Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: Rod Stewart, “You Wear It Well"

43 years ago today, a song went to #1 on the UK Singles chart that went on to be performed on an episode of The Facts of Life with Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie contributing back-up vocals, and…hang on, what?!?

We're very sorry: someone in the research department didn't check their facts (and very, very clearly didn't actually listen to the song in question) because they've mistaken the 1985 Debarge single “You Wear It Well” for Rod Stewart's “You Wear It Well.” As far as we know, Stewart's single was not featured in an episode of The Facts of Life, although it can be heard playing in the camp-tastic 1978 Joan Collins film The Stud, an achievement which in some circles is viewed as a status symbol of inestimable value.

“You Wear It Well” was a co-write between Stewart and Martin Quittenton, who also collaborated with Rod on “Maggie May,” so if you've ever thought that those two songs sounded somewhat similar, now you know why. And not to suggest that Quittenton graduated from the “if it ain't broke, don't fix it” school of songwriting, but…well, when you get a chance, go check out his other Stewart co-write, “Farewell,” which appears on 1974's Smiler. We'll say no more.

Although “You Wear It Well” didn't give Stewart another US #1, which is what he'd scored with “Maggie May,” it did provide him with a top-20 hit…or a #13 hit, if you want to be precise about it. Unfortunately, it would be the last one he'd have for a few years, but the next time he had a song in the Billboard Top 20, it was “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” which did prove to be a US #1 hit for him, although it only hit #5 in the UK. (Well, fair's fair, right?)