Rod Stewart Failed to Go Punk With ‘Young Turks’
Not every classic rock star had a handle on many genres. For example, Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks” was his attempt to go punk rock. No matter how you look at it, there is nothing punk about “Young Turks.”
Rod Stewart’s ‘Young Turks’ has a connection to ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’
Carmine Appice was a member of the band Vanilla Fudge who co-wrote Stewart’s massive hit “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” During a 2023 interview with Smashing Interviews Magazine, Appice discussed his feelings about Stewart. “Rod Stewart was a great guy,” he recalled. “When I joined the band, I heard from my friend, Sammy Ginero, and he auditioned for Rod and gave me the number. I called the guy and said, ‘Man, I’d love to play with Rod.'”
Appice revealed how “Young Turks” came together. “Rod said, ‘I want something that’s a bit punky, a bit young and feverish,'” he said. “So Duane and I came up with ‘Young Turks,’ gave it a try, and he loved it. We did it with mostly keyboard and a drum machine. I did a hi-hat and cymbals.”
Appice felt the tune was a change of pace for the “Maggie May” singer. “It was different, and that became a big one, too,” he opined. “So that’s how it always went with Rod when I was with him. He was at the height of his career but not financially because everything was cheaper back then. What we grossed on a whole tour back then, Rod can make in two days now.”
Why Rod Stewart failed in his mission to go punk
Perhaps “Young Turks” should be understood as a new direction for Stewart. However, it’s not a punk rock song in any meaningful sense of the term. Nothing about it is punk. It doesn’t even have any audible guitars. It’s a fun synth-pop song, but it’s not what Stewart intended it to be.
Sometimes, the term “punk” is used to describe an attitude rather than a genre. To some, “punk” means anything that is anti-establishment and confrontational. For this reason, both communism and anarchism have been described as “punk.” “Young Turks” can’t be described as “punk” in that sense either. The tune is a conventional love song that’s appropriate for all ages. It’s about as punk as Barney the Dinosaur.
‘Young Turks’ was bigger in the United States than it was in the United Kingdom
“Young Turks” became a hit in the United States, making Stewart one of many 1960s stars who scored a hit in the 1980s. The tune climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for nine weeks. The track appeared on the record Tonight I’m Yours. That record peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and charted for 31 weeks altogether.
The Official Charts Company reports “Young Turks” peaked at No. 11 in the United Kingdom and spent nine weeks on the chart. It’s interesting that “Young Turks” was more popular in the U.S. than it was in Stewart’s native U.K. In the U.K., Tonight I’m Yours reached No. 8 and charted for 20 weeks.
“Young Turks” was Stewart’s attempt to embrace a new genre for him and it worked out well for him commercially.
