Though usually when asked what my favorite of anything is, I'm unable to commit to any one choice. When it comes to songs by The Rolling Stones, however, I can definitely say that "Beast of Burden" is my number one. It always has been.
I was never a Stones' guy growing up. We were a Beatles family. The Beatles were clean cut. The Stones were dirty. Even when the Fab Four weren't clean cut, their music was still nice and friendly. The Rolling Stones always seemed uglier, dirtier, and more dangerous. They just didn't fit into our whitebread house in the suburbs of Northern Virginia.
I always viewed the Stones as the enemy to my heroic Beatles. And on occasion, when I saw members of the two bands hanging out, I couldn't believe it. WHAT?!? Don't they hate each other? It was like seeing Dallas Cowboy players laughing with my guys from the Washington Redskins over drinks. It was inconceivable. I was too young to realize that artists could actually enjoy one another's company, and could even be inspired by it.
"Beast of Burden" has some great guitar interplay between Keith Richards and Ron Wood. That's the great thing about the Stones that I've always admired. It's like the guitar melodies and rhythms aren't just melodies and rhythms. The leads aren't leads either, but somehow they all interconnect to make something really cool. Every time I listen to them I think, "What are they doing?" I still can't figure it out. I certainly can't emulate it.
Apparently "Beast of Burden" was primarily penned by Richards. He wrote it for Jagger as a bit of an apology for his years of drug abuse and other irresponsible behavior in regards to the band. So while the lyrics read like more of a jilted lover kind of thing, it's more allegorical in nature. He's kind of saying, "Sorry you had to shoulder the burden for a while." Who knew that ol' Keef was capable of such sentiment?
"Beast of Burden" is from the album "Some Girls." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.
I was never a Stones' guy growing up. We were a Beatles family. The Beatles were clean cut. The Stones were dirty. Even when the Fab Four weren't clean cut, their music was still nice and friendly. The Rolling Stones always seemed uglier, dirtier, and more dangerous. They just didn't fit into our whitebread house in the suburbs of Northern Virginia.
I always viewed the Stones as the enemy to my heroic Beatles. And on occasion, when I saw members of the two bands hanging out, I couldn't believe it. WHAT?!? Don't they hate each other? It was like seeing Dallas Cowboy players laughing with my guys from the Washington Redskins over drinks. It was inconceivable. I was too young to realize that artists could actually enjoy one another's company, and could even be inspired by it.
"Beast of Burden" has some great guitar interplay between Keith Richards and Ron Wood. That's the great thing about the Stones that I've always admired. It's like the guitar melodies and rhythms aren't just melodies and rhythms. The leads aren't leads either, but somehow they all interconnect to make something really cool. Every time I listen to them I think, "What are they doing?" I still can't figure it out. I certainly can't emulate it.
Apparently "Beast of Burden" was primarily penned by Richards. He wrote it for Jagger as a bit of an apology for his years of drug abuse and other irresponsible behavior in regards to the band. So while the lyrics read like more of a jilted lover kind of thing, it's more allegorical in nature. He's kind of saying, "Sorry you had to shoulder the burden for a while." Who knew that ol' Keef was capable of such sentiment?
"Beast of Burden" is from the album "Some Girls." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.
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