Sweet Virginia: Difference between revisions
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"Sweet Virginia", a slow [[country music|country]]-inspired song, was written by [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Keith Richards]]. It is the sixth track on [[the Rolling Stones]]' 1972 double album ''[[Exile On Main St.]]''. |
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| ⚫ | 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. |
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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]]''. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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Revision as of 19:22, 16 January 2023
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2017) |
| "Sweet Virginia" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Rolling Stones | |
| from the album Exile on Main St. | |
| Released | 12 May 1972 |
| Recorded | 30 June – July 1970, 7 June 1971 – March 1972[1] |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:27 |
| Label | Rolling Stones Records |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Miller |
"Sweet Virginia", a slow country-inspired song, was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It is the sixth track on the Rolling Stones' 1972 double album Exile On Main St..
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 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.
History
"Sweet Virginia" is an acoustic song that is thought to be influenced by Gram Parsons and the drug-fueled atmosphere of Nellcôte, where they mostly recorded the album.[4] It was known to be a series of chaotic recording sessions.[2] The lyrics allude to drug use and pills and low-grade heroin (“drop your reds, drop your greens and blues”, "and I hid the speed inside my shoe" and "got to scrape that shit right off your shoes").[4]
Legal problems
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 his company, ABKCO Records. ABKCO acquired publishing rights to the songs, giving it a share of the royalties from Exile on Main St., and was able to publish another album of previously released Rolling Stones songs, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies).[5]
Live performances
"Sweet Virginia" was performed by the Stones during their 1972 American tour, and 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 by the band Phish[6] and Old Crow Medicine Show in concerts.
The song was also released as the B-side of the Stones' "Rocks Off" single in Japan.
Personnel
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[1]
The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – vocals, harmonica
- Keith Richards – backing vocals, acoustic guitar
- Mick Taylor – backing vocals,[note 1] lead acoustic guitar
- Bill Wyman – bass
- Charlie Watts – drums
Additional musicians
- Ian Stewart – piano
- Bobby Keys – saxophone
- Unidentified musicians – backing vocals, hand claps
Notes
- ^ 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.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 378.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ciani, B. (2006). Great Rock Drummers of the Sixties (2nd ed.). Hal Leonard. p. 177. ISBN 9780634099250.
- ^ a b "100 Greatest Rolling Stones Songs, #35 "Sweet Virginia" (1972)". Rolling Stone. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mockingbird Foundation (2004). The Phish Companion: A Guide to the Band and Their Music. Hal Leonard. pp. 266, 313. ISBN 9780879307998.
- ^ Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 353.
Sources
- Babiuk, Andy; Prevost, Greg (2013). Rolling Stones Gear: All the Stones' Instruments from Stage to Studio. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-61713-092-2.
- Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2016). The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-0-316-31774-0.
