On the Record
By Susan Pugh on Jun. 12, 2008
Q: I heard the classic Rod Stewart song, “Maggie May,” the other day and wondered if it was autobiographical. Can you tell me?
A: Found on his third solo album, “Every Picture Tells a Story,” “Maggie May” is perhaps one of Stewart’s most accomplished songs because, as the album title suggests, the song is a perfect narrative. Stewart co-wrote the song in 1971 with guitarist Martin Quittenton, who would reappear on Stewart’s follow-up album, “Never a Dull Moment,” to help write the musically similar song, “You Wear It Well.” “Maggie May” tells the Mrs. Robinson-esque story of a young man who was seduced by a much older woman. The man tells the story retrospectively, thus making it clear to the listener that, although he was a willing participant, he still feels used now that she’s finished with him. Given the sincerity with which Stewart sings the song, it is not hard to imagine that the song is autobiographical. In a January 2007 interview with Q magazine, Stewart conceded that the song was about his first intimate encounter, at age 16, with an older woman at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival in southern England. Fans of Stewart’s music may have noticed that although the song is titled “Maggie May,” the name appears nowhere in the actual song lyric. There is, as many of you may know, another song entitled “Maggie May.” This particular song was an old Liverpuddlian ditty about a prostitute who robbed a policeman. The Beatles recorded a version, renamed “Maggie Mae” for copyright purposes and released it on their 1970 album, “Let It Be.” Whether Stewart’s choice of the title was a final statement to his first lover or simply a coincidence, we must leave for others to decide.
Q: In the song “Jackson” by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, June sings the line, “I’ll be waiting in Jackson, behind a Jaypan fan.” What is a Jaypan fan?
A: The reason why you don’t recognize the words in the song may be due to the rural dialect used by songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler. Wheeler was born in West Virginia in 1932, and went to college in North Carolina and Kentucky. He began writing songs in the early ’60s, and found success after meeting legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. His first song to enter the charts was “The Reverend Mr. Black” by the Kingston Trio, which reached No. 8 in 1963. Around this same time, Wheeler read the script for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and wrote a song about the play’s couple, who constantly fight and argue. “Jackson” was originally recorded by the Kingston Trio in 1963 and included on their album “Sunny Side!” Wheeler also recorded the song and included it on his 1964 album “A New Bag of Songs.” Cash performed the song live for many years before issuing it as a single in 1967. It almost topped the country charts, peaking at No. 2. If you look at the songwriting credits, you’ll notice the name of actress Gaby Rodgers. When working with other songwriters, Leiber often used a pseudonym and, in this case, he used the name of Gaby Rodgers, who was his wife at the time.
What’s the name of that song? Where are they now? What does that lyric mean? Send questions to or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are freelance music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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