Leave Virginia Alone
"Leave Virginia Alone" is a song written by American musician Tom Petty and performed by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart on Stewart's 17th album, A Spanner in the Works. The song reached number one on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks and Adult Contemporary charts in 1995. It also reached number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 53 in Australia. It was later included on Petty's album Wildflowers and All the Rest.
Background
"Leave Virginia Alone" was originally meant to be on Tom Petty's studio album Wildflowers, but the track did not make the album. In a Billboard interview with Rod Stewart, Stewart revealed that Petty's manager gave him the song when Petty believed the track was too similar to a previous hit of his. "Leave Virginia Alone" was added to Stewart's album A Spanner in the Works after the audio mastering was finished and was the first single for the album.Release
On 13 May 1995, Stewart debuted "Leave Virginia Alone" on Saturday Night Lives 20th-season finale.Reception
"Leave Virginia Alone" received positive reviews from critics. Steve Baltin from Cash Box declared it as "a can’t miss" and "a guaranteedsmash". He added, "In addition, though, it’s a wonderfully catchy tune that features Stewart’s trademark vocals sounding as strong as they have in years." Matthew Bolin of Popdose said it was a "solid song with a fitting vocal performance". Larry Flick from Billboard complimented the connection between Rod Stewart's voice with the beats and acoustic guitars of the track. All the same, Stewart admitted to Billboard that at first, he did not like the song and had to be convinced to record the track.