Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Under My Thumb

Written by: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards

Recording date: 6th - 9th March 1966
Recording location: Los Angeles, RCA Studios, Hollywood

Line up:

Vocal: Mick Jagger
Guitar: Keith Richards
Marimbas: Brian Jones
Bass: Bill Wyman
Drums: Charlie Watts
Piano: Ian Stewart


Under My Thumb

Under my thumb the girl who once had me down
Under my thumb the girl who once pushed me around

It's down to me
The difference in the clothes she wears
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb

Ain't it the truth, baby?

Under my thumb's a squirming dog who's just had her day
Under my thumb a girl who has just changed her ways

It's down to me, yes it is
The way she does just what she's told
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb

Say it's all right

Under my thumb's a Siamese cat of a girl
Under my thumb, she's the sweetest pet in the world

It's down to me
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb

Take it easy, baby, yeah

It's down to me, oh yeah
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb

Yeah, it feels all right

Under my thumb, her eyes are just kept to herself
Under my thumb, well I, I can still look at someone else

It's down to me, oh that's what I said
The way she talks when she's spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb

Say it's all right
Say it's all right
Say it's all right

Take it easy, baby
Take it easy, baby
It feels all right
Take it, take it easy, baby

Producer: Andrew Oldham
Sound engineer: Dave Hassinger

First released: Rolling Stones - Aftermath (LP)
Release date: 15th April: 1966 UK
Label: Decca SKL 4786



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-12-21 11:19 by NICOS.

An absolute masterpiece that needs to be excavated again. That riff - oh my God - and on the marimba too. Pop genius that blew the Beatles away. It's soul and pop rolled into one. Like Motown but written by five white skinny boys from England.

A classic! What a great production on their first album with entirely self-penned material

Well, the lyrics are ambiguous, but it was a great opening song back on the 1981 & 1982 tours (I wish they'd be so adventurous nowadays), and it fit perfectly to the instrumental ouverture 'The Stripper'.

The way they did it as an opener in the early 80`s made it one of my (many) favourites. Would love to see this one back in the liveset again.

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saltoftheearth
Well, the lyrics are ambiguous, but it was a great opening song back on the 1981 & 1982 tours (I wish they'd be so adventurous nowadays), and it fit perfectly to the instrumental ouverture 'The Stripper'.

The "instrumental ouverture" in 1981/82 was Duke Ellington´s "Take The A-Train".
The "instrumental ouverture" The Stripper was used by Rod Stewart in the early 80-ies, e.g. on his live Album "Absolutely Live"

Brilliant..in my top 5.

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RockingLonestar

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saltoftheearth
Well, the lyrics are ambiguous, but it was a great opening song back on the 1981 & 1982 tours (I wish they'd be so adventurous nowadays), and it fit perfectly to the instrumental ouverture 'The Stripper'.

The "instrumental ouverture" in 1981/82 was Duke Ellington´s "Take The A-Train".
The "instrumental ouverture" The Stripper was used by Rod Stewart in the early 80-ies, e.g. on his live Album "Absolutely Live"

The outro on the european 1982 shows was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

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matxil
A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

What about on Biggest Bang?

Brilliant.

Fantastic versions in 1981/82. My favourite live opening song.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-12-14 13:05 by Tops.

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DandelionPowderman

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matxil
A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

What about on Biggest Bang?

I don't know that one. From the name I gather it's a recent live album. I am not so fond of their live albums over the last 30 years.

it is a great great song . period .

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matxil

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DandelionPowderman

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matxil
A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

What about on Biggest Bang?

I don't know that one. From the name I gather it's a recent live album. I am not so fond of their live albums over the last 30 years.

The official live DVD after the ABB tour. Here's the version I had in mind (mind you, the guitar roadies are credited on this release with «additional recording»)

[www.youtube.com]

My favorite on 'Aftermath'...

2 1 2 0

Noticeably influenced by the Four Tops hits "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) and "It's the Same Old Song" that were hits in 1965.

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MisterAccapella
Noticeably influenced by the Four Tops hits "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) and "It's the Same Old Song" that were hits in 1965.

How?





[www.youtube.com]

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DandelionPowderman

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matxil

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DandelionPowderman

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matxil
A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

What about on Biggest Bang?

I don't know that one. From the name I gather it's a recent live album. I am not so fond of their live albums over the last 30 years.

The official live DVD after the ABB tour. Here's the version I had in mind (mind you, the guitar roadies are credited on this release with «additional recording»)

[www.youtube.com]

Thank you for posting that. I appreciate that.
And, yes, it's a good version. I like the guitars and the bass. Ronnie and Keith are doing great.
Mick is singing well most of the song, but for some reason at certain points he choses to pronounce words in a strange way, I don't know why he does that.
I like the Still Life version better, because it's less polished, rougher. And Mick sings it much better.

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matxil

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DandelionPowderman

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matxil

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DandelionPowderman

Quote
matxil
A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

What about on Biggest Bang?

I don't know that one. From the name I gather it's a recent live album. I am not so fond of their live albums over the last 30 years.

The official live DVD after the ABB tour. Here's the version I had in mind (mind you, the guitar roadies are credited on this release with «additional recording»)

[www.youtube.com]

Thank you for posting that. I appreciate that.
And, yes, it's a good version. I like the guitars and the bass. Ronnie and Keith are doing great.
Mick is singing well most of the song, but for some reason at certain points he choses to pronounce words in a strange way, I don't know why he does that.
I like the Still Life version better, because it's less polished, rougher. And Mick sings it much better.

My point was that it wasn't «Ronnie and Keith» who were doing great. Pierre and Dave Rouze were credited doing additional recording. This is the song with additional recording. Watch Keith «play» the riff in this video, for instance...

Ahh that riff indeed! Keith recycles it (in a different key) in Gimmie Shelter,
which always shocks somebody when it's pointed out, so let me do the honours this time.

I don't find it shocking. Most stones songs involve recycling of simple ideas from other songs.

Under My Thumb is a great pop song that became a great rock song in 81-82. It was pretty good in 69 too. The lyrics are incredibly misogynistic of course but so is current pop music so I guess they were ahead of their time?

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Turner68
I don't find it shocking. Most stones songs involve recycling of simple ideas from other songs.
... The lyrics are incredibly misogynistic of course but so is current pop music so I guess they were ahead of their time?

I didn't say it would shock *you*, Turner dear. Someone will come along. :E

Meanwhile, is this really misogynistic? It's about one particular female who was previously the one calling the shots.
If that's misogynistic then we have to say Congradulations [sic!] or Midnight Rambler are put-downs of males in general,
which would be silly, wouldn't it

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DandelionPowderman

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matxil

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DandelionPowderman

Quote
matxil

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DandelionPowderman

Quote
matxil
A very good song, both on Aftermath as on Still Life.

What about on Biggest Bang?

I don't know that one. From the name I gather it's a recent live album. I am not so fond of their live albums over the last 30 years.

The official live DVD after the ABB tour. Here's the version I had in mind (mind you, the guitar roadies are credited on this release with «additional recording»)

[www.youtube.com]

Thank you for posting that. I appreciate that.
And, yes, it's a good version. I like the guitars and the bass. Ronnie and Keith are doing great.
Mick is singing well most of the song, but for some reason at certain points he choses to pronounce words in a strange way, I don't know why he does that.
I like the Still Life version better, because it's less polished, rougher. And Mick sings it much better.

My point was that it wasn't «Ronnie and Keith» who were doing great. Pierre and Dave Rouze were credited doing additional recording. This is the song with additional recording. Watch Keith «play» the riff in this video, for instance...

Ah... wow. I am at my work, so I can't really watch the video, but I will have a look later. That's terrible. So this was during their lowpoint, with Keith pretty much worthless after His Fall and Ronnie on the edge of an alcoholic breakdown?

Timeless classic.
Along with Satisfaction, Get off My Cloud, Ruby Tuesday et al, heard from such a young age it's built into my psyche.


Keith talks about chord progressions here (at 1:15) but the whole show is great:
I taped this in it's entirety on VHS back in 1986 (I think it was MTV?)- just found it on youtube.

Keith Richards Paul Shaffer




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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

A great classic power track

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with sssoul

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Turner68
I don't find it shocking. Most stones songs involve recycling of simple ideas from other songs.
... The lyrics are incredibly misogynistic of course but so is current pop music so I guess they were ahead of their time?

I didn't say it would shock *you*, Turner dear. Someone will come along. :E

Meanwhile, is this really misogynistic? It's about one particular female who was previously the one calling the shots.
If that's misogynistic then we have to say Congradulations [sic!] or Midnight Rambler are put-downs of males in general,
which would be silly, wouldn't it

i *always* assume you are addressing me withsssoul! :-)

interpretations of lyrics are of course subjective and depend on one's context. in today's society, the comparisons to an animal ( "dirty dog" ) are taken to be highly misogynistic. (google "under my thumb misogyny" if you're curious to read more)

here is an alternate reading (written by a woman):

[scanlon295f13.umwblogs.org]

a IORR discussion of the topic of misogyny in under my thumb and other stones lyrics here:

[www.iorr.org]


i like the song, it certainly describes a valid point of view (and jagger can certainly argue he's simply playing a character rather than voicing his own opinion), but a discussion of it is incomplete without mentioning the controversy around the lyrics that still goes on today. ( just a year or two ago someone protested a US retail chain for playing the song in the store)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-12-14 18:37 by Turner68.

Thanks Turner honey - I am of course aware of the brouhaha over the supposed misogyny of this track
but I don't subscribe to it. (And in case anyone is unsure I am a she-sssoul.)

_{Disclaimer: Turner honey is not in the least unsure :E}

PS: It's a squirming dog (not a dirty one!), a Siamese cat, and the sweetest pet.
It's still not a putdown of women in general, any more than dirty dirty ratscum is meant to apply to men in general



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-12-14 18:51 by with sssoul.

We can't let this thread go far without referencing this thread: [www.iorr.org]
I find it charming that they based this on a Brice poem about a stamp :E

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DandelionPowderman

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RockingLonestar

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saltoftheearth
Well, the lyrics are ambiguous, but it was a great opening song back on the 1981 & 1982 tours (I wish they'd be so adventurous nowadays), and it fit perfectly to the instrumental ouverture 'The Stripper'.

The "instrumental ouverture" in 1981/82 was Duke Ellington´s "Take The A-Train".
The "instrumental ouverture" The Stripper was used by Rod Stewart in the early 80-ies, e.g. on his live Album "Absolutely Live"

The outro on the european 1982 shows was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

You are absolutely right, sorry, I made a mistake.

One of my favorites, an excellent recording for the Stones. I disagree with another member who says 'pop genius that blew the Beatles away' (a rather laughable statement).

I don't really know if it is a truly great song, or how well it works live nowadays (interesting one done for the 1969 tour at Altamont). But I just find the sound the Stones created for this fascinating.