A touching tribute to a departed friend, The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II) features some pretty radical lines about acceptance, but also forces the public to consider the violence the LGBTQ+ community is being subjected to at this time was (and still is).North America, South America (SIEA Countries)Įnglish, French, Latin-American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese It was a real gamble and thankfully it paid off beautifully. In the end, Stewart is just sad and begs his friend not to go, but sadly it’s to no avail.įew male musicians – or artists for that matter – would have bet their careers on a song about a gay man, especially in the 1970s. Over the course of the longer segment, the singer shares that Georgie’s lessons in living life to the fullest even when he’s gone have been heard and heeded. Despite the subject matter, the first half was a real hit, but the second half is even more emotional. “The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II)” consists of two parts, as the title suggests. He admitted he wasn’t sure if the boyfriend was stabbed or shot in real life and that he may have faked some details for the song, but it’s ultimately a love letter to a gay man who’s been kidnapped way too early. Years later, Stewart spoke openly about the inspiration behind the track, saying that “Georgie” was a man he knew from his days with The Faces. What makes the whole matter even sadder is that it’s a true story. The song went straight into the top 10 in several countries, peaked at number 2 in Stewart’s home country of the UK and made the top 40 on the Hot 100 in America. “The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II)” was an extremely unlikely single as it dealt with homosexuality and violence, and yet… it worked. Unfortunately, many gay men who listened to the single when it was released were also involved with this part of the song. While Stewart doesn’t specifically state that the crime was hate-motivated, the listener may suspect that his sexuality may have played a role. One night Georgie leaves a musical before the curtain falls and on the way home he is attacked by thieves. This would have been a story that many young gay men would have witnessed in the mid 70’s. He makes friends, goes on cruises (an explicitly mentioned activity that must have caught the attention of some more conservative listeners as well), and goes to the theater, even attending a Broadway premiere. The newbie moves to New York City where he finds a home and community. Anyway, Georgie comes to his distraught parents and they throw him out of their house. It was just love, although he was well aware that not everyone saw things the way he did. Stewart shares his thoughts on this - and same-sex relationships in general - with the lyrics, “The afternoon George tried to explain / That like everyone else he needed love.”įor Stewart, being gay was neither an abomination nor something to be ashamed of. He refers to him as “the nicest guy I’ve ever known,” which is notable given that just a few lines earlier, the singer referred to him as “gay I guess.” Very quickly it becomes clear that Stewart (acting as a sort of narrator) loves this man, albeit not romantically. The title tells the story of a man named Georgie. The album is still considered not only one of his best, but also one of his most controversial – and one of his biggest hits on the album is partly responsible for that reputation. “The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II)” was the second of two singles from Stewart’s seventh album A night on the town. This context is helpful in explaining what made his single “The Killing Of Georgie (Parts I & II)” such a gamble and therefore a song worthy of applause and memory in gay history. But now he had nothing else to fall back on if things didn’t work out. So the legendary pop singer started a solo career. He had previously found success as a member of The Jeff Beck Group and then again with The Faces, but both had split that year. 1976 was a pivotal moment in Rod Stewart’s career.
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