"Stay with Me", written by Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart

Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....

 and Ronnie Wood, was first recorded by their band Faces

Faces (band)

Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...

 for the 1971

1971 in music

-Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...

 album A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse

A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse

A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse was the third album by British rock group Faces, and their second album of 1971. It was their most successful album, peaking at #6 in the US, and reaching #2 in the UK...

. The song has also appeared on various Faces compilations and on albums by both songwriters. The lyrics describe a woman named Rita with "red lips, hair and fingernails" he "found... down on the floor"; the singer proposes a one-night stand on the condition that she must be gone when he wakes up. The song starts with a breakneck intro that settles into a steady groove - a simple rock & roll formula at a time when music was becoming more complicated.

Film use and notable cover versions

The song is heard over the closing credits of the films Sahara

Sahara (2005 film)

Sahara is a 2005 action-comedy adventure film directed by Breck Eisner and based on the best-selling book of the same name by Clive Cussler...

 and Wedding Crashers

Wedding Crashers

Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....

.

Ronnie James Dio

Ronnie James Dio

Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...

 covered this song with his band Elf

Elf (band)

Elf was a rock band founded in 1967 by the late singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein . The band was originally called The Electric Elves, but was shortened to The Elves and finally Elf in mid-1970...

 in the early 1970s.

Def Leppard

Def Leppard

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...

 have recorded a cover of the song for their 2006 cover album Yeah!, with guitarist Phil Collen

Phil Collen

Philip Kenneth "Phil" Collen is the co-lead guitarist and one of the backing vocalists for English rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 following the departure of Pete Willis.-Early years:...

 performing lead vocals.

Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers

Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...

 covered "Stay with Me" with Bernard Butler

Bernard Butler

Bernard Joseph Butler is an English musician and record producer. He first emerged in the early Britpop era with Suede. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation, as well as one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists...

 on guitar during their 1994 European tour with Suede

Suede (band)

Suede are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1989. The group's most prominent early line-up featured singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. By 1992, Suede were hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain", and attracted...

. The song was chosen as a tribute to the Manic Street Preachers' manager and mentor Philip Hall, who had died the previous year.

McFly

McFly

McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...

 recorded "Stay with Me" as the 2008 single for Children in Need

Children in Need

Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...

.

Thunder

Thunder (band)

Thunder were an English hard rock band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley to form a new group, namely Thunder...

 also recorded a cover version, which can be found on the 1999 compilation album The Rare, the Raw, and the Rest

The Rare, The Raw, and the Rest

The Rare, the Raw and the Rest is a 1999 compilation album by British hard rock band Thunder. It is a collection of b-sides, studio out-takes and live tracks recorded during the time that the band was signed to EMI Records, many of which were either unreleased or were unavailable on CD prior to...

. The lyrics of this version have been altered in order to change the meaning and cast the narrator in a somewhat more negative light than other versions for unexplained reasons.