| "Mandolin Wind" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rod Stewart | ||||||||||
| from the album Every Picture Tells a Story | ||||||||||
| A-side | "(I Know) I'm Losing You" | |||||||||
| Released | 1971 | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock, Folk | |||||||||
| Length | 5:33 | |||||||||
| Label | Mercury | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Rod Stewart | |||||||||
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"Mandolin Wind" is a song written by Rod Stewart. It was first released on Stewart's 1971 album Every Picture Tells a Story and later as the b-side of a single from that album, his cover of "(I Know) I'm Losing You."[1][2] In 1972, it was covered by The Everly Brothers on their album Stories We Could Tell, and in 1977 it was covered by Earl Scruggs on his album Strike Anywhere.[3][4] The song has also appeared on numerous Rod Stewart compilation and live albums, including Sing It Again Rod, Storyteller – The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990 and Unplugged...and Seated.[5] It has also appeared on Everly Brothers and Earl Scruggs compilation albums.[5]
"Mandolin Wind" has been heavily praised by music critics. In his review of Every Picture Tells a Story in Rolling Stone Magazine, John Mendelsohn refers to the song as being "nearly as good" as the #1 single off the album, "Maggie May."[6] Rock: The Rough Guide went further, calling the song the highlight of the album.[7] Stewart Mason of Allmusic called the song "every bit...equal" to "Maggie May," and Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song "unbearably poignant."[8] [1] In its review of Every Picture Tells a Story, Billboard Magazine called "Mandolin Wind" an "excellent Stewart composition," and in its review of Stories We Could Tell the magazine noted that the song offered "great single potential."[9][10] Rod Stewart biographers Tim Ewbank & Stafford Hildred refer to the song as "a stunning ballad."[11]
The song combines elements of rock music and folk music.[8] The lyrics tell of the singer's love for his woman after she stayed with him through a particularly brutal winter on the American frontier.[8][11][12] The song uses mostly acoustic instruments, with a particularly prominent mandolin part.[8][11] Stewart has stated that he "always thought the mandolin was such as romantic-sounding instrument."[11] Although the tempo remains slow to medium throughout, Stewart Mason describes the song as "a masterpiece of dynamics."[8] The song rocks harder during the fadeout than during the rest of the song.[6][8] Mason finds the song's "simple, sweet declaration of love and fidelity" more believable than Stewart's later love songs.[8]
Stewart has stated that his "goal in life is to play 'Mandolin Wind' and make it sound like the record."[13] Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris quoted from "Mandolin Wind" in the song "Waiting for the Sun" on their Hollywood Town Hall album.[14]
The identity of the mandolin player on "Mandolin Wind" is unclear. The liner notes however claim that "the mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne" but that Rod Stewart had forgotten his name.[15][16] In 2003, Ray Jackson claimed to be the mandolin player on the album, at least for the song "Maggie May."[15] Ray Jackson is the talented mandolin player from English folk-rock band Lindisfarne .Mason attributes the mandolin playing to Martin Quittenton.[8] The liner notes to Every Picture Tells a Story list Quittenton only as the acoustic guitar player.
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