When I was very young, before I knew when YCAGWYW was released, I always thought that the woman mentioned in the song was Janis Joplin. Janis drank alcohol heavily (a glass of wine in her hand) and she was a heroin addict (she would meet her connection) .

I also thought Mr. Jimmy was Jimi Hendrix. Less to go on here, but Jimi was looking really exhausted in the last year of his life (And man, did he look pretty ill) and he was always rumored to be a heavy drug user (I went down to the Chelsea drugstore). Plus, he was dead. Granted, Jimi died after YCAGWYW was released, but I didn't know that then.

Does anyone else ever think of either Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix when you hear YCAGWYW?

I always thought it was about Marianne

I always think of random people when I listen to the song. Every now and then, I listen and think the Jimmy is maybe Jimmy Miller, but nah I always think of random people.

Jimmy is Phelge. Mick went to the Chelsea drugstore with him, were they stood in line

Its Jimmy Miller-----When Miller didn't like a song the Stones were working on he would
say

DEATH....Jagger used the same term in the track.

yes it's been mentioned many times its about Jimmy Miller.

I always felt it was about the milieu Mick found himself in. Everyone around him was using heroin - Keith, Marianne, Anita, Jimmy Miller, Robert Fraser, Michael Cooper, Tony Sanchez. At some level it must have been very strange for him, because his work ethic and drive to succeed had never changed.

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

YCAGWYW was written for all the setlist whiners that Mick and Keith foresaw in the future!

It is about coping drugs. People manipulate one another in this process "In her glass was a bleeding man." If your main connection is holding out you get what you need instead and can hear the choir sing. It's always thought that Mick wrote the lyrics because he sings it with authority but I'd bet Keith had a big hand in the narrative.

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Bliss
I always felt it was about the milieu Mick found himself in. Everyone around him was using heroin - Keith, Marianne, Anita, Jimmy Miller, Robert Fraser, Michael Cooper, Tony Sanchez. At some level it must have been very strange for him, because his work ethic and drive to succeed had never changed.

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

Brilliant, Bliss!

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swiss

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Bliss
I always felt it was about the milieu Mick found himself in. Everyone around him was using heroin - Keith, Marianne, Anita, Jimmy Miller, Robert Fraser, Michael Cooper, Tony Sanchez. At some level it must have been very strange for him, because his work ethic and drive to succeed had never changed.

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

Brilliant, Bliss!

Yes, but Mick wasn't a total innocent when it came to drugs. At that time, he was experimenting like the others, just maybe in a more controlled way. I believe it was Jerry Hall who said that Mick was snorting herion when she first met up with him and that was much later than this. The suggestion often seems to be that Mick was this paragon of virtue when it came to drugs, but that doesn't seem to be the case, especially when he was in his 20's and 30's.

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latebloomer

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swiss

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Bliss
I always felt it was about the milieu Mick found himself in. Everyone around him was using heroin - Keith, Marianne, Anita, Jimmy Miller, Robert Fraser, Michael Cooper, Tony Sanchez. At some level it must have been very strange for him, because his work ethic and drive to succeed had never changed.

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

Brilliant, Bliss!

Yes, but Mick wasn't a total innocent when it came to drugs. At that time, he was experimenting like the others, just maybe in a more controlled way. I believe it was Jerry Hall who said that Mick was snorting herion when she first met up with him and that was much later than this. The suggestion often seems to be that Mick was this paragon of virtue when it came to drugs, but that doesn't seem to be the case, especially when he was in his 20's and 30's.

Some people don't get hooked and can dabble. Dabblers are resented by junkies as they can not simply walk away.

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DoomandGloom

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latebloomer

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swiss

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Bliss
I always felt it was about the milieu Mick found himself in. Everyone around him was using heroin - Keith, Marianne, Anita, Jimmy Miller, Robert Fraser, Michael Cooper, Tony Sanchez. At some level it must have been very strange for him, because his work ethic and drive to succeed had never changed.

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

Brilliant, Bliss!

Yes, but Mick wasn't a total innocent when it came to drugs. At that time, he was experimenting like the others, just maybe in a more controlled way. I believe it was Jerry Hall who said that Mick was snorting herion when she first met up with him and that was much later than this. The suggestion often seems to be that Mick was this paragon of virtue when it came to drugs, but that doesn't seem to be the case, especially when he was in his 20's and 30's.

Some people don't get hooked and can dabble. Dabblers are resented by junkies as they can not simply walk away.

True, but that's a separate subject. I'm referring to Mick's own use of drugs at that time - that when the song was written, Mick probably didn't have such a hard line against drugs as he developed later.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-05-16 21:45 by latebloomer.

Wasn't there something in "Life" about Jimmy Miller wanting a raise?

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Bliss

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

I don't think this is always why people take it. They and many others have talked about the problems of life on the road, the high that they get onstage and the difficulty of dealing with the frustrated sensation afterwards when all that adrenaline has no place to go. Enter booze, cocaine, uppers and downers, and finally heroin.

Yes, Aqua, I think Keith talked about some of that in Life, and how he used drugs to cope with the fame.
Lately he says it was an adventurous experiment that went on too long.

As far as Mick, relatively speaking, seems to me--only those who were there with him know for sure--that his drug
use was sporadic, minimal. True, latebloomer, he likely took a harder line against the more seriously addicting
drugs as time went on. Something to keep in mind is Mick's dad was a phys ed teacher and coach which influenced him.

~"Love is Strong"~

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Aquamarine

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Bliss

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

I don't think this is always why people take it. They and many others have talked about the problems of life on the road, the high that they get onstage and the difficulty of dealing with the frustrated sensation afterwards when all that adrenaline has no place to go. Enter booze, cocaine, uppers and downers, and finally heroin.

True, but that doesn't explain the heroin use among the others I mentioned above. How great would it have been to live Robert Fraser's, Michale Cooper's or Anita's life (once Anita was free of Brian)?

I think the message of the song is upbeat.

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Bliss

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Aquamarine

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Bliss

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

I don't think this is always why people take it. They and many others have talked about the problems of life on the road, the high that they get onstage and the difficulty of dealing with the frustrated sensation afterwards when all that adrenaline has no place to go. Enter booze, cocaine, uppers and downers, and finally heroin.

True, but that doesn't explain the heroin use among the others I mentioned above. How great would it have been to live Robert Fraser's, Michale Cooper's or Anita's life (once Anita was free of Brian)?

I just said I didn't think that was always why people did heroin. It's different for each individual, and something else to factor in is simply current trends, and the peer pressure to follow current trends.

An interesting tidbit on a potential origin of the song

[bringmethenews.com]

June 12, 1964: Unknown Rolling Stones booed in Minnesota
June 12, 2014 By Ben Grove

Back on June, 12, 1964, when Keith Richards looked like this ……decades before he looked like this… …the Rolling Stones played Minnesota.

Of course, everyone knows what has happened since then – the group spanned generations to become one of the biggest, greatest rock-n-roll bands in the world … of all time.

But first – 50 years ago today – the mop-haired British quintet had to do a gig at Big Reggie’s Danceland ballroom in Excelsior, Minnesota (max. capacity: 1,000).
And it did not go well. The crowd booed.

Some context:The British invasion had just begun in 1964; Beatlemania was sweeping the nation after several appearances by the Fab Four in February that year on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Back in Excelsior, the Beach Boys had played to a riotous crowd at Big Reggie’s the week before.

But scarcely anyone had heard of the Rolling Stones, playing just their fourth U.S. show on that June day. The place was less than half full. Music fans weren’t much willing to shell out $6 to see Richards, Mick Jagger and their mates, show attendee Gary Reins, 68, of Excelsior, told KARE 11.

“Like, ‘Who are these Beatle wannabes?’ or ‘What are these guys?’ But I thought they were great!”

Excelsior resident Nancy Olmsted told the Sun Sailor that the performance was nothing like other high-energy shows at the venue.

“Mick Jagger had straight-across front bangs … I don’t remember him dancing with the energy he’s now known for,” she told the publication.

Despite the crowd’s indifference, the band’s appearance in Minnesota did lead to one fabled encounter, KARE reports.

The late Jimmy Hutmaker, who died in 2007 at 75, told KARE’s Allen Costantini in 1999 that he and Mick Jagger had chatted about a local drug store’s lack of cherry Coke. Hutmaker says he told Jagger, “You can’t always get what you want.” Jagger has never confirmed whether that exchange was the seed for the future hit song, which includes reference to a drug store, a cherry soda, and Hutmaker’s nickname “Mr. Jimmy.”

Excelsior plans to celebrate its moment in rock history from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, with a performance in Bayside Park by cover band The Rolling Stoners. The $5 admission will benefit a food shelf.

Fifty years later, the band is still going strong. From their Asia tour this year:

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ryanpow
I think the message of the song is upbeat.

Same here for sure Even if the song came was inspired by living
'the shadowy life'

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Aquamarine

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Bliss

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Aquamarine

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Bliss

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

I don't think this is always why people take it. They and many others have talked about the problems of life on the road, the high that they get onstage and the difficulty of dealing with the frustrated sensation afterwards when all that adrenaline has no place to go. Enter booze, cocaine, uppers and downers, and finally heroin.

True, but that doesn't explain the heroin use among the others I mentioned above. How great would it have been to live Robert Fraser's, Michale Cooper's or Anita's life (once Anita was free of Brian)?

I just said I didn't think that was always why people did heroin. It's different for each individual, and something else to factor in is simply current trends, and the peer pressure to follow current trends.

Or the high is just that @#$%& good. Nobody seems to mention that. Pull that needle out, count backwards from 10. By 6 you got that fuzzy warm feeling in your crotch that just explodes a warm rush thru your body. Nothing like it.

Almost forgot about that taste in the back of your mouth letting you know you ran it good.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-13 10:06 by MingSubu.

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MingSubu

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Aquamarine

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Bliss

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Aquamarine

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Bliss

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

I don't think this is always why people take it. They and many others have talked about the problems of life on the road, the high that they get onstage and the difficulty of dealing with the frustrated sensation afterwards when all that adrenaline has no place to go. Enter booze, cocaine, uppers and downers, and finally heroin.

True, but that doesn't explain the heroin use among the others I mentioned above. How great would it have been to live Robert Fraser's, Michale Cooper's or Anita's life (once Anita was free of Brian)?

I just said I didn't think that was always why people did heroin. It's different for each individual, and something else to factor in is simply current trends, and the peer pressure to follow current trends.

Or the high is just that @#$%& good. Nobody seems to mention that. Pull that needle out, count backwards from 10. By 6 you got that fuzzy warm feeling in your crotch that just explodes a warm rush thru your body. Nothing like it.

Almost forgot about that taste in the back of your mouth letting you know you ran it good.

Experience from literature or from your own life/body/?

My own life. Haven't used in ~6 years. Suboxone and family(my dad), most importantly my own will, helped me get clean.

Good support and avoiding people, places and things are key. Atleast to me they are.

I went to so many detoxes and 28 day rehabs. They would go around in group and ask why do you use? What are you hiding from? I just always liked the rush, then the high.

Glad you got clean, Ming.

My ex-brother in law went through the same thing - in and out of rehab half a dozen times or so. He didn't have the support or the willpower. Like Keith, when he got the drugs some what under control, he turned to alcohol and that's what finally killed him.

You see that a lot. Stop one drug and jump to another. I did/do it with pot.

I'm glad that I never took to alcohol(too sloppy of a high), coke(rather go downtown), cigarettes(gross w/o a buzz). IMHO those 3 wreck your body. Dope will keep you looking young/healthy. Unless the street-life gets to you.

I'm thankfull for the rehabs/sub/etc when I used. I also wonder if it made it too easy to use. If things got out of control, detox/rehab/sub. Vacation next week? Oh I'm going up to camp for a few days. I never went thru what Keith did. I always got help before that stage.

I do have to say, since not using dope, life has been cake. Not without it's ups and downs, but a lot easier. The hardest part about quitting dope and then sub(was under dr supervision for the whole treatment/tapered and jumped at a very low dose) was after the acute w/d symptoms and paws, it's the staying clean through this newfound boredom that you didn't have while using. .

I'm not going to preach, but if you are using and want to quit. The thought of w/d is worse then the actual w/d. Also if you are thinking about quitting. Try to get in shape. It will help.

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MingSubu
You see that a lot. Stop one drug and jump to another. I did/do it with pot.

I'm glad that I never took to alcohol(too sloppy of a high), coke(rather go downtown), cigarettes(gross w/o a buzz). IMHO those 3 wreck your body. Dope will keep you looking young/healthy. Unless the street-life gets to you.

I'm thankfull for the rehabs/sub/etc when I used. I also wonder if it made it too easy to use. If things got out of control, detox/rehab/sub. Vacation next week? Oh I'm going up to camp for a few days. I never went thru what Keith did. I always got help before that stage.

I do have to say, since not using dope, life has been cake. Not without it's ups and downs, but a lot easier. The hardest part about quitting dope and then sub(was under dr supervision for the whole treatment/tapered and jumped at a very low dose) was after the acute w/d symptoms and paws, it's the staying clean through this newfound boredom that you didn't have while using. .

I'm not going to preach, but if you are using and want to quit. The thought of w/d is worse then the actual w/d. Also if you are thinking about quitting. Try to get in shape. It will help.

What about the quote from Andy Johns, where he said that heroin suppressed every kind of negative emotion as long as you kept taking it, and they flooded you the moment you stopped? That would be a powerful incentive not to quit.

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Bliss
I always felt it was about the milieu Mick found himself in. Everyone around him was using heroin - Keith, Marianne, Anita, Jimmy Miller, Robert Fraser, Michael Cooper, Tony Sanchez. At some level it must have been very strange for him, because his work ethic and drive to succeed had never changed.

I have always thought of heroin as a means of blotting out pain or of dealing with a terrible life. Yet everyone mentioned above had no reason to blot out pain - they were young, attractive people in the midst of a marvellous free environment, living lives of priviledge and pleasure. And the song addresses itself to what they were seeking in heroin, and what they were finding. It does seem to me that what was sought as a solution...became a big problem.

That'll be due to the highly physically addictive properties of strong opiates.

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ThickerThanThieves
YCAGWYW was written for all the setlist whiners that Mick and Keith foresaw in the future!

See, different connotation. I thought it was about all the long time fans that finally realize they can't even get what they need.

I don't think one ever escapes ones own mental pressure cooker. From the outside this group of 1960s London swingers look like one big, happy party. However, each individual, especially at that young age, still have their own unresolved emotional issues to deal with. Look at Brian. He obviously had demons he was determined to chase away with whatever was available. Unfortunately he landed in the heyday of psychedelics, which probably left him unhinged.

The after-heroin lives of Anita, Marianne, and to a lesser extent, Keith (owing to his money and family support system), show that these people were self destructive, period. Mick, on the other hand, came from a very stable, middle class background, with little sense of inferiority. His own drug use would have been enough for most people, but he never seems to have let it get out of hand for long periods. (And as far as I know he never went to any kind of rehab). Keith, on the other hand, was willing to let his habits endanger his own life, and endanger the band he supposedly loved.

Full blown, full time addicts, seem cut from a different cloth. Something other than the physical addiction to a substance is going on underneath the clouds. I've observed a 20-year recovering alcoholic for many years and the person isn't that different sober. They have OCD and other mental impairments that seem totally unrelated to addiction. The addiction seems only a symptom.