The Spider and the Fly (song)
"The Spider and the Fly" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, recorded in May 1965 and first released on the US version of their 1965 album Out of Our Heads.[1] In the UK, it was released as the B-side to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". In 1971, the song was released on an album for the first time in the UK on the Decca Records compilation Stone Age.[2]
| "The Spider and the Fly" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by the Rolling Stones | |
| A-side | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (UK) |
| Released |
|
| Recorded | 13 May 1965 |
| Studio | RCA, Hollywood |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:38 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | Jagger/Richards |
| Producer(s) | Andrew Loog Oldham |
The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The lyrics speak about what the band, especially the leader, will do after their gig is over:
Sittin' thinkin' sinkin' drinkin'
Wondering what I'll do when I'm through tonight
Smokin', mopin', maybe just hopin'
Some little girl will pass on by
Jagger explained in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, "I wasn't really that mad about it, but when you listen to it on record, it still holds up quite interestingly as a blues song. It's a Jimmy Reed blues with British pop-group words, which is an interesting combination: a song somewhat stuck in a time warp." [3] In an AllMusic review, Mike DeGagne describes it as one of their earliest attempts at country music.[4]
Jagger performs harmonica on the recording while Jack Nitzsche provides percussion and keyboards.
The Stones have performed "The Spider and the Fly" live very rarely: they did so during two eras of their career, in 1965-1966 and once during the 1995 leg of their Voodoo Lounge Tour. A March 1995 studio reworking of the song was included on the Stones' album Stripped.
Notes
- Unterberger, Richie. "The Rolling Stones: Out of Our Heads – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Thompson, Dave. "The Rolling Stones: Stone Age – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "Jagger Remembers". Rolling Stone. Dec 14, 1995 (accessed 26 April 2007).
- DeGagne, Mike. "The Rolling Stones: The Spider and the Fly – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
