| Passion | |
| Cover: | Passion_-_Rod_Stewart.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Rod Stewart |
| Album: | Foolish Behaviour |
| B-Side: | Better Off Dead |
| Released: | November 1980 |
| Recorded: | 1980 |
| Length: |
|
| Label: | Warner Bros. |
| Prev Title: | (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right |
| Prev Year: | 1980 |
| Next Title: | My Girl |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
"Passion" is a song by Rod Stewart that first appeared in 1980 on his album Foolish Behaviour. It was the lead single and biggest hit from the album. The song was also released as a 12-inch promotional single with an extended running time of 7:30.
"Passion" describes the ubiquity of the phenomenon, delineating its universality by listing many of the people, places, and situations in which it is found. Passion is described as a powerful but dangerous essential motivator, being so compelling that it is prone to sometimes break outside the boundaries of loving relationships. 'Hear it on the radio' and 'read it in the papers' speaks of the potentially disruptive power of unleashed desire.
Billboard wrote "This up-tempo number has strong pop orchestration effectively pitted against Stewart's throaty vocals" and that the song has a "catchy" hook.[1] Record World said that the song has "menacing guitar runs, percussion fever & [Stewart's] vocal parchment."[2]
The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number two in Canada. It was also a sizeable hit across Europe.
| Chart (1980–1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 16 |
| Canada (RPM)[5] [6] | 2 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[7] | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[8] | 4 |
| US Record World | 6 |
| Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[9] | 4 |
| Chart (1981) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (RPM)[11] | 22 | |
| Italy (FIMI)[12] | 49 | |
| South Africa[13] | 9 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 38 | |
| US Cash Box[15] | 51 |
