Under My Thumb

"Under My Thumb"
Japanese single cover
Song by the Rolling Stones
from the album Aftermath
Released 15 August 1966 (1966-08-15)
Recorded 6–9 March 1966
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:41
Label Decca
Songwriter(s) Jagger/Richards
Producer(s) Andrew Loog Oldham
Aftermath track listing
14 tracks
Side one
  1. "Mother's Little Helper"
  2. "Stupid Girl"
  3. "Lady Jane"
  4. "Under My Thumb"
  5. "Doncha Bother Me"
  6. "Goin' Home"
Side two
  1. "Flight 505"
  2. "High and Dry"
  3. "Out of Time"
  4. "It's Not Easy"
  5. "I Am Waiting"
  6. "Take It or Leave It"
  7. "Think"
  8. "What to Do"
Alternative cover
Italian release

"Under My Thumb" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones recorded it for their 1966 album Aftermath. Although it was never released as a single in English-speaking countries, it is one of the band's more popular songs from the period and appears on several best-of compilations, such as Hot Rocks 1964-1971. In 1968, it was released as a single in Japan. It was also released in Italy.[1]

The group frequently performed "Under My Thumb" on their 1981 US Tour and 1982 European tour as the opening number at each concert. The Stones have played the song sporadically on subsequent tours in 1997–1998 and 2006.

Lyrics and music

The song's lyrics are an examination of a sexual power struggle, in which Jagger's lyrics celebrate the success of finally having controlled and gained leverage over a previously pushy, dominating woman. Jagger later reflected on the track in a 1995 interview: "It's a bit of a jokey number, really. It's not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others ... Yes, it's a caricature, and it's in reply to a girl who was a very pushy woman".[2] For many years starting with the 1969 tour, Jagger changed the references of "girl" in the lyric to "woman".

Like many of the songs from the Aftermath period, "Under My Thumb" uses more novel instrumentation than that featured on previous Stones records, including fuzz bass lines (played by Bill Wyman[3]), and marimba riffs played by Brian Jones, which provide the song's most prominent hook.

The lyrics, which savour the successful 'taming of the shrew' and compare the woman in question to a "pet", a "Siamese cat" and a "squirming dog" provoked some negative reactions, especially amongst feminists, who objected to what they took as the suppressive sexual politics of the male narrator. American humanities professor Camille Paglia, for example, reports that her admiration and defence of "Under My Thumb" marked the beginning of a rift between her and the radical feminists of the late 1960s.[4][5]

Personnel

Altamont incident

The song was played during the death of Meredith Hunter at the infamous Altamont Free Concert in 1969. The Stones were just finishing up the song when a fight broke out between Hells Angels on the security detail and concert-goers, ultimately culminating in the stabbing of Hunter by Hells Angel Alan Passaro after Hunter pulled out a gun.

It is a common misconception that Hunter was stabbed while the band was playing "Sympathy for the Devil".[6] The events appear in the film Gimme Shelter.[7]

Cover versions

A number of artists have recorded cover versions of the song.

  • Del Shannon released a version in 1966 (U.S. #128).
  • A version by Wayne Gibson, recorded in 1966, did not make the charts at the time, but later became a favourite on the Northern soul scene.[8] In 1974 it was reissued, and reached No. 17 in the UK.[9]
  • The Who recorded a version of "Under My Thumb" as the b-side of their 1967 single "The Last Time".
  • Blind Faith recorded a live version of this song at their June 7, 1969, Hyde Park concert.
  • The Kingsmen released a version on their 1966 album Up And Away.
  • Pentagram (US doom band) released a version on their 1974 single 'Under My Thumb / When the Screams Come'.
  • Tina Turner covered the song for her 1975 album Acid Queen.
  • Iowan group, Truth and Janey, covered it for their 1976 release, No Rest for the Wicked.[10]
  • The Hounds recorded the most successful U.S. version of "Under My Thumb" in 1979, reaching #110
  • Canadian rock band Streetheart recorded a version of "Under My Thumb" in 1979. This was the band's biggest hit on the Canadian Top 40 charts, reaching #20.[11]
  • Social Distortion released "Under My Thumb" as a B-side to their first single in 1982. The song resurfaced as a hidden track on their 1996 album "White Light, White Heat, White Trash".
  • Industrial metal band Ministry with Burton C. Bell covered "Under My Thumb" on their 2008 covers album Cover Up, with some minor lyrical changes. This version was nominated for the 51st Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance.[12]
  • La Roux recorded a cover of the song for their volume of the Sidetracked compilation series.[13]
  • Sam Kinison cameo appearance Ozzy Osbourne 1990
  • Kim Carnes released a cover version of the song in 2015 from the album 80's Re: Covered.

References

  1. ↑ Discogs: The Rolling Stones – Under My Thumb / Route 66
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
  3. ↑ Ian McPherson. "Under My Thumb". Timeisonourside.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  4. ↑ Paglia, Camille. (1992) Sex, Art and American Culture: New Essays, New York, Vintage, 1992, ISBN 978-0-679-74101-5
  5. ↑ Reason, Everything's Awesome and Camille Paglia Is Unhappy!, 19 March 2015
  6. ↑ Burks, John (7 February 1970). "Rock & Roll's Worst Day". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
  7. ↑ Caspar Llewellyn Smith. "Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones | DVD review | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  8. ↑ Stuart Maconie (30 September 2014). Cider With Roadies. Ebury Publishing. pp. 70–. ISBN 978-1-4735-0286-4.
  9. ↑ "Wayne Gibson". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Eduardo Rivadavia. "No Rest for the Wicked - Truth and Janey | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  11. ↑ RPM Top Singles, February 2, 1980
  12. ↑ "Grammy 2009 Winners List". MTV. 8 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  13. ↑ Heather Phares (2010-08-03). "Sidetracked - La Roux | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
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