1975–1981

In 1975, Rod Stewart moved to the U.S., applying for citizenship due to his love affair with Britt Ekland and a fight with the UK tax authorities. He released the Atlantic Crossing album for his new record company, using producer Tom Dowd and a different sound based on the Muscle Shoals rhythm section. Atlantic Crossing marked both a return to form and a return to the Top 10 of the Billboard album charts. The first single, a cover of the Sutherland Brothers song Sailing, was a massive number one hit in the UK, while it only reached the Top 60 of the U.S. charts. The single returned to the UK Top 10 a year later when used as the theme music for a BBC documentary series about HMS Ark Royal, and having been a hit twice over became, and remains, Stewart's biggest-selling single in the UK. Holland-Dozier-Holland cover This Old Heart Of Mine was also a Top 100 hit in 1976. Musically, Atlantic Crossing showed Stewart was clearly distinguishing his slow material (such as Danny Whitten's wrenching I Don't Want To Talk About It) from his largely by-the-numbers rockers (such as Three Time Loser). Additionally in 1976, Stewart covered the Beatles song “Get Back” for the ephemeral musical documentary All This and World War II.

Later in 1976, Stewart topped the Billboard singles charts for eight weeks and the Australian singles charts with the glossy seduction ballad Tonight's the Night, with a steamy accompanying music video featuring Ekland. It came from the A Night on the Town album, which went to #2 on the Billboard album charts and was Stewart's first album to go platinum. By explicitly marking the album as having a fast side and a slow side, Stewart continued the trend started by Atlantic Crossing. The First Cut is the Deepest, a cover of a Cat Stevens song, went Top 30 in the U.S. in 1977 and #1 in the UK (even though God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols is widely believed to have sold more records in that week). The Killing of Georgie (Part 1 and 2), about the murder of a gay man, was also a Top 40 hit for Stewart during 1977.

Foot Loose & Fancy Free from 1978 continued Stewart's run of chart success, again reaching #2 and featuring much the same sound as from A Night on the Town. You're In My Heart was the hit single, reaching #4 in the U.S. The rocker Hot Legs achieved a lot of radio airplay as did the confessional I Was Only Joking. In appearance, Stewart's look had evolved to include a glam element, including make-up, spandex clothes, and the like.

Stewart scored another UK #1 and U.S. #1 single with Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? which was a crossover hit reaching #5 on the Billboard black charts due to its disco sound. This was the lead single from 1979's Blondes Have More Fun...or do they? which went to #1 on the Billboard album charts and sold 4 million albums. It was to be Stewart's last #1 album for 25 years.

There are two schools of critical thought about this whole period of Stewart's career. One is exemplified by the same 1980 Rolling Stone History entry quoted above, as it actually begins:

Rarely has a singer had as full and unique a talent as Rod Stewart; rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely. Once the most compassionate presence in music, he has become a bilious self-parody—and sells more records than ever...full of the rewards he received for his work, and seemingly without noticing, he exchanged passion for sentiment, the romance of sex for a tease, a reach for mysteries with tawdry posturing ...
The other school acknowledges that Stewart has never surpassed his earliest work, but states that by Never a Dull Moment and certainly Smiler it was clear that that formula had run dry, and that he needed to make a musical change in direction. Furthermore, Stewart's early solo work had inadvertently benefited from The Faces drawing off his less-inspired, straight-rocking party efforts; without The Faces around, this side of him became more manifest in his solo work. Given that, this view concludes that his albums during this period are not so bad and in particular Atlantic Crossing and A Night on the Town are more than occasionally inspired.

A focal point of this debate was Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?. To detractors, this was the epitome of Stewart's egotism and the nadir of his career. Supporters defend the music by saying this was Stewart's try at the disco sound, much in the same way as Paul McCartney did Silly Love Songs or The Rolling Stones did Miss You. In interviews Stewart, while admitting his accompanying look had become tarty, has defended the lyrics by pointing out that the song is a third-person narrative slice-of-life portrayal, not unlike those in his earlier work, and that it is not about him. In any case, the song's refrain was identical to Brazilian Jorge Ben Jor's earlier Taj Mahal; a lawsuit ensued. Stewart donated his royalties from the song to UNICEF, and he performed it at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in 1979.

Rod moved a bit to a more New Wave direction in 1980 by releasing the album Foolish Behaviour. Not very well received, the album produced one hit single in the song Passion. In 1981, Stewart added further elements of New Wave and synth pop to his sound for the Tonight I'm Yours album. The title song and Young Turks both reached Top 5 of the Billboard charts with the album going platinum.

On December 18th 1981, Rod Stewart played the Los Angeles Forum, along with Kim Carnes and Tina Turner. This show was broadcast around the world to a television audience of 35 million.