Lately, I’ve been digging deeper into Rod Stewart’s back catalog. As someone first exposed to Stewart in the late 1970s when he was making songs like “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “Hot Legs,” which I did not particularly care for, I’ve found a lot more to love in his earlier and in his later work.
Is it possible for someone as famous as Rod Stewart actually to be underrated and underappreciated? At least in the U.S. for those of us who first knew him in the late 1970s, I think there is a case to be made that he is not given enough credit for both writing and performing great songs.
I’ve also been listening to the Beatles lately. So maybe that is why when I heard Stewart’s recording of “Mine for Me,” I immediately hit replay several times. Then, I had to look up who wrote it. While it is a somewhat simple song with a smart turn of the phrase, it also is a brilliant pop song. And few write better songs than Paul McCartney, who with his wife Linda McCartney wrote “Mine for Me” specifically for Rod Stewart.
There is a little story behind the creation of the song. During a press conference, McCartney made a comment that he would write a song if asked by any friend, such as Rod Stewart. And Stewart heard about the comment and called McCartney to accept the offer.
After the McCartneys wrote it, Stewart recorded the song. It appears on his 1974 album Smiler. In November 1974, Stewart released the song as a single and it made it into the top 100.
There are rumors about a demo recording by Paul and Linda. And Paul and Linda took the stage with Stewart and the Faces to sing the song on November 27, 1974 at the Lewisham Odeon in London. The performance reportedly appeared on an episode of the late-night music show The Midnight Special on April 25, 1975. And a short clip, which you may see at this link, was used for a promo for Stewart’s album.
One can hear how the lyrics of “Mine for Me” work for a rock star like Stewart. In the song, the singer is being tempted by another woman. But he tells her that he has a true love elsewhere and there is nobody like the woman who is “mine for me.”
While some may point out a problem with calling a person the possessive “mine,” the song really has a big heart. At least one writer has noted that McCartney probably had his life-long true love and cowriter Linda in mind while penning the words.
In a couple of hours I’ll be drivin’ home to the one I love;
So save your breath sweet painted lady it won’t be me;
Over the mountain and under the sea,
They’ll never be another one like mine for me.
Rod Stewart sings the song live in the video below. Although Paul McCartney does not appear in person, his catchy song with beautiful lyrics join the great voice of Rod Stewart to create a classic song. Check it out. If you have never heard the song before, I guarantee it will be going through your head the rest of the day.
Despite the catchy nature of the song and the fact that it was a minor hit in the U.S., others have not covered the song. At this time, somewhat surprisingly, there does even not appear to be any amateur covers of the song on YouTube either. So we only have Rod Stewart’s version of this minor McCartney classic, which is not a bad thing at all.
What is your favorite Paul McCartney song not recorded by Paul or the Beatles? Leave your two cents in the comments.
