Listening to Tattoo You this very moment, have a question - what's this song about exactly? Tops? English is not my native language. Does it have some story behind it?

It's about shirt & blouse manufacturers.

"I'll take you a million miles from all this"....Yep I promised that once or twice.

everyone's a comedian.

not having listened to it in a while....and never having really disected the lyrics...i always understood it to be about a "casting couch" or simply some guy that promises to make a girl a star (take her to the top). There's probably a literal meaning and a metaphorical meaning...there usually is.

I thought it might have referred to the likes of Madonna, or someone like that. I think Madonna was really young when she was going for the stardom thing.

Tops is from 1975 right?

LA FORUM Wrote:
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> Tops is from 1975 right?


Tops started out in 1972.

Thought so actually, but rearrenged in 75?
Waiting on a friend is also 1972?

There is an instrumental version from 1975, I think. But the version on Tattoo You was recorded in 1972/73 and 1979.
Waiting On A Friend was recorded in 1972, 1979 and 1981.

It's about a young actress and a slimy agent. Ditto "King Of Hollywood" by the Eagles.

A Star is Born Judy Garland...

The 1975 "version" (Rotterdam rehearsals) is actually a playback of the instrumental backing track from 1972:

750122B between 22nd January - 9th February: Rotterdam, Holland, De Doelen, Mobile
Record Unit. Producer: The Glimmer Twins. Sound engineers: Keith Harwood,
Glyn Johns. Rehearsals, recordings and playbacks of already recorded stuff.
Additional musicians: Billy Preston (p, org, string synthesizer, voc)/Ollie E. Brown
(perc)/Jeff Beck (gtr)/& probably others
- Slave 1 (MJ/KR) -instrumental
- Rock rhythm (basing on one riff) -instrumental
- Blues rhthym -instrumental
- Funky rhthym -instrumental
- Blues rhythm -instrumental, with organ
- Melody (MJ/KR)
- Heatwave (Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland) -instrumental
- Slave 2 (MJ/KR) -instrumental
- Waiting On A Friend (MJ/KR) -playback
- Wind Call (MJ/KR) -instrumental; playback
- Tops (MJ/KR) -instrumental; playback
- Rock rhythm -instrumental
- Funky rhythm Jam -instrumental
- Monkey Man (MJ/KR) -instrumental
- Rock rhythm -Slave-style, instrumental
- Funky rhythm -Come On Sugar-style, instrumental
- Freeway Jam (Max Middleton) -instrumental, with Jeff Beck on guitar
- Worried About You (MJ/KR) -instrumental
- slow Rock rhythm -instrumental
- Funk rhythm -James Brown-style -instrumental
- English Rose (MJ/KR)
- Men Eating Women (MJ/KR)
- Funk rhthym -Sex Machine-style, instrumental
- Blues rhthym -with hardly audible vocals
- Shame, Shame, Shame (Sylvia Robinson) -instrumental
- interview with MJ & CW
- Crazy Mama (MJ/KR) -with ‘ghost’-vocal
- I Got A Letter (MJ/KR)
- Cherry Oh Baby (Eric Donaldson)
- Act Together (MJ/KR) -instrumental
- Fool To Cry (MJ/KR)
- Melody (MJ/KR)
Note: The ‘playbacks’ are finished tracks which The Stones seemed to listen to during
these sessions.

Tops was awesome live in 81,they should have brought it back...

Coming Down Again

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
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> It's about a young actress and a slimy agent.
> Ditto "King Of Hollywood" by the Eagles.


It takes a Elmo to answer properly. :-)

Hey while we are on the subject, anyone know how to play this on guitar?

I really want to learn this tune and can't find the tab anywhere.

Anyone got any info? Where to find the tab, what chords, what key.....

verse B flat to Cm
build up Dm,E flat,A flat,E flat,,,,, ,,,,,,Dont let the world pass you by part,E flat to D flat to B flat,intro slide B Flat to C back to B flat....

Coming Down Again

I have heard...and who knows whether it's true, that Mick Taylor's guitar is what we hear on the album track...not Ronnie.

I saw them perform this in Buffalo in 1981 and it was very good. Not one of their more popular songs, but one of the gems of Tattoo You, along with Worried About You, whch came out of the basement on this tour.

Yes, Mick T is all over Tattoo You, and actually sued for royalties, and won. There are no credits on Tattoo You!

Mick Taylor is on Tops and Waiting On A Friend--and yes, he did sue for royalties---successfully.

There are no credits because (ostensibly) Mick did not want to give away that it was compiled from very different eras---a convenient reason.........

btw the very excellent solo in Worried About You is Wayne Perkins who played on Black and Blue--namely the solo(s) on Hand of Fate.

I agree that Tops is one of the highlights of the record---excellent song

tops is smashing. "never never let success go to your pretty head".

There is an outtake of it...wich I like very much...

tops is a tops ballad. LOVE IT. and am dying to hear it live. but won't. sigh.

you can't catch me!

Thanks for the info! Great song.

Tops is one of my favourite songs on Tattoo You too - wonder, why they didn´t play it more often live!

And aint No Use ...is even better.what a ballad!!!