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'''"Sweet Virginia"''' is a song written by [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Keith Richards]], and was the sixth song on [[the Rolling Stones]]' 1972 double album ''[[Exile on Main St.]]'' The song is a slow [[country music|country]]-inspired composition with a [[saxophone]] solo.
"'''Sweet Virginia'''" is a song written by [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Keith Richards]], and was the sixth song on [[the Rolling Stones]]' 1972 double album ''[[Exile on Main St.]]'' The song is a slow [[country music|country]]-inspired composition with a [[saxophone]] solo.


This album was mostly recorded in Villa [[Nellcôte]], France,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-05-12|title=We rank the songs on The Rolling Stones' double LP 'Exile on Main St.'|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/rolling-stones-exile-on-main-st-songs-ranked-jagger-richards/|access-date=2020-07-20|website=Far Out Magazine|language=en-GB}}</ref> as well as at [[Olympic Studios]] in 1970, with vocal overdubs added in early 1972 at [[Sunset Sound Studios]]. The song features a harmonica solo by Jagger and a saxophone solo by [[Bobby Keys]]. Drummer [[Charlie Watts]] plays a country [[shuffle rhythm]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties |author=Ciani, B. |page=177 |year=2006 |edition=2nd |publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=9780634099250}}</ref> An alternate version without the backing singers was released on bootlegs.
This album was mostly recorded in Villa [[Nellcôte]], France,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-05-12|title=We rank the songs on The Rolling Stones' double LP 'Exile on Main St.'|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/rolling-stones-exile-on-main-st-songs-ranked-jagger-richards/|access-date=2020-07-20|website=Far Out Magazine|language=en-GB}}</ref> as well as at [[Olympic Studios]] in 1970, with vocal overdubs added in early 1972 at [[Sunset Sound Studios]]. The song features a harmonica solo by Jagger and a saxophone solo by [[Bobby Keys]]. Drummer [[Charlie Watts]] plays a country [[shuffle rhythm]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties |author=Ciani, B. |page=177 |year=2006 |edition=2nd |publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=9780634099250}}</ref> An alternate version without the backing singers was released on bootlegs. The song was also released as the B-side of the Stones' "[[Rocks Off]]" single in Japan.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=[[Rocks Off]] |others=[[The Rolling Stones]] |date=1972 |type=Japanese Single |publisher=[[Rolling Stones Records]]}}</ref>


The version of the song that the band re-recorded for ''[[Stripped (Rolling Stones album)|Stripped]]'' is featured in [[Martin Scorsese]]'s 1995 film ''[[Casino (1995 film)|Casino]]''. The original recording is played over the closing credits of [[Rian Johnson]]'s 2019 film ''[[Knives Out]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moran |first=Sarah |date=2019-11-27 |title=Here's Every Song On Knives Out's Soundtrack |url=https://screenrant.com/knives-out-movie-soundtrack-songs/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}</ref>
The version of the song that the band re-recorded for ''[[Stripped (Rolling Stones album)|Stripped]]'' is featured in [[Martin Scorsese]]'s 1995 film ''[[Casino (1995 film)|Casino]]''. The original recording is played over the closing credits of [[Rian Johnson]]'s 2019 film ''[[Knives Out]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moran |first=Sarah |date=2019-11-27 |title=Here's Every Song On Knives Out's Soundtrack |url=https://screenrant.com/knives-out-movie-soundtrack-songs/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
"Sweet Virginia" is an acoustic song that is thought to be influenced by [[Gram Parsons]] and the drug-fueled atmosphere of [[Nellcôte]], where the album was mostly recorded during a series of chaotic recording sessions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|date=2013-10-15|title=100 Greatest Rolling Stones Songs, #35 "Sweet Virginia" (1972)|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-rolling-stones-songs-40475/|access-date=2020-07-20|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> <ref name=":0" /> The lyrics allude to drug use and pills and low-grade [[heroin]] (“drop your reds, drop your greens and blues”, "I hid the speed inside my shoe", and "got to scrape that shit right off your shoes").<ref name=":1" />
"Sweet Virginia" is an acoustic song that is thought to have been influenced by [[Gram Parsons]] and by the drug-fueled atmosphere of [[Nellcôte]], where the album was mostly recorded during a series of chaotic recording sessions.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|date=2013-10-15|title=100 Greatest Rolling Stones Songs, #35 "Sweet Virginia" (1972)|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-rolling-stones-songs-40475/|access-date=2020-07-20|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The lyrics allude to drug use and pills and low-grade [[heroin]] (“drop your reds, drop your greens and blues”, "I hid the speed inside my shoe", and "got to scrape that shit right off your shoes").<ref name=":1" />.

In a 1973 Crawdaddy interview, Parsons modestly confessed that he 'didn't work with the Stones that much. I did a few things with them...like with "[[Wild Horses (Rolling Stones song)|Wild Horses]]", "[[Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones song)|Dead Flowers]]", and "Sweet Virginia"...I sang on "Sweet Virginia". Gram thought that he 'sort of did' turn the Stones on to a more basic consideration of country. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Ehler |first=Jay |date=July 1973 |title=Gram Parsons Sweeps Out The Ashes |pages=3 |work=Crawdaddy |url=https://www.facebook.com/GramParsons/posts/crawdaddy-magazine-july-1973-interview-for-your-viewing-pleasure-on-this-monday-/1593881207292214/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Classic Rock History'' critic Matthew Pollard rated "Sweet Virginia" as the Rolling Stones' 4th best deep cut, calling it "a pretty little Country-inspired work of genius that’s thought-provoking and inspiring as it is a real crowd-pleasing sing-along."<ref>{{cite web|title= 10 Rolling Stones Songs That Are Fan Favorite Deep Cuts|author=Pollard, Matthew|date=28 December 2023|accessdate=2023-12-30|publisher=Classic Rock History|url=https://www.classicrockhistory.com/top-10-rolling-stones-songs-deep-cuts/}}</ref>


===Legal problems===
===Legal problems===
Line 38: Line 43:


"Sweet Virginia" has also been covered in concert by the bands [[Phish]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Phish Companion: A Guide to the Band and Their Music |author=Mockingbird Foundation |author-link=Mockingbird Foundation |publisher=Hal Leonard |pages=266, 313 |year=2004 |isbn=9780879307998}}</ref> and [[Old Crow Medicine Show]].
"Sweet Virginia" has also been covered in concert by the bands [[Phish]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Phish Companion: A Guide to the Band and Their Music |author=Mockingbird Foundation |author-link=Mockingbird Foundation |publisher=Hal Leonard |pages=266, 313 |year=2004 |isbn=9780879307998}}</ref> and [[Old Crow Medicine Show]].

The song was also released as the B-side of the Stones' "[[Rocks Off]]" single in Japan.


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Line 48: Line 51:
*[[Mick Jagger]]{{snd}} vocals, harmonica
*[[Mick Jagger]]{{snd}} vocals, harmonica
*[[Keith Richards]]{{snd}} backing vocals, acoustic guitar
*[[Keith Richards]]{{snd}} backing vocals, acoustic guitar
*[[Mick Taylor]]{{snd}} backing vocals,{{refn|group=note|While it was later rumored that American musician [[Gram Parsons]] contributed backing vocals to the track, Taylor stated in 2002 that he, and not Parsons, was the one singing.{{sfn|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|p=353}}}} lead acoustic guitar
*[[Mick Taylor]]{{snd}} backing vocals{{refn|group=note|While it was later rumored that American musician [[Gram Parsons]] contributed backing vocals to the track, Taylor stated in 2002 that he, and not Parsons, was the one singing.{{sfn|Babiuk|Prevost|2013|p=353}}}}, lead acoustic guitar
*[[Bill Wyman]]{{snd}} bass
*[[Bill Wyman]]{{snd}} bass
*[[Charlie Watts]]{{snd}} drums
*[[Charlie Watts]]{{snd}} drums
Line 56: Line 59:
*[[Bobby Keys]]{{snd}} [[saxophone]]
*[[Bobby Keys]]{{snd}} [[saxophone]]
*Unidentified musicians{{snd}} backing vocals, hand claps
*Unidentified musicians{{snd}} backing vocals, hand claps

⚫
==Notes==
⚫
{{Reflist|group=note}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

⚫
===Notes===
⚫
{{Reflist|group=note}}


===Sources===
===Sources===

Latest revision as of 15:01, 8 June 2024

For the 2017 film, see Sweet Virginia (film).
"Sweet Virginia"
Song by The Rolling Stones
from the album Exile on Main St.
Released12 May 1972 (1972-05-12)
Recorded30 June – July 1970, 7 June 1971 – March 1972[1]
Studio
Genre
Length4:27
LabelRolling Stones Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Miller

"Sweet Virginia" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and was the sixth song on the Rolling Stones' 1972 double album Exile on Main St. The song is a slow country-inspired composition with a saxophone solo.

This album was mostly recorded in Villa Nellcôte, France,[2] as well as at Olympic Studios in 1970, with vocal overdubs added in early 1972 at Sunset Sound Studios. The song features a harmonica solo by Jagger and a saxophone solo by Bobby Keys. Drummer Charlie Watts plays a country shuffle rhythm.[3] An alternate version without the backing singers was released on bootlegs. The song was also released as the B-side of the Stones' "Rocks Off" single in Japan.[4]

The version of the song that the band re-recorded for Stripped is featured in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. The original recording is played over the closing credits of Rian Johnson's 2019 film Knives Out.[5]

History

[edit]

"Sweet Virginia" is an acoustic song that is thought to have been influenced by Gram Parsons and by the drug-fueled atmosphere of Nellcôte, where the album was mostly recorded during a series of chaotic recording sessions.[6][2] The lyrics allude to drug use and pills and low-grade heroin (“drop your reds, drop your greens and blues”, "I hid the speed inside my shoe", and "got to scrape that shit right off your shoes").[6].

In a 1973 Crawdaddy interview, Parsons modestly confessed that he 'didn't work with the Stones that much. I did a few things with them...like with "Wild Horses", "Dead Flowers", and "Sweet Virginia"...I sang on "Sweet Virginia". Gram thought that he 'sort of did' turn the Stones on to a more basic consideration of country. [7]

Reception

[edit]

Classic Rock History critic Matthew Pollard rated "Sweet Virginia" as the Rolling Stones' 4th best deep cut, calling it "a pretty little Country-inspired work of genius that’s thought-provoking and inspiring as it is a real crowd-pleasing sing-along."[8]

[edit]

After the release of Exile on Main St., Allen Klein sued the Rolling Stones for breach of settlement because "Sweet Virginia" and four other songs on the album were composed while Jagger and Richards were under contract with Klein's company ABKCO Records. ABKCO acquired publishing rights to these songs, giving it a share of the royalties from Exile on Main St.. Additionally, ABKCO was able to publish another album consisting of previously released Rolling Stones songs, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies).[9]

Live performances

[edit]

"Sweet Virginia" was performed by the Stones during their 1972 American tour, and it was featured in the concert film Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, released in 1974. The Stones performed the song occasionally in 1973, and it returned to their set-lists on their 1994 Voodoo Lounge Tour, 2005 A Bigger Bang Tour, and 2017 No Filter Tour.

"Sweet Virginia" has also been covered in concert by the bands Phish[10] and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Personnel

[edit]

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[1]

The Rolling Stones

Additional musicians

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 378.
  2. ^ a b "We rank the songs on The Rolling Stones' double LP 'Exile on Main St.'". Far Out Magazine. 2020-05-12. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  3. ^ Ciani, B. (2006). Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties (2nd ed.). Hal Leonard. p. 177. ISBN 9780634099250.
  4. ^ Rocks Off (Japanese Single). The Rolling Stones. Rolling Stones Records. 1972.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ Moran, Sarah (2019-11-27). "Here's Every Song On Knives Out's Soundtrack". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  6. ^ a b "100 Greatest Rolling Stones Songs, #35 "Sweet Virginia" (1972)". Rolling Stone. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  7. ^ Ehler, Jay (July 1973). "Gram Parsons Sweeps Out The Ashes". Crawdaddy. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  8. ^ Pollard, Matthew (28 December 2023). "10 Rolling Stones Songs That Are Fan Favorite Deep Cuts". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  9. ^ Goodman, Fred (2015). Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 235–236. ISBN 978-0-547-89686-1.
  10. ^ Mockingbird Foundation (2004). The Phish Companion: A Guide to the Band and Their Music. Hal Leonard. pp. 266, 313. ISBN 9780879307998.
  11. ^ Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 353.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ While it was later rumored that American musician Gram Parsons contributed backing vocals to the track, Taylor stated in 2002 that he, and not Parsons, was the one singing.[11]

Sources

[edit]
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