Love, love, love this song! I like the multiple meanings it inspires and the production is just haunting! I never thought about it as a protest song but your observations are really enlightening. A definite classic!
Agree with your sentiments completely. Maybe a warning song would be more accurate. But it is in a way a howl of outrage as well. An extraordinary song.
Great song I've never heard with Steve Winwood. It was certainly creative of that guy to synch it with Performance. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I think I started watching Performance once and can't remember if I stuck with it but rather doubt it. James Fox was so traumatized after being in the film that he left acting for a while and became an evangelical Christian!
I really loved this, had no idea about the origins of the song. Very powerful and I’ll think of this now when I listen to the lyrics. My favourite Stones track by some distance and always assumed it was released as a single!
It does seem crazy that they didn't release it as a single. But I think they benefitted from the rise of album-oriented radio about that time, which meant it could still get a lot of airplay anyway with DJs playing it off the album. And they made it a concert staple and toured a lot, so I guess it must have gained momentum over time through concerts and album airplay.
I'm with you -- 55 years and the song still moves me.
Oh good! I think the timing of her solo album may have been the issue, or perhaps it was the choice of material or the amount of marketing by the label that resulted in it not doing well, but she's got a great voice.
Thanks for sharing that, Michael, as I've never seen it.
I can never see Paul Shaffer without cracking up, from all the years he was on Letterman.
But I definitely don't want to make light of the Red Cross and the work they do. That's probably why it got licensed to them.
I hope you can separate the song from the commercial somehow, as it really deserves to be enjoyed on its own merits and not associated with anything else.
It’s a great song - I’ve always liked it. It’s not a bad memory associated with the commercial - I think it had something to do with a hurricane that year - I always thought it was kind of cool to have it associated with musicians helping out and it was a natural accompaniment - I didn’t learn until later some of the background to it. Your post reminded me!
Excellent point about musicians helping out. If there's a profession that's done so much for causes, it's gotta be musicians. (I once worked in Africa and we got Band Aid/Live Aid and USA for Africa ("We Are the World") money, so I've seen the benefit of it on the ground. It did a lot of good.
I listen to this track almost exclusively because of Merry Clayton's voice. it gives me chills. She told the story of this experience in the 20 Feet from Stardom documentary (which is amazing for anyone who hasn't seen it.) She was pregnant when she did this gig and suffered a miscarriage shortly after. Very tragic. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/traumatic-story-merry-clayton-the-rolling-stones/
Great article - thanks for sharing it. I have seen that documentary and second you in encouraging people to watch it. So many artists like Merry don't have names recognized by the public and yet have contributed in invaluable ways to making the songs we love.
It's also wonderful to read in that article that Merry has come out the other side of the trauma of that miscarriage and can now appreciate the song.
I think the Stones' instinct that they needed a woman to sing with Mick was on the money. She gave the song a higher level of credibility and authenticity, particularly considering that rape disproportionately affects women in war. Her voice reaching and cracking gives me chills too.
Set the scene: 1972. Harrisburg City Island (middle of the Susquehanna River). Strip races across the bridge, hundreds of people on the island selling and buying (16-year-old me well into my psychotropic period), war, riots, still in the Duck and Cover days, government announcing a shoot to kill order against looting...and this song is everywhere crossing every divide. The strange and unusual thing is none of us could figure out what Mick was singing. We got the message by osmosis. Ellen does it again, crossing the divide and linking past with present through music.
Wow, that's a powerful memory, David. You lived it.
Yes, I never knew what he was singing either. I think it was the music (by Keith) that worked its magic, and the urgency of Mick and Merry's voices. A more primal way that we got the message.
This is brilliant - thanks!
Thanks, Steve.
Love, love, love this song! I like the multiple meanings it inspires and the production is just haunting! I never thought about it as a protest song but your observations are really enlightening. A definite classic!
Agree with your sentiments completely. Maybe a warning song would be more accurate. But it is in a way a howl of outrage as well. An extraordinary song.
Thanks for this! And on the subject of “Performance” … https://youtu.be/3ggXfUVdwSs?si=CpHprbeqxrSCaZwu
Great song I've never heard with Steve Winwood. It was certainly creative of that guy to synch it with Performance. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I think I started watching Performance once and can't remember if I stuck with it but rather doubt it. James Fox was so traumatized after being in the film that he left acting for a while and became an evangelical Christian!
I really loved this, had no idea about the origins of the song. Very powerful and I’ll think of this now when I listen to the lyrics. My favourite Stones track by some distance and always assumed it was released as a single!
Thanks so much, Cherry. (Love your name!)
It does seem crazy that they didn't release it as a single. But I think they benefitted from the rise of album-oriented radio about that time, which meant it could still get a lot of airplay anyway with DJs playing it off the album. And they made it a concert staple and toured a lot, so I guess it must have gained momentum over time through concerts and album airplay.
I'm with you -- 55 years and the song still moves me.
Excellent review.
Thanks so much, Frank. Appreciate it.
You’re welcome. Great infusion of info about Merry Clayton I was not previously aware of. I’m now curious enough to search out her solo work.
Oh good! I think the timing of her solo album may have been the issue, or perhaps it was the choice of material or the amount of marketing by the label that resulted in it not doing well, but she's got a great voice.
I can never hear this song without this commercial popping into my head
https://youtu.be/eReMrml5TFM?si=Xfts7lDRVxeOBF6v
Thanks for sharing that, Michael, as I've never seen it.
I can never see Paul Shaffer without cracking up, from all the years he was on Letterman.
But I definitely don't want to make light of the Red Cross and the work they do. That's probably why it got licensed to them.
I hope you can separate the song from the commercial somehow, as it really deserves to be enjoyed on its own merits and not associated with anything else.
It’s a great song - I’ve always liked it. It’s not a bad memory associated with the commercial - I think it had something to do with a hurricane that year - I always thought it was kind of cool to have it associated with musicians helping out and it was a natural accompaniment - I didn’t learn until later some of the background to it. Your post reminded me!
Excellent point about musicians helping out. If there's a profession that's done so much for causes, it's gotta be musicians. (I once worked in Africa and we got Band Aid/Live Aid and USA for Africa ("We Are the World") money, so I've seen the benefit of it on the ground. It did a lot of good.
My favorite Stones song. Thanks for including the back story.
Mine too. Wasn't expecting that back story at all. Never a dull moment writing these posts.
I listen to this track almost exclusively because of Merry Clayton's voice. it gives me chills. She told the story of this experience in the 20 Feet from Stardom documentary (which is amazing for anyone who hasn't seen it.) She was pregnant when she did this gig and suffered a miscarriage shortly after. Very tragic. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/traumatic-story-merry-clayton-the-rolling-stones/
Great article - thanks for sharing it. I have seen that documentary and second you in encouraging people to watch it. So many artists like Merry don't have names recognized by the public and yet have contributed in invaluable ways to making the songs we love.
It's also wonderful to read in that article that Merry has come out the other side of the trauma of that miscarriage and can now appreciate the song.
I think the Stones' instinct that they needed a woman to sing with Mick was on the money. She gave the song a higher level of credibility and authenticity, particularly considering that rape disproportionately affects women in war. Her voice reaching and cracking gives me chills too.
Set the scene: 1972. Harrisburg City Island (middle of the Susquehanna River). Strip races across the bridge, hundreds of people on the island selling and buying (16-year-old me well into my psychotropic period), war, riots, still in the Duck and Cover days, government announcing a shoot to kill order against looting...and this song is everywhere crossing every divide. The strange and unusual thing is none of us could figure out what Mick was singing. We got the message by osmosis. Ellen does it again, crossing the divide and linking past with present through music.
Wow, that's a powerful memory, David. You lived it.
Yes, I never knew what he was singing either. I think it was the music (by Keith) that worked its magic, and the urgency of Mick and Merry's voices. A more primal way that we got the message.
Fantastic piece, thank you! It’s astonishing that this was never released as a single
Thanks so much, Mark. I know, it beggars belief!