The song, controversial at the time of release, proved to be a massive commercial success and became his second US chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100.

'"[5] The song features a French spoken part from Britt Ekland who was Stewart's girlfriend at the time.

[7] The song was originally banned by the BBC and protested by Reverend Jesse Jackson, due to its suggestive lyric: "C'mon angel, my heart's on fire/Don't deny your man's desire/You'd be a fool to stop this tide/Spread your wings and let me come inside.

The song has been remade by such artists as: Linda Clifford, Nicky Moore, and sung by Anthony Kavanagh, Terry Steele, who reached number forty-four on the R&B singles chart,[24] and Alison Crawford on Grease is the Word.

[citation needed] A version by Roy Head reached the top 30 in the USA (#28) and Canada (#17)[25] Country charts in 1978.

"She even makes a bid for gay icon status…" wrote Neil McCormick in The Daily Telegraph's review of The Velvet Rope, "climaxing (if that's the right word) with a bizarre lesbian reinterpretation of Rod Stewart's 'Tonight's the Night'.