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Parachute Woman
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, March 25, 1968 and
Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US,
June 30 - July 25, 1968

Mick Jagger - vocals, harmonica
Keith Richards - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Charlie Watts - drums, percussion
Bill Wyman - bass
Brian Jones - harmonica

Parachute woman, land on me tonight
Parachute woman, land on me tonight
I'll break big in New Orleans
And I'll overspill in Caroline

Parachute woman, join me for a ride
Parachute woman, join me for a ride
I'll make my bread in Dallas
And get hot again in half the time, babe

Parachute woman, will you blow me out?
Parachute woman, will you blow me out?
Well, my heavy throbber’s itchin'
Just to lay a solid rhythm down, hear

Produced by Jimmy Miller

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Beggars Banquet” LP
(Decca SKL 4955) UK, December 6, 1968



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-28 09:47 by René.

Nobody else dare to produce a track with this kind of sound, other than the Stones.

It's a unique track, even though it may appear as just a blues. Powerful, dirty and sounding like it may fall apart any minute - just the way I love my Stones

Great, one of my facourite.

Best is the "Rock And Roll Circus" version

An epic recording ... harmonica playing solo echoes as coming from inside the Earth ... impressive ...

2 1 2 0

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DandelionPowderman
Nobody else dare to produce a track with this kind of sound, other than the Stones.

It's a unique track, even though it may appear as just a blues. Powerful, dirty and sounding like it may fall apart any minute - just the way I love my Stones

Yep, well captured the essential in it; here The Stones are wandering in the zone no one else can only dream of.

In many ways "Parachute Woman" is a key song in BEGGARS BANQUET. Here the point of 'going back to the roots' is probably the most explicit. But at the same time, it is a mark of artistic maturation. The band is playing about the most traditional blues scale song of theirs ever, but with no any shame or excuse. They sound like finally mastering the whole blues tradition, and not any longer making school boy copies, or desperately trying to sound original by trying to find new angles or more 'ambitious' song structures or ideas. They know what they are saying, and they wholeheartidly believe on what they say.

The idealogy of 'less is more' in manifested here. At the time of guitar heroes emerging from here and there, Richards' primitive, straight to the point solo is a great reminder what it is really all about. A statement of its own, and a mark of Keith Richards truely finding his maturity and uniqueness as a guitarist. As important as what he plays, is what he does not (chooses to) play. No bullshitting. Six years later he would 'say' something similar in "It's Only Rock'n'Roll", but here the point is more striking and effective.

But, in the end, the song is a wonderful band effort, each contributing to the whole. A beautiful chaos. No hostages taken.

- Doxa

One of their best songs, one of the best produced. The uptempo cousin of Still a fool only a Stones original. Key song on BB indeed Doxa.

Okay, now we’re cooking with gas!! And man, ain’t Parachute Woman just 2 minutes and 21 seconds of sonic perfection?!! Those electric and acoustic guitars, weaving together like they are telepathically connected. Charlie and Bill’s swingin’ rhythm section, locked perfectly in sync. Those wonderful notes from Brian’s harp providing the depth and color that he was such a genius at. Mick’s vocals and lyrics, lecherous yes but also so wonderfully abstract and enigmatic. Jimmy Miller’s production, so crisp and pure. And the crowning touch … Mick’s harp at the end. That first, sustained train-whistle of a note from his harp is just so glorious and lonesome and exciting and heartbreaking and riveting. And then it yields, the rest of his solo being no less brilliant, exorcising the demons from his soul and from ours …

The blues at its finest, from what is arguably the Stones’ most perfect LP …

Drew

Blues + Chuck Berry + Freak = the aceness of Parachute Woman. Blues with a freak edge.

Regarding the harmonica, due to some musical hints I came up with a possible scenario of Brian playing the main harmonica which goes through the track, but Mick overdubbing the end wailing part with main harmonica continuing to play underneath.

This dual harmonica credit has been taken to be fact a bit to easily. Maybe Mick plays both harmonicas and Brian plays acoustic guitar or nothing at all.

The end harmonica sounds very much like Mick though, but the main harmonica could be either Brian or Mick. With no comments about the harmonica from the stones etc and no player specific solid musical clues it's anyone's guess who actually played it I think.

It's ace regardless of who played it.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-21 12:24 by His Majesty.

What a groove.

I love the RARC-version as well, although it sounds very different

A fantastic number that could be the most sexually explicit Stones' song ever.

It has an irresistible beat that tattoos itself to your brain like a pneumatic drill and holds on relentlessly while the lyrics have all the subtlety of a demolition ball and chain sledgehammering a message of sexual bravado.

Recently we spoke about the roots of Gimme Shelter potentially being found in Paint It, Black. Well here I can hear the roots of Midnight Rambler. It's got the same mid-tempo pace, and a similar threatening vibe that gets nastier the longer it goes on.

At the heart it's a really heavy blues but it has a manic edge that takes it beyond the musical confines of that genre. Perhaps psycho blues would best describe it.

Parachute Woman is, for me, one of the songs, along with the aforementioned Midnight Rambler and Stray Cat Blues, that helped create a slightly scary, sexually predatory impression of Mick Jagger, Jagger the Shagger...all cock rock bluster and up to no good. Don't leave him alone with your gal, guys, because, for sure, some bad is going to happen!

It's also quite probably the inspiration for The Doors' Roadhouse Blues which was recorded a year later but came out in 1970.

I'd love to hear it live but not sure if Mick would want to sing those lyrics nowadays.

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drewmaster
And the crowning touch … Mick’s harp at the end. That first, sustained train-whistle of a note from his harp is just so glorious and lonesome and exciting and heartbreaking and riveting.

The blues at its finest, from what is arguably the Stones’ most perfect LP …

Drew

Love this description Drew. You really captured it there.

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Silver Dagger

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drewmaster
And the crowning touch … Mick’s harp at the end. That first, sustained train-whistle of a note from his harp is just so glorious and lonesome and exciting and heartbreaking and riveting.

The blues at its finest, from what is arguably the Stones’ most perfect LP …

Drew

Love this description Drew. You really captured it there.

Thanks mate ... as did you ... love that term 'psycho blues'!!

Drew

Better than almost anything post 1972...and this is a song outside of IORR-world almost no one has heard of.

Shocking when you think of the quality of that and the next 3 albums.

Blew me away the first time I heard it. I too am amazed that it isn't more well known, maybe because they never played it live, at least not to my knowledge.

drewmaster is right...sonic perfection is the best way to describe parachute woman.

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DandelionPowderman
Nobody else dare to produce a track with this kind of sound, other than the Stones.

It's a unique track, even though it may appear as just a blues. Powerful, dirty and sounding like it may fall apart any minute - just the way I love my Stones

this kind of sound . . 5 years ahead of the similar sounding "glitter rock" copycats. with a distorted leadguitar following the vocal melody.

All that glitters isn't gold - like this

Well tie me to a tree and call me Brenda,That RNRC version smokes like a mother grabber.Brilliant.

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latebloomer
Blew me away the first time I heard it. I too am amazed that it isn't more well known, maybe because they never played it live, at least not to my knowledge.

drewmaster is right...sonic perfection is the best way to describe parachute woman.

Fantasic track...absolute "musical terrorism"

What's amazing is how all that menace and power is acheived with mostly acoustic intruments

i love this soung its great on the licks tour

10:19 - Parachute Woman live in 2002:

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DandelionPowderman
10:19 - Parachute Woman live in 2002:

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treaclefingers
Better than almost anything post 1972...and this is a song outside of IORR-world almost no one has heard of.

Shocking when you think of the quality of that and the next 3 albums.

The sales figures for Beggars Banquet tell us otherwise. Include Rock & Rock Circus sales and that's a lot of people who know about Parachute Woman.

Great song of an great album!

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His Majesty


The sales figures for Beggars Banquet tell us otherwise. Include Rock & Rock Circus sales and that's a lot of people who know about Parachute Woman.

What are the sales-figures for Beggars Banquet, then? It stalled at No.3 on the U.K. chart and No.5 on Billboard.

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His Majesty

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treaclefingers
Better than almost anything post 1972...and this is a song outside of IORR-world almost no one has heard of.

Shocking when you think of the quality of that and the next 3 albums.

The sales figures for Beggars Banquet tell us otherwise. Include Rock & Rock Circus sales and that's a lot of people who know about Parachute Woman.

HM, you're crack pipe is empty...I think you need to go score some more.

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Big Al

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His Majesty


The sales figures for Beggars Banquet tell us otherwise. Include Rock & Rock Circus sales and that's a lot of people who know about Parachute Woman.

What are the sales-figures for Beggars Banquet, then? It stalled at No.3 on the U.K. chart and No.5 on Billboard.

That was then, still a lot of people and then there are the sales following that time.

Cosnider that just for the USA alone the stones have sold approximatley 66.5 million albums. Even a small amount from that is a LOT of people.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-21 17:31 by His Majesty.

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treaclefingers
this is a song outside of IORR-world almost no one has heard of.

That is crackpipe in bold.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-21 17:48 by His Majesty.

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His Majesty

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treaclefingers
this is a song outside of IORR-world almost no one has heard of.

That is crackpipe in bold.

sorry, are you trying to make my case for me?