The Rolling Stones

Formation

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards became childhood friends in 1950 in Dartford, Kent; the two lost contact in 1954 when the Jagger family moved. In the mid-1950s Jagger formed a garage band with his friend Dick Taylor, mainly playing material by Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Howlin' Wolf, and Bo Diddley. Jagger again met Richards on 17 October 1961 at Dartford railway station. Jagger was carrying records by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, revealing a shared interest to Richards. A musical partnership began shortly afterwards. Richards and Taylor often met Jagger at his house. The meetings moved to Taylor's house in late 1961, where Alan Etherington and Bob Beckwith joined the trio; the quintet called themselves the Blues Boys.

1963–1964: Early success

In May 1963, the Rolling Stones signed Andrew Loog Oldham as their manager. He had been directed to them by his previous clients, the Beatles. Oldham, then 19, had not reached the age of majority—he was also younger than anyone in the band— and so could not obtain an agent's licence or sign any contracts without his mother co-signing. By necessity he joined with booking agent Eric Easton to secure record financing and assistance booking venues. Gomelsky, who had no written agreement with the band, was not consulted.

Legacy

According to OfficialCharts.com, the Stones are ranked the fourth bestselling group of all time. Their top single is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", regarded by many at the time as "the classic example of rock and roll". The Stones contributed to the blues lexicon, creating their own "codewords" and slang, such as "losing streak" for menstrual period, which they have used throughout their catalogue of songs.

As Tears Go By

"As Tears Go By" is a song written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Marianne Faithfull recorded and released it as a single in the United Kingdom in 1964.

Her song peaked at number nine on both the UK and Irish singles charts. Later, the Rolling Stones recorded their own version, which was included on the American album December's Children .

Beast of Burden

"Beast of Burden" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1978 album Some Girls. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song No. 435 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Background

A "beast of burden" is an animal, usually domesticated, that labours for the benefit of man, such as an ox or horse. The music and some lyrics were primarily written by Keith Richards. In the liner notes to the 1993 compilation disc Jump Back, Richards said "Beast of Burden" "was another one where Mick (Jagger) just filled in the verses. With the Stones, you take a long song, play it and see if there are any takers. Sometimes, they ignore it; sometimes, they grab it and record it. After all the faster numbers of Some Girls, everybody settled down and enjoyed the slow one."

Release and aftermath

The song was released as the second single off the album. Billboard praised its "seductive lyrics" and "catchy R&B flavor". Cash Box said it is "a slow but perky ballad" with "tasty guitar licks". Record World said it "should be equally endearing to both their new and old audiences" as "Miss You".

Brown Sugar

"Brown Sugar" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written primarily by Mick Jagger, it is the opening track and lead single from their ninth studio album, Sticky Fingers (1971).

It became a number one hit in both the United States and Canada. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it charted at number two.

Inspiration and recording

Though credited to Jagger–Richards, "Brown Sugar" was primarily the work of Jagger, who wrote it sometime during the filming of Ned Kelly in 1969. According to Marsha Hunt, Jagger's girlfriend and the mother of his first child Karis, he wrote the song with her in mind. Former Ikette Claudia Lennear disputes this claim, saying that it was written about her. In 2014, Lennear told The Times that she is the subject of the song because she was dating Jagger when it was written. Bill Wyman stated in his book Rolling with the Stones (2002) that the lyrics were partially inspired by Lennear.

Release

"Brown Sugar" was released in April 1971 as the first single from the album, and the first single offered by the Rolling Stones Records label. While the US single featured only "Bitch" as the B-side, the British release also featured a live rendition of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock", recorded at the University of Leeds during the 1971 tour of the United Kingdom.

Critical reception

Writing for Sounds in 1971, Penny Valentine praised "Brown Sugar", stating that it was her "choice as the best track". Cash Box described the song as returning to "the fresh blues sound of the team's pre-Satanic days" with a "sax break, gritty wailing and the unique stones rhythm work." Record World said that it "is firmly in [the Rolling Stones'] hallowed tradition of gritty, groovy music." Writing for The Rag, rock critic Mike Saunders found the single to be the "only especially noteworthy" track of Sticky Fingers (1971).

Cover versions

Little Richard recorded a rendition of "Brown Sugar" for his album The King of Rock and Roll, released in 1971.

Fingerprint File

"Fingerprint File" is the closing track from the Rolling Stones' 1974 album It's Only Rock 'n Roll. It is one of their first attempts to branch out into dance or electronic music, and the song resembles music by Sly and the Family Stone.

Key ingredients of the song are the rhythm guitar played by Mick Jagger on a 1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom, and features heavy phasing due to the use of a Leslie Speaker and stereo mixing, and the highly jazz/funk-oriented bass guitar played by Mick Taylor. Keith Richards uses the wah-wah pedal for his guitar part.

Happy

"Happy" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1972 album Exile on Main St. Featuring guitarist Keith Richards on lead vocals, it was released as the second single from the album in June 1972, entering the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 69 on 15 July 1972 and reached No. 22 on 19 August 1972.

Honky Tonk Women

"Honky Tonk Women" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released as a non-album single in July 1969 in the United Kingdom, and a week later in the United States.

It topped the charts in both nations. The song was on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Inspiration and recording

The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on holiday in Brazil from late December 1968 to early January 1969, inspired by Brazilian "caipiras" (inhabitants of rural, remote areas of parts of Brazil) at the ranch where Jagger and Richards were staying in Matão, São Paulo. Two versions of the song were recorded by the band: the familiar hit which appeared on the 45 single and their collection of late 1960s singles, Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), and a honky-tonk version entitled "Country Honk" with slightly different lyrics, which appeared on Let It Bleed (1969).

Release

The single was released in the UK the day after the death of founding member Brian Jones, with "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as the single's B-side. The picture sleeve was designed by John Kosh and photographed by Ethan Russell.

Releases on compilation albums and live recordings

The single version of "Honky Tonk Women" appears on the following Rolling Stones compilation albums:

Hot Stuff

"Hot Stuff" is a song by English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, for their 1976 album Black and Blue.

Background

"Hot Stuff" was recorded in March, October and December 1975 during the Black and Blue sessions, and is heavily influenced by the disco/funk sounds of the day, with Charlie Watts laying down a heavy drum pattern accompanied by Ollie E. Brown on percussion, Bill Wyman adding a funky bassline, and extensive use of the Mu-Tron III pedal by guest guitarist Harvey Mandel, formerly of Canned Heat. Mandel plays the lead guitar parts on the song and was one of the guitarists in consideration for replacing the departed Mick Taylor's slot as the Stones' lead guitarist, a position eventually filled by Ron Wood. Billy Preston plays piano on the recording and contributes backing vocals along with Richards and Wood. The video, however, features Wood on...

Reception

Cash Box said that it "is a hot disco tune, with driving, fleshed-out R&B overtones".

It's Only Rock 'n Roll

"It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" is the lead single by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their twelfth studio album It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974). Writing is credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and the single reached the top ten in the UK charts and top 20 in the United States.

Inspiration and recording

Recorded in late 1973 and completed in the spring of 1974, "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" is credited to the Rolling Stones songwriting team Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, although future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood collaborated with Jagger on it. The song was originally recorded one night in a studio at Wood's house, "The Wick" in Richmond, London. David Bowie was backing singer to Jagger's lead, and Willie Weeks played bass with Kenney Jones on drums. The song on the album is similar to that original recording, with the Stones keeping the original rhythm track.

Reception

Cash Box called it a "hard rocker with the traditional Stones power that displays a really great hook" with "driving instrumentation and Jagger's inimitable vocal style". Record World called it "an r&r anthem of the most footstompin' fantastic proportions." Reviewers of Billboard took this song as "a little put-on on the current glitter rock scene". They wrote: "Title repetition is instantly catching, and this may be the most powerful uptempo thing they’ve done since 'Brown Sugar' some three years ago."

Music video

The song was promoted by a music video directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, showing the band dressed in sailor suits and playing in a tent which eventually fills with bubbles. This video was one of Mick Taylor's last appearances as a member of the band as he decided to leave in December 1974 (though he did not play on this song). Ronnie Wood, who does not appear in the video, played acoustic guitar on the recording, alongside Keith Richards on electric guitar.

Release

Released in July 1974, "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" reached number sixteen in the United States and number ten on the UK Singles Chart. The B-side was the ballad "Through the Lonely Nights", which was not featured on any album until the 2005 compilation Rarities 1971-2003.

Jumpin' Jack Flash

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones released as a non-album single in 1968, which reached the number 1 position in the UK singles chart and US Cash Box Top Singles. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone magazine, the song was seen as the band's return to their blues rock roots after the baroque pop and psychedelia heard on their preceding albums Aftermath (1966), Between the Buttons (1967) and especially Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967).

Inspiration and recording

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, recording on "Jumpin' Jack Flash" began during the Beggars Banquet sessions of 1968. Regarding the song's distinctive sound, guitarist Richards has said:

Release and aftermath

Released on 24 May 1968 in the UK by Decca Records and on 31 May in the US by London Records, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (backed with "Child of the Moon") was the band's first UK release in five and a half months – this marked the group's longest gap between releases in the country up to that point. A major commercial success, it reached the top of the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number three in the United States. It topped the US Cashbox chart for one week and the WLS 890 Hit Parade for four weeks. Some early London Records US pressings and Decca single in the UK of the single had a technical flaw in them: at about 1:37 about halfway through the song's instrumental bridge, the speed of the master tape slows down for a moment, before coming...

Star Star

"Star Star" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

In a few select countries, the song was released as a single from the band's eleventh studio album Goats Head Soup (1973), with "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" as its B-side. The song's title was changed to "Star Star" from "Starfucker" after Ahmet Ertegün of Atlantic Records insisted on the change.

Background

The song gained notoriety not only for explicit lyrics alluding to sex acts involving fruit (among other things) but also for controversial mentions of such celebrities as John Wayne and Steve McQueen. It was released about nine months after Carly Simon's affair with Jagger and the release of the song "You're So Vain", on which Jagger provided background vocals. Simon, who was by now married to fellow singer-songwriter James Taylor, had moved to Hollywood, which is mentioned in the lyrics of "Star Star". The lyric "Yeah, you and me we made a pretty pair" also echoes the verse "well you said that we made such a pretty pair" in "You're So Vain". While discussing the song, the band members have always referred to the song by its original...

Lyrics and music

"Star Star" was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The song was recorded by Andy Johns, Rob Fraboni, and Baker Bigsby at Dynamic Sounds studio in Kingston, Jamaica, Village Recorders in Los Angeles, and both Island Studios and Olympic Studios in London. It was produced by Jimmy Miller.

Critical reception

The BBC boycotted "Star Star", though not before it was played during a late-night news item about the 1973 Wembley concerts, part of the Goats Heads Soup tour. Writing for the Calgary Herald in a retrospective review, Heath McCoy stated that "Star Star" "epitomized the excess of the seventies".

Cover versions

In 1978, the Swedish artist Magnus Uggla did a punk rock cover of the song with lyrics in Swedish called "Stjärnluder" ("Star Whore") on his album Vittring.

Sympathy for the Devil

"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership.

It is the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. The song has received critical acclaim and features on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list, being ranked number 106 in the 2021 edition.

Inspiration

"Sympathy for the Devil" is credited to Jagger and Richards, though the song was largely a Jagger composition. The working title of the song was "The Devil Is My Name", having earlier been called "Fallen Angels". Jagger sings in first person narrative as the Devil, who boasts of his role in each of several historical atrocities and repeatedly asks the listener to "guess my name". The singer demands the listener's courtesy towards him, implicitly chastising the listeners for their collective culpability in the listed killings and crimes. In the 2012 documentary Crossfire Hurricane, Jagger stated that his influence for the song came from Baudelaire and from the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita (which had just...

Recording

The recording of "Sympathy for the Devil" began at London's Olympic Sound Studios on 4 June 1968; overdubs were done on 8, 9 and 10 June. Personnel included on the recording include Nicky Hopkins on piano, Rocky Dijon on congas and Bill Wyman on shekere. Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, photographer Michael Cooper, Wyman, and Richards performed backup vocals. Richards plays bass on the original recording, and also electric guitar. Brian Jones plays a mostly mixed-out acoustic guitar, although in isolated tracks of the studio cut, it is audible playing along with the piano.

Legacy

Of the change in public perception the band experienced after the song's release, Richards said in a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, "Before, we were just innocent kids out for a good time, they're saying, 'They're evil, they're evil.' Oh, I'm evil, really? So that makes you start thinking about evil ... What is evil? Half of it, I don't know how many people think of Mick as the devil or as just a good rock performer or what? There are black magicians who think we are acting as unknown agents of Lucifer and others who think we are Lucifer. Everybody's Lucifer."

Lyrics

The song's verse "I shouted out, "Who killed the Kennedys?' / When after all, it was you and me." is considered by critic Robert Christgau to be a commentary about how "this is a world where people get killed and all of us, to one extent or another, are implicated in the fact that this is that world." This lyric was noted in 2024 by Schwartzman as being omitted from the song since approximately 2006 in live performance. Christgau believes this was possibly done due to its lack of relevance "to the younger audience".

Tumbling Dice

"Tumbling Dice" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released worldwide as the lead single from the band's 1972 double album Exile on Main St. on 14 April 1972 by Rolling Stones Records.

A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, the song contains a blues and boogie-woogie-influenced rhythm that scholars and musicians have noted for its unusual tempo and groove. The lyrics are about a gambler who cannot remain faithful to any woman.

Background and development

The Rolling Stones recorded "Tumbling Dice" at a pivotal stage in their history. While recording Exile on Main St. in 1971, the band became UK tax exiles and moved to southern France to avoid paying a 93 per cent supertax imposed by Prime Minister Harold Wilson's Labour government on the country's top earners. Recording schedules were erratic and happened at odd hours. According to drummer Charlie Watts, "a lot of Exile was done how Keith [Richards] works", which meant playing songs dozens of times, letting them "marinade" [sic] and repeating the cycle.

Writing and recording

Jagger and Richards initially composed "Tumbling Dice" using filler lyrics consisting of a few simple phrases. Sound engineers Andy Johns, Glyn Johns, Joe Zagarino and Jeremy Gee recorded the song played in the basement of the Villa Nellcôte, near Villefranche-sur-Mer France, between 7 June and October 1971 using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. The song's basic track was recorded on 3 August 1971. That recording featured Mick Taylor playing bass because of Bill Wyman's unexplained absence with Jagger playing rhythm guitar. In the liner notes to Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones, Richards stated, "I remember writing the riff upstairs in the very elegant front room, and we took it downstairs the same evening and we cut it." In...

Music and lyrics

"Tumbling Dice" is known for its groove. Aerosmith's Joe Perry described the song as, "so laid-back, it really sucks you in ..." Joe Strummer of the Clash says "Tumbling Dice" is "not a straightforward tempo" but is "halfway between a slow and straightforward rocker". Music critic Bill Janovitz credits the song's "perfect tempo", "slight drag" and "shuffle" with creating that groove. In concert, Jagger and Richards have been known to argue over the speed of the song, with Jagger trying to push the song's tempo a bit faster.

Release

Rolling Stones Records released "Tumbling Dice" worldwide on 14 April 1972 – the Stones' 23rd US single and their 17th in the UK. "Tumbling Dice"'s B-side features "Sweet Black Angel". American artist Ruby Mazur created the single's sleeve. The song is the fifth track on Exile on Main St.. On 21 May 1972, Top of the Pops broadcast a film of the Stones rehearsing "Tumbling Dice" in Montreux for their 1972 tour. On 27 May 1972, The Old Grey Whistle Test showed the same footage.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1969 album Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" before dropping a place the following year.

Lyrics

The three verses (and the varied theme of the fourth verse) address major topics of the 1960s: love, politics, and drugs. Each verse captures the essence of the initial optimism and eventual disillusion, followed by the resigned pragmatism of the chorus.

Release and use

The song was originally released on the B-side of "Honky Tonk Women" in July 1969. Although it did not chart at the time, London Records re-serviced the single in 1973 and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 34 on the Cashbox Top 100 Singles chart. One of the Stones' most popular recordings, it has since appeared on the compilations Hot Rocks, Singles Collection (single version), Forty Licks, Rolled Gold+: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones (2007 edition), Singles 1968-1971 (single version), Slow Rollers (single version) and GRRR! (single version).

You Gotta Move

"You Gotta Move" is a traditional African-American spiritual song. Since the 1940s, the song has been recorded by a variety of gospel musicians, usually as "You Got to Move" or "You've Got to Move".

It was later popularized with blues and blues rock secular adaptations by Mississippi Fred McDowell and the Rolling Stones.

Gimme Shelter

"Gimme Shelter" is a song by the British rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Jagger–Richards, it is the opening track of the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed.

The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and fear. It features prominent guest vocals by American singer Merry Clayton.

Background

"Gimme Shelter" was written by the Rolling Stones' lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, the band's primary songwriting team. Richards began working on the song's signature opening riff in London while Jagger was away filming Performance with Richards' girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg. In his autobiography Life, Richards revealed that the tension of the song was inspired by his jealousy at seeing the relationship between Pallenberg and Jagger, and his suspicions of an affair between them.

Recording

The song was recorded in London at Olympic Studios in February and March 1969; the vocals were recorded in Los Angeles at Sunset Sound Recorders and Elektra Studios in October and November that same year. Nicky Hopkins played piano, Jimmy Miller played percussion, Charlie Watts played drums, Bill Wyman played bass, Jagger played harmonica and sang backup vocals with Richards and Merry Clayton. Clayton was summoned from bed around midnight by Nitzsche, Clayton – about four months pregnant – made her recording with just a few takes and then returned home to bed. Guitarist Brian Jones was absent during these sessions, Richards being credited with rhythm and lead guitars on the album sleeve. Upon returning home, Clayton suffered a miscarriage,...

Composition

Jagger described the song in an interview with NPR as "a very moody piece about the world closing in on you a bit ... When it was recorded, early '69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that's reflected in this tune." The song's inspiration came from Richards seeing people scurrying for shelter from a sudden rain storm. He recalls: "I had been sitting by the window of my friend Robert Fraser's apartment on Mount Street in London with an acoustic guitar when suddenly the sky went completely black and an incredible monsoon came down. It was just people running about looking for shelter – that was the germ of the idea. We went further into it until it became, you know, rape and murder are 'just a shot away'.

Reception

"Gimme Shelter" was never released as a single. Nevertheless, it has been included on many compilation releases, including Gimme Shelter, Hot Rocks 1964–1971, Forty Licks, and GRRR! Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of "Gimme Shelter"'s release, stated that "[t]he Stones have never done anything better". Pitchfork placed it at number 12 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Ultimate Classic Rock put the song at number one on their Top 100 Rolling Stones songs and number three on their Top 100 Classic Rock Songs.

Paint It, Black

"Paint It Black" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European influences and lyrics about grief and loss.

London Records released the song as a single in May 1966 in the United States, and Decca Records in the United Kingdom. Two months later, London Records included it as the opening track on the American version of the band's 1966 studio album Aftermath, though it is not on the original UK release.

Background

In 1965, popularity of the Rolling Stones increased markedly with a series of international hit singles written by lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. This success attracted the attention of Allen Klein, an American businessman who became their US representative in August while Andrew Loog Oldham, the group's manager, continued in the role of promoter and record producer. One of Klein's first actions on the band's behalf was to force Decca Records to grant a $1.2 million royalty advance to the group, bringing the members their first signs of financial wealth and allowing them to purchase country houses and new cars. Their October–December 1965 tour of North America was the group's fourth and largest tour there up to that...

Writing and recording

Jagger and Richards wrote the lyrics and much of the chord progression of "Paint It Black" the previous December during the first sessions for the then untitled album Aftermath, and while on the 1966 Australian tour. Initially, the first group of sessions were to be released as an album by themselves, then titled Could You Walk on the Water? In mid-January 1966, the British press announced that a new Rolling Stones LP carrying that title would be released on 10 March. In Rolling with the Stones, Wyman refers to the announcement as "audacity" on Oldham's part. A Decca spokesman said the company would not issue an album with such a title "at any price"; Oldham's idea upset executives at the company's American distributor, London Records, who...

Music and lyrics

In a 1995 interview, commenting on the musical styles found on Aftermath, Jagger described "Paint It Black" as "this kind of Turkish song". According to music scholar James E. Perone, although the introductory sitar passage is played in an Indian fashion, "the rhythmic and melodic feel of the Eastern-sounding phrases actually call to mind the Middle East more than India". Jagger's droning and slightly nasal singing complement the motif Jones plays on the sitar. Wyman's heavy bass, Charlie Watts' low-pitch drumming and Richards' bolero-driven acoustic guitar outro drive "Paint It Black". Commentators and reviewers have classified "Paint It Black" as raga rock, psychedelia, and psychedelic rock. Perone named "Paint It Black" as one of the...

Release

London Records released "Paint It Black" as a single in the US in May 1966; Decca Records released it on 13 May in the UK. "Paint It Black"'s UK B-side was "Long Long While", a song that was not released on any of the band's studio albums. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic later described "Long Long While" as an underappreciated song, with a "considerably different" tone than most of the band's work, and commented that it was better than many of the tracks the Stones selected for their studio albums. Upon their original release, the songs were credited to "Jagger-Richard", as Andrew Loog Oldham advised Keith Richards to use the surname Richard professionally on the Stones' releases during the 1960s. Later releases of the song have changed the...

Under My Thumb

"Under My Thumb" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Under My Thumb" features a marimba played by Brian Jones.

Although it was never released as a single in English-speaking countries, it is one of the band's more popular songs from the mid-1960s and appears on several best-of compilations, such as Hot Rocks 1964–1971. It was included as the fourth track on both the American and United Kingdom versions of the band's 1966 studio album Aftermath.

Lyrics and music

Like many of the songs from the Aftermath period, "Under My Thumb" uses more novel instrumentation than that featured on previous Stones records. Fuzz bass lines were added by Bill Wyman. Marimba riffs, played by Brian Jones, provide the song's most prominent hook.

Critical reception

Writing for the Port Angeles Evening News in 1971, critic Randy Peters considered "Under My Thumb" to be a "Stone's classic". In a 1978 retrospective review, music critic John Andrew Prime noted "Under My Thumb" for having "certain twists and turns" which rescued it from "the doldrums". That same year, staff writer Terry Orme wrote for The Salt Lake Tribune that the song reflected the Stones "at their offensive best", stating that the Stones had made important commentary "on the mentality of a culture". Writing for The Boston Globe in 1969, contributing critic William Alford referred to the song as being about "joyously insecure revenge".

Cover versions

"Under My Thumb" has been the subject of multiple cover versions, some of which have charted in the US and UK.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song.

The riff is widely considered one of the greatest hooks in rock history. The song's lyrics refer to sexual frustration and commercialism.

Recording

Keith Richards wrote "Satisfaction" in his sleep and recorded a rough version of the riff on a Philips cassette player. He had no idea he had written it. He said when he listened to the recording in the morning, there were about two minutes of acoustic guitar before you could hear him drop the pick and "then me snoring for the next forty minutes". Sources vary as to where this story happened. While they make reference to a hotel room at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida, a house in Chelsea, and the London Hilton, Richards wrote in his most recent autobiography that he was in his flat in Carlton Hill, St. John's Wood. He specifies that Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics by the pool in Clearwater, four days before they went into the...

Lyrics and melody

The song opens with the guitar riff, which is joined by the bass halfway through. It is repeated three times with the drums and acoustic guitar before the vocal enters with the line: "I can't get no satisfaction." The key is E major, but with the 3rd and 7th degree occasionally lowered, creating – in the first part of the verses ("I can't get no ...") – a distinctive mellow sound. The accompanying chords (i.e. E major, D major and A major) are borrowed from the E mixolydian scale, which is often used in blues and rock.

Release and success

"Satisfaction" was released as a single in the US by London Records on 4 June 1965, with "The Under-Assistant West Coast Promotion Man" as its B-side. The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in America in the week ending 12 June 1965, remaining there for 14 weeks, reaching the top on 10 July by displacing the Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)". "Satisfaction" held the number one spot for four weeks, being knocked off on 7 August by "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am" by Herman's Hermits. While in its eighth week on the American charts, the single was certified a gold record award by the RIAA for shipping over a million copies across the United States, giving the band their first of many gold disc awards in America....

Miss You

"Miss You" is a Rolling Stones song written by band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released in May 1978; first released as single, then a month later on their album Some Girls.

Inspiration and recording

"Miss You" was written by Mick Jagger jamming with keyboardist Billy Preston during rehearsals for the March 1977 El Mocambo club gigs, recordings from which appeared on side three of the double live album Love You Live (1977). Keith Richards is credited as co-writer, as was the case for all Rolling Stones originals written by either partner or in tandem.

Release and legacy

"Miss You" became the Rolling Stones' eighth and final number-one single in the United States on its initial release in 1978. It hit the top on 5 August 1978, ending the seven-week reign of "Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb. It also reached number three in the United Kingdom. The song was originally nine minutes long but was edited to almost five minutes for the album version and three-and-a-half minutes for the radio single. To properly edit the radio single without audible bumps and glitches, a separate mix was constructed and then edited for continuity. Cash Box said that a "strong, driving, funky backbeat" is suitable for dancing and that "Keith [Richards] provides a wrangling guitar line." Record World said that it was "a rather hushed...

Dear Doctor

"Dear Doctor" is a song by English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones featured on their 1968 album Beggars Banquet.