Rod Stewart says The Killing of Georgie is the song he wants remembered for

Rod Stewart has named The Killing of Georgie as the song he hopes will define his legacy, rather than the chart-topping hits fans associate with his six-decade career. The 80-year-old British rocker, who rose to fame in 1971 with Every Picture Tells a Story and its breakout single Maggie May, says the track he’s most proud of is a lesser-known ballad from the mid-1970s.

The Killing of Georgie is a two-part suite on his seventh solo album, A Night on the Town, released in 1976. It tackles a difficult subject for pop music at the time: homophobia. The narrative centers on a man who is beaten and murdered for his sexuality, with Stewart later saying the story was loosely inspired by a real-life friend who lived through similar tragedy. The opening lines, as cited by Stewart, set a somber tone: “I these days of changing ways/ So called liberated days/ A story comes to mind of a friend of mine/ Georgie boy was gay, I guess/ Nothin’ more or nothin’ less/ The kindest guy I ever knew.” He told The Guardian in 2016 that while the tale rings true, he wasn’t part of the events at the time and “embellished a bit.”

The singer has described the track as a deeply personal moment in his catalog, acknowledging that he drew on the experience of a friend who lived with fear and stigma during the era. The two-part composition stands out in Stewart’s catalog not for its commercial heft but for its willingness to address social issues head-on during a period when most rock-and-pop narratives avoided such topics.

Beyond the music itself, the current moment around Stewart’s personal life has also drawn attention. Penny Lancaster, his wife for 18 years, recently spoke publicly about their relationship, describing him as “so youthful, he’s a machine” as they discussed life on the road. The couple has publicly contemplated continuing performances in the years ahead, including tours next year and beyond. On his 80th birthday, Stewart reportedly told Lancaster that he intends to give her “another 20 years.” The couple’s bond reflects a broader acknowledgment in his long career of balancing a demanding schedule with family life.

Stewart’s body of work spans dozens of hits—from the sultry swagger of Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? to the earnest storytelling of Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) and Sailing. He remains one of the best-selling artists of all time, a figure whose influence stretched across the rock and pop landscapes for six decades. The Killing of Georgie’s place in his catalog underscores a facet of his artistry: a willingness to confront difficult, real-world subjects within a mainstream musical framework. The song’s roots in a personal friendship—and Stewart’s insistence on its message even as he reflects on his own distance from those events—offer a nuanced portrait of a musician who grew up in the era of social upheaval and whose legacy, for many, rests as much on storytelling as on hit singles.

Stewart’s expansive family history—eight children from multiple relationships—and his long-running partnership with Lancaster add layers to the public’s understanding of the artist who can pivot from intimate ballads to overtly provocative pop grooves. As he continues to tour and record, The Killing of Georgie endures as a reminder that the artist’s most enduring statements may lie beyond the most commercially dominant songs, in the quiet power of a narrative that challenged audiences to confront prejudice and fear.