# The 16 Greatest Rod Stewart Songs of All Time

> With a raspy voice that spans five decades, Rod Stewart has delivered countless classics from folk-rock confessionals to disco anthems. We're ranking his most legendary recordings.

*By YPB Team · Published June 22, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-16-greatest-rod-stewart-songs-of-all-time*

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## Current results (20 votes)

1. **Maggie May** — 45% (9 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Rod Stewart's 1971 breakthrough anthem built around a jangly mandolin and a bittersweet tale of an older woman, hitting No. 1 simultaneously in the US and UK.
2. **Forever Young** — 20% (4 votes · score 732/1000)
   A deeply personal 1988 anthem of parental hope and resilience that became one of Stewart's most moving later-career recordings.
3. **Hot Legs** — 5% (1 votes · score 615/1000)
   A gritty, riff-driven 1977 rock anthem celebrating unabashed attraction that became a live staple and one of his most crowd-pleasing numbers.
4. **You Wear It Well** — 5% (1 votes · score 499/1000)
   A warm, nostalgic folk-rock classic from 1972 that showcased Stewart's storytelling gift and became one of his most beloved deep cuts.
5. **Stay With Me** — 5% (1 votes · score 480/1000)
   The Faces' raucous 1971 band anthem credited to Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, a ragged, guitar-driven classic that remains a cornerstone of his live shows.
6. **The First Cut Is The Deepest** — 5% (1 votes · score 459/1000)
   Stewart's 1977 soulful cover of Cat Stevens' song became an emotional showcase for his raspy voice and remains one of the era's most recognizable ballads.
7. **You're in My Heart** — 5% (1 votes · score 392/1000)
   A sparkling 1977 ode to love and football delivered with infectious charm, showcasing Stewart's unique ability to blend romance and laddish humor.
8. **Tonight's the Night** — 5% (1 votes · score 392/1000)
   Stewart's 1976 seductive slow-burner that spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of his biggest commercial triumphs.
9. **Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?** — 5% (1 votes · score 392/1000)
   A disco-era funk banger from 1978 that hit No. 1 worldwide and became synonymous with glitzy late-70s excess.
10. **Handbags and Gladrags** — 0% (0 votes · score 347/1000)
   One of Stewart's earliest and most haunting recordings from 1969, a reflective ballad about youth and pretension originally written by Mike d'Abo.
11. **Some Guys Have All the Luck** — 0% (0 votes · score 347/1000)
   An irresistible 1984 pop-soul groove that became one of Stewart's signature recordings and a feel-good radio staple throughout the decade.
12. **Downtown Train** — 0% (0 votes · score 322/1000)
   Rod Stewart's 1989 cover of Tom Waits' melancholic tale of city longing that reached the Top 5 and introduced a new generation to his blue-collar balladry.
13. **Reason to Believe** — 0% (0 votes · score 322/1000)
   Tim Hardin's folk song transformed by Stewart into the B-side that became bigger than the A-side, a raw and rugged showcase of his early genius.
14. **I Was Only Joking** — 0% (0 votes · score 171/1000)
   A confessional 1977 rock ballad in which Stewart admits to a lifetime of bluffing, combining self-deprecating humor with genuine emotional vulnerability.
15. **Have I Told You Lately** — 0% (0 votes · score 135/1000)
   A heartfelt 1993 ballad originally written by Van Morrison that Rod Stewart transformed into a timeless romantic standard with his world-weary vocal delivery.
16. **Sailing** — 0% (0 votes · score 58/1000)
   A sweeping 1975 emotional ballad that reached No. 1 in the UK on two separate occasions and became one of Stewart's most enduring signatures.

Tags: music, 80s, rock, 70s, classics, british, legends, all-time