The Ballad Of Rod Steiger

Album: Pandora's PlayHouse (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Rod Steiger was a popular actor in the 1950s and 1960s, winner of the Best Actor Oscar for his work in the film In The Heat Of The Night. In this song, Sananda Maitreya pays tribute to Steiger, using one of his sayings as a refrain:

    You play stupid games
    You win stupid prizes
  • "The Ballad Of Rod Steiger" is one of 28 tracks on Maitreya's album Pandora's PlayHouse. In a track by track for Songfacts, he explained: "We shared mutual friends in our business. Then I got a chance to meet him and get to know his generosity of spirit, as well as the legendary stories he shared with me about his time during and beyond the 'Golden Era' of Hollywood. We both lived in Malibu and used the same gas station, jeweler and favorite restaurant. Many of the words in the song came directly from the great maestro's mouth as related to me by himself and others. He was one of a kind and a total original."

    Steiger died in 2002 at 77.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Adele

AdeleFact or Fiction

Despite her reticent personality, Adele's life and music are filled with intrigue. See if you can spot the true tales.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Rupert Hine

Rupert HineSongwriter Interviews

Producer Rupert Hine talks about crafting hits for Tina Turner, Howard Jones and The Fixx.