You Should Have Listened To Al

Album: Love Chronicles (1969)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is not a thinly veiled plea by Al Stewart to buy his records, but yet another song inspired by the love of his life at that time and until 1988 when at the age of 42 he met his future wife. Slightly enigmatic, whimsical, and probably with a slice of poetic license, the fragment:

    Then she went lazily
    Leaving me crazily
    Wandering lost, the night was hazy...


    is perhaps closest to how he was feeling at the time, although it is difficult to see exactly where it fits in the chronology. The song "Night Of The 4th Of May" explains the genesis of Al's split with Mandi, although there was almost certainly trouble brewing before that fateful night. "The News From Spain" relates his flight to see her and to repair the broken relationship, so "You Should Have Listened To Al" probably fits in between the two, alternatively it could be a retrospective, like (the intensely sad) "Elvaston Place." It is the first of his recordings to be visibly identifiable as about Mandi or Mandi-inspired.

    "You Should Have Listened To Al" runs to 3 minutes 2 seconds, and is the first track on side 2 of Love Chronicles. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 1

  • Libby from LouisvilleThe infamous Mandi forever left her mark on a good man.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in Rock

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.