This week, Jim is looking for a song from an artiste who’s ‘gone solo’ after leaving a band with which they were closely associated. Of course this is a frequent occurrence. although with varying degrees of success. Ditching Andrew Ridgeley never did George Michael any harm for sure, but today I’m going with Rod Stewart, who moved on pretty well from The Faces.

Here he performs the much-covered ‘Handbags and Gladrags’, from his first solo album, ‘An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down’. It was written by Mike D’Abo, formerly of Manfred Mann, who himself plays piano on this version.

Ever seen a blind man cross the road
Trying to make the other side?
Ever seen a young girl growing old
Trying to make herself a bride?

So what becomes of you my love
When they have finally stripped you of
The handbags and the glad-rags
That your granddad had to sweat so you could buy?

Once I was a young man
And all I thought I had to do was smile
You are still a young girl
And you bought everything in style

But once you think you’re in, you’re out
‘Cause you don’t mean a single thing without
The handbags and the glad-rags
That your granddad had to sweat so you could buy

Sing a song of six-pence for your sake
And take a bottle full of rye
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake
And bake them all in a pie

They told me you missed school today
So what I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the glad-rags
That your poor old granddad had to sweat to buy

They told me you missed school today
So I suggest you just throw them all away
The handbags and the glad-rags
That your poor old granddad had to sweat to buy ya, baby

Written by Mike D’Abo

Song Lyric Sunday 18 May 2025