History Music / AlStewart

* WhatMightHaveBeen: Stewart often writes the music and records all of the instrumental tracks for a song--or even a ''whole album''--before writing lyrics. What eventually became "Year of the Cat" originally told the story of Tony Hancock, a British [[RecordedAndStandUpComedy stand-up comic]] who [[DownerEnding killed himself;]] the chorus was "Your tears fall down like rain/At [[TitleDrop the foot of the stage]]." The record company objected to those lyrics because American listeners would have no idea who Tony Hancock was. Stewart then saw the phrase "Year of the Cat" in his girlfriend's book on Vietnamese astrology and decided that would be the song's title. Suffering from writer's block after an abortive attempt at composing lyrics about cats, he saw ''{{Casablanca}}'' on television and decided to "grab Creator/HumphreyBogart and Creator/PeterLorre and see where it goes."

* WhatMightHaveBeen: Stewart often writes the music and records all of the instrumental tracks for a song--or even a ''whole album''--before writing lyrics. What eventually became "Year of the Cat" originally told the story of Tony Hancock, a British [[RecordedAndStandUpComedy stand-up comic]] who [[DownerEnding killed himself;]] the chorus was "Your tears fall down like rain/At [[TitleDrop the foot of the stage]]." The record company objected to those lyrics because American listeners would have no idea who Tony Hancock was. Stewart then saw the phrase "Year of the Cat" in his girlfriend's book on Vietnamese astrology and decided that would be the song's title. Suffering from writer's block after an abortive attempt at composing lyrics about cats, he saw ''Film/Casablanca'' on television and decided to "grab Creator/HumphreyBogart and Creator/PeterLorre and see where it goes."

* WhatMightHaveBeen: Stewart often writes the music and records all of the instrumental tracks for a song--or even a ''whole album''--before writing lyrics. What eventually became "Year of the Cat" originally told the story of Tony Hancock, a British StandupComic who [[DownerEnding killed himself.]] The original chorus was "Your tears fall down like rain/At [[TitleDrop the foot of the stage]]." The record company objected to those lyrics because American listeners would have no idea who Tony Hancock was. Stewart then saw the phrase "Year of the Cat" in his girlfriend's book on Vietnamese astrology and decided that would be the song's title. Suffering from writer's block after ran abortive attempt at composing lyrics about cats, he saw ''Film/Casablanca'' on television and decided to start with Creator/HumphreyBogart and Creator/PeterLorre and see where it went.

** Interwar period: ''Between The Wars,'' "Warren Harding," "The Last Day of June 1934," "[[UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar On the Border]]," "Creator/JosephineBaker," "Immelman Turn"

* WhatMightHaveBeen: Stewart often writes the music and records all of the instrumental tracks for a song--or even a ''whole album''--before writing lyrics. The first set of lyrics for what eventually became "Year of the Cat" told the story of an entertainer struggling with depression who [[DownerEnding killed himself.]] The original chorus was "Your tears they fall down like rain/At the foot of the stage."

* EpicRocking: to give just a few examples, "Apple Cider Re-Constitution" (5:19), "Year of the Cat" (5:20), "Song on the Radio" (6:19), "Time Passages" (6:43), "Murmansk Run[=/=]Ellis Island" (7:41), "Roads to Moscow" (8:00), "Trains (8:17), "Nostradamus" (9:43).
** All of these pale in comparison to "Love Chronicles", which runs for 18:04.

** "Terminal Eyes," on the album ''Past Present & Future,'' is a deliberate imitation of "[[TheBeatles I Am the Walrus]]." The liner notes dedicate the song to "egg-men everywhere."

* AuthorAppeal: very fond of history as a theme:

* TyrantTakesTheHelm: The song “Joe the Georgian” is actually about Joseph Stalin's rise to power, [[AlternateHistory re-imagined in a naval setting]]. While the real life story may be subjective to some, the song definitely isn't.

'''Alastair Ian "Al" Stewart''' (born September 5, 1945) is a British SingerSongwriter and guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his hit singles "Year of the Cat" (1976) and "Time Passages" (1978).

'''Alastair Ian "Al" Stewart''' (born September 5, 1945) is a British SingerSongwriter, and guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his hit singles "Year of the Cat" (1976) and "Time Passages" (1978).

'''Alastair Ian "Al" Stewart''' (born September 5, 1945) is a British singer, songwriter, and guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his hit singles "Year of the Cat" (1976) and "Time Passages" (1978).

'''Alastair Ian "Al" Stewart''' (born September 5, 1945) is a British singer/songwriter/guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his hit singles "Year of the Cat" (1976) and "Time Passages" (1978).

'''Alastair Ian Stewart''' (born September 5, 1945) is a British singer/songwriter/guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his hit singles "Year of the Cat" (1976) and "Time Passages" (1978).

'''Alastair Ian Stewart''' (born September 5, 1945) is a British singer/songwriter/guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his single "Year of the Cat".

Al Stewart is a British singer/songwriter/guitarist known particularly for exemplifying the 'confessional' school of songwriting in his early years, for [[IdiosyncraticAlbumTheming writing a large number of songs about history and historical events,]] and for his single "Year of the Cat".

** "Year of the Cat" mentions Creator/HumphreyBogart and PeterLorre.

** "Year of the Cat" mentions HumphreyBogart and PeterLorre.

** TheFrenchRevolution: "The Palace of Versailles," "Charlotte Corday"

** Interwar period: ''Between The Wars,'' "Warren Harding," "The Last Day of June 1934," "[[UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar On the Border]]," "Josephine Baker," "Immelman Turn"

** Interwar period: ''Between The Wars,'' "Warren Harding," "The Last Day of June 1934," "Josephine Baker," "Immelman Turn"

** "Terminal Eyes," on the album ''Past Present & Future,'' is a deliberate imitation of "[[TheBeatles I Am the Walrus]]."
** "Year of the Cat" mentions Bogart and Peter Lorre.

** AncientGreece: "Helen and Cassandra"

** The latter half of TheTwentiethCentury: "Post World War Two Blues," "Shah of Shahs," "Running Man," "Night Meeting," "A Child's View of the Eisenhower Years," "Class of '58"

*** The LateMiddleAges: "A Man For All Seasons"

*** LateMiddleAges: "A Man For All Seasons"
** TheFrenchRevolution: "The Palace of Versailles"

** TheNineteenthCentury: "Lord Salisbury," "Ellis Island"

** The latter half of TheTwentiethCentury: "Post World War Two Blues," "Shah of Shahs," "Running Man," "Night Meeting," "A Child's View of the Eisenhower Years"

* [[EspionageTropes Espionage]] and international intrigue are also recurring themes: "Running Man," "Night Train to Munich," "Night Meeting"

* TheMiddleAges: "Merlin's Time," "Constantinople," "Nostradamus," "Merry Monks"

* WalkingTheEarth: the narrators of "Apple Cider Re-Constitution" and "Year of the Cat," among others

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarI: "Old Admirals," "Fields of France," "Somewhere in England 1915"
* UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: "Roads to Moscow," "Murmansk Run," "Laughing Into 1939," "Trains"