# In 1986, Rod Stewart scored a hit he later called “silly”. He now refuses to play it live

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1986-rod-stewart-scored-a-hit-he-later-called-silly-he-now-refuses-to-play-it-live/
- Published: 2026-11-09T09:24:59+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T10:42:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-1986-rod-stewart-scored-a-hit-he-later-called-silly-he-now-refuses-to-play-it-live/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Rod Stewart called “Love Touch” one of his silliest recordings.
- Holly Knight said he misunderstood the song’s intended tenderness.
- Stewart now performs it only in brief snippets or interludes.

## Summary

Rod Stewart’s 1986 hit “Love Touch” has become a song he rarely performs, and he later called it “one of the silliest songs” he had recorded. The story centres on a difference in how Stewart and its writer, Holly Knight, understood the lyrics, which shaped their views of the song.

Knight said she intended “love touch” as a tender gesture between people apart, but Stewart sang it as a boast about being the best lover his partner had had. She recalled that he initially thanked her and sent flowers after the song became a hit, while later saying she was “heartbroken” by his dismissal. The track appeared on Stewart’s greatest hits collections and was associated with the film *Legal Eagles*; Knight also played its steel drum parts using a Fairlight synthesiser.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.