rod his first-ever Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
- Volume IV (2005): Thanks for the Memory. By now, the formula was perfected. It included a surprising and soulful cover of "I've Got a Crush on You" with Diana Ross.
- Volume V (2010): Fly Me to the Moon. A slightly more upbeat, rhythmic approach to the standards, proving the well hadn't run dry yet.
The Technicality of the "Rod Rasp"
Some people think singing standards is easy because the melodies are so strong. It's actually the opposite. These songs are "naked." There are no heavy guitar riffs or synthesizers to hide behind. Every breath, every slight pitch waver, and every phrasing choice is under a microscope.
Rod Stewart’s approach was deceptively simple. He leaned into his grit. When he sings a line like "the fundamental things apply," he isn't hitting a perfect, operatic note. He's squeezing the emotion out of the words. This is where he actually aligns with the jazz greats. Billie Holiday didn't have a "perfect" voice in the traditional sense, but she had phrasing that could break your heart. Rod used his rock-and-roll phrasing—dragging slightly behind the beat, adding a little growl at the end of a phrase—to make the Rod Stewart Great American Songbook feel modern.
It's also worth noting the arrangements. Orchestrated largely by Doug Katsaros and others, the music stayed respectful to the era. They didn't try to "rock" the songs up. They kept the lush strings, the woodwinds, and the brush-on-snare drumming. This contrast between the elegant music and the "street" voice is exactly why it worked.
A Legacy Beyond the Sales Figures
The impact of this series was massive for the industry. Suddenly, every veteran rocker wanted their own standards album. We saw Michael Bublé’s career skyrocket in the wake of this trend, and even artists like Robbie Williams and Cyndi Lauper took their shots at the Great American Songbook. But none quite captured the lightning in a bottle that Rod did.
He proved that an artist's brand is more flexible than we think. Before 2002, Rod Stewart was dangerously close to becoming a "legacy act" playing the hits at county fairs. After the Songbook, he was a multi-generational icon who could headline any venue in the world, from Las Vegas residencies to the Royal Albert Hall. He didn't just survive; he thrived.
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What's really interesting is how this changed his live shows. He started mixing the standards in with "Hot Legs" and "Sailing." You'd see grandmothers in the front row crying to "Smile" while their grandsons were waiting for "Stay With Me." It unified his fan base in a way that few artists ever manage.
What People Often Get Wrong About the Project
There's a common misconception that Rod did this because he ran out of original songs. While it's true his songwriting output had slowed down, the Songbook wasn't a retreat. It was a deep dive into his own roots. Rod grew up in a household where these songs were the soundtrack. His father was a huge fan of this era. In many ways, the Rod Stewart Great American Songbook was a return home. It was the music he heard before he ever heard a blues record or picked up a guitar.
Another myth? That it was all "easy" work. Recording five volumes of orchestral music requires immense discipline. You can't just wing a session with a 60-piece orchestra. It required a level of vocal control that he hadn't used in years. He had to learn how to sing "quietly" again, which is much harder for a rock singer than screaming over a stack of Marshalls.
How to Appreciate the Collection Today
If you're looking to dive into this era of Rod's career, don't just put it on as background music while you wash the dishes. You've gotta really listen to the phrasing.
- Listen to "Manhattan" (Volume III): Pay attention to how he handles the rapid-fire lyrics. It’s charming and reveals a playfulness often missing in rock music.
- Check out "I'll Be Seeing You" (Volume I): This is perhaps his most vulnerable performance. The way his voice cracks slightly on the high notes feels incredibly human.
- Watch the live performances: There’s a DVD of him at the El Capitan Theatre. Seeing the tuxedo-clad Rod interact with the orchestra shows just how much he respected the material.
The Rod Stewart Great American Songbook remains a polarizing piece of music history, but its success is undeniable. It saved a career, preserved a genre, and proved that a little bit of Scottish grit is sometimes exactly what an American classic needs.
Actionable Next Steps for Music Lovers
To truly understand the depth of this project, you need to hear the "why" behind the "what."
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1. Compare the versions: Listen to Rod’s version of "Every Time We Say Goodbye" and then immediately listen to Ella Fitzgerald’s. Don't look for who did it "better." Look for the differences in what they are trying to communicate. Rod's version is about regret; Ella's is about the beauty of the melody.
2. Explore the songwriters: Use the Songbook as a gateway. If you like "Night and Day," look up the rest of Cole Porter’s catalog. The Rod Stewart Great American Songbook is basically a curated "Best Of" for the 20th century's greatest composers.
3. Watch the "One Night Only" concert: This live recording from 2004 provides the visual context. Seeing him bridge the gap between his rock persona and the crooner image helps make the transition make sense.
4. Check out his later "Soulbook" and "Rock Classics" albums: See how he applied the "Songbook" formula to other genres. It gives you a broader picture of how he reinvented the concept of the cover album for the modern era.
The series is more than just a collection of old songs; it's a testament to the idea that you're never too old, too famous, or too "rock and roll" to learn something new from the masters who came before you.