Rod Stewart says The Killing of Georgie would define his legacy, not Maggie May

Rod Stewart says the one song he would like to be remembered for is The Killing of Georgie, a 1976 two-part ballad on the album A Night on the Town, not the chart-topping Maggie May that helped launch his career.

The track, a two-part suite on Stewart's seventh solo LP, tackles a difficult subject for its era: homophobia and a murder rooted in prejudice. It was loosely inspired by the real-life experiences of a friend, and its narrative stands apart from the more upbeat pop hits that defined his early stardom.

Stewart’s broader catalog includes Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright), and Sailing, but he says The Killing of Georgie is his proudest musical achievement because of its social message and storytelling. In interviews dating to 2011, he told Dean Goodman that this track represented a high point in his career, in part for addressing a difficult issue at a time when many songs avoided such topics. He has since discussed the narrative in later conversations, noting that while the Georgie story rang true, he was not on the scene when the events occurred and admitted embellishing the account at times.

The revelation about his preferred legacy comes as a companion note to a period when Stewart has been publicly described by family and collaborators in affectionate terms. Penny Lancaster, his wife of more than a decade, has spoken about his energy and vitality, a theme that has echoed in interviews as they have described tours and projects planned for the near future. The couple’s public remarks have framed this moment as a reminder that the singer remains active well into a long-running career.

The Killing of Georgie, released at the height of Stewart’s fame, remains notable for its willingness to tackle prejudice and violence in lyric form. While it never matched the commercial impact of his biggest singles, the song is often cited by critics and fans as a rare instance in 1970s pop of a mainstream artist confronting social issues with a narrative approach. Its status within Stewart’s body of work stands in contrast to the more dance-floor oriented anthems that characterized much of his 1970s output, underscoring why the singer has framed it as his crowning achievement among his catalogued works.

As Stewart continues to reflect on his career, The Killing of Georgie is likely to be remembered not just as a bold storytelling experiment but as a record of a moment when pop listeners were asked to grapple with prejudices that affected real lives. The track’s enduring influence, and Stewart’s own framing of it, presents a nuanced chapter in a career defined by high-profile hits as well as quiet, politically conscious storytelling.