1970s songs, love is gone

#459 Maggie May- Rod Stewart

You led me away from home/
just to save you from being alone.
You stole my heart and that’s what really hurts.

Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” is a song about a relationship between a college boy and an older woman. The author is bitter that the relationship is over but feels grateful for the experience. In other unrequited love songs we’ve talked about here, there is often some deep bitterness or genuine grief.

In “Maggie May”, we feel like the narrator is going to be ok. Maggie May treated him well, she encouraged him to stay in school and she loved him and satisfied his needs. It appears she may have broken things off for his sake. She left him better than she found him.

The choice of instruments in the song really helps it stand out. Steward uses a mandolin as the main string instrument in the intro and sprinkled throughout. The lyrics are well done. We understand what Stewart is talking about upon first hearing it and it makes the hearing experience that much more impactful. Stewart’s unique voice is hit or miss for people and it works great with this song. It really captures a time period in a young man’s life, and I bet many wish they could be “adopted” by a Maggie for a summer.

Maggie May Lyrics

Wake up, Maggie, I think I got something to say to you
It’s late September and I really should be back at school
I know I keep you amused, but I feel I’m being used
Oh, Maggie, I couldn’t have tried any more

You led me away from home, just to save you from being alone
You stole my heart, and that’s what really hurts

The morning sun, when it’s in your face really shows your age
But that don’t worry me none in my eyes, you’re everything
I laughed at all of your jokes, my love you didn’t need to coax
Oh, Maggie, I couldn’t have tried any more

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

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
All you did was wreck my bed, and in the morning, kick me in the head
Oh, Maggie, I couldn’t have tried any more

You led me away from home ’cause you didn’t wanna be alone
You stole my heart, I couldn’t leave you if I tried

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
Or find myself a rock ‘n’ 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

Maggie, I wished I’d never seen your face
I’ll get on back home one of these days
Ooh, ooh, ooh

Songwriters: Martin Quittenton / Roderick Stewart

1970s songs, unrequited love

#458 Superstar- The Carpenters

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Don’t you remember, you told me you loved me baby?
You said you’d be coming back this way again baby…

The Carpenter’s “Superstar” is a unique concept–the original title was “The Groupie Song”. “Superstar” is about a girl who is infatuated with a rockstar. She saw him at a show, they had a fling, and he told her he loved her. She hears him and his music all the time in her head…oh, no, this time it’s just him on the radio.

“Superstar” works on a more basic level because people don’t listen to the words of the song, just the feel of the song. We hear the chorus: “don’t you remember you told me you love me you love me baby” and remember that we have had similar feelings of heartbreak. Is this is just a dedication of love?

Nope. In this particular case, the relationship was not that deep to begin with ( the girl might have been led on), but when Karen Carpenter starts singing the chorus, we all feel sentimental. Perhaps the lesson is that regardless of whether the relationship is serious or not, unrequited love hurts.

This is Karen Carpenter at her finest.

Superstar Lyrics

Long ago, and, oh, so far away
I fell in love with you before the second show
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear
But you’re not really here, it’s just the radio

Don’t you remember, you told me you loved me baby?
You said you’d be coming back this way again baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby
I love you, I really do

Loneliness is such a sad affair
And I can hardly wait to be with you again
What to say to make you come again?
Come back to me again and play your sad guitar

Don’t you remember, you told me you loved me baby?
You said you’d be coming back this way again baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh baby
I love you, I really do

Songwriters: Leon Russell / Bonnie Bramlett / Delaney Bramlett

2010s songs, songs about exes

#457 When I Was Your Man- Bruno Man

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Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance/
Now my baby’s dancing/
But she’s dancing with another man.

In “When I Was Your Man” Bruno Mars recollects what went wrong in his past relationship. He comes to the realization that he took the girl for granted. She had simple wants. She wanted to be romanced: she wanted to go out dancing, she wanted flowers…as he thinks about it, he thinks how easily he could have done that. When he sees her on the dance floor with another guy it breaks his heart.

When I Was Your Man Meaning — Bruno Mars

Mars takes complete responsibility for all of it. He should have done these simple things when he was with her because now his heart is breaking. It is a very mature love song.

The arrangement for “When I was Your Man” is simple: it is mostly just Mars and a piano. I would love to hear more of this type of song from him as he really crushes this song. He also wrote another good love song for the piano with Adele that appears on this list: “All I Ask“. He certainly has a talent for it, hopefully he will produce more in the future. Not many can pull off just a piano and voice.

When I Was Your Man Lyrics

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now.
Our song on the radio but it don’t sound the same.
When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down,
‘Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name.

It all just sounds like ooh, ooh ooh,
Mm, too young, too dumb to realize,
That I should have bought you flowers;
And held your hand.
Should have gave you all my hours
When I had the chance.
Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance.
Now my baby’s dancing,
But she’s dancing with another man.

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways,
Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life.
Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made,
And it haunts me every time I close my eyes.

It all just sounds like ooh, ooh ooh…
Mm, too young, too dumb to realize,
That I should have bought you flowers,
And held your hand;
Should have gave you all my hours
When I had the chance.
Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance.
Now my baby’s dancing,
But she’s dancing with another man.

Although it hurts,
I’ll be the first to say that I was wrong.
Oh, I know I’m probably much too late
To try and apologize for my mistakes.
But I just want you to know…

I hope he buys you flowers,
I hope he holds your hand.
Give you all his hours,
When he has the chance.
Take you to every party,
‘Cause I remember how much you loved to dance.
Do all the things I should have done
When I was your man.
Do all the things I should have done
When I was your man.

Songwriters: Andrew Wyatt / Ari Levine / Peter Gene Hernandez / Philip Martin II Lawrence

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