Songoftheday 1/14/13 - Now you're moving in high society, don't forget I know secrets about you...

Rod Stewart - "Baby Jane"
from the album Body Wishes (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 9

Today's Song of the Day is by Rod "The Mod" Stewart, who was born in London to a Scottish father and English mother right after World War II. After stints dabbling in folk music and a short fling playing with the Davies brothers before they formed the Kinks, Rod drifted to a soulful R&B-style of rock that fit his gravelly voice. He went through a number of bands before settling with Jeff Beck's group for a spell that got him the exposure he needed to go solo. At the same time, he joined with Ron Wood to become the lead singer of the Faces at the end of the 60s.

In 1969 Stewart released his first solo album, but it wasn't until his third, the classic Every Picture Tells A Story in 1971, that Rod had hit first commercial success with the single (and original B-side) "Maggie May", which went to #1 in both Britain and America. Rod continued his success throughout the 70s, scoring his second American #1 with "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" in 1976, and yet another one with the disco-fied "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" in 1979.

Rod put out his twelfth studio album, Body Wishes, in 1983, and the first single, "Baby Jane" was written by Stewart with Jay Davis, and in 80's fashion featured more synths and sax than guitars....

"Baby Jane" was big in the UK, becoming Rod's sixth solo chart-topper there, though peaking just in the top-20 in the US. And tellingly for the kind of song it was, it was too hard to reach the adult-contemporary chart yet too "soft" to make the rock radio list. Many critics have panned the single (and the album), but it's quite enjoyable if it wasn't one of his best.

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In 2006, emo-pop group Belle & Sebastian covered the song as one of their own B-sides...

The same year, reggae outfit the Sunshiners also recorded "Baby Jane"...

...finally, here's Rod the Mod live from 2011...

Up tomorrow: Detroit rocker gets wheeled out.