link to video
Thematically, a "honky tonk woman" refers to a dancing girl in a western bar who may work as a prostitute[citation needed]; the setting for the narrative in the first verse of the blues version is Memphis, Tennessee: "I met a gin soaked bar-room queen in Memphis", while "Country Honk" sets the first verse in Jackson, Mississippi: "I'm sittin' in a bar, tippin' a jar in Jackson".
The band initially recorded the track called "Country Honk", in London in early March 1969. Brian Jones was present during these sessions and may have played on the first handful of takes and demos. It was his last recording session with the band. The song was transformed into the familiar electric, riff-based hit single "Honky Tonk Women" sometime in the spring of 1969, prior to Mick Taylor's joining the group. In an interview in the magazine Crawdaddy!, Richards credits Taylor for influencing the track: "... the song was originally written as a real Hank Williams/Jimmie Rodgers/1930s country song. And it got turned around to this other thing by Mick Taylor, who got into a completely different feel, throwing it off the wall another way." However, in 1979 Taylor recalled it this way: "I definitely added something to Honky Tonk Women, but it was more or less complete by the time I arrived and did my overdubs."
At the time of its release Rolling Stone magazine hailed "Honky Tonk Women" as "likely the strongest three minutes of rock and roll yet released in 1969". It was ranked number 116 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in April 2010. The song was later put into the track listing for the video game Band Hero.
4 comments:
Not the best hairstyle for drummer Charlie Watts, IMHO. :)
Mick Taylor. There's still a fair bit of acrimony between him and the Glimmer Twins. He did, after all, quit the band, to be replaced by Ronnie Wood. Wood got in by bringing them the hit song "It's Only Rock n Roll (But I like It)." It's a great story. I made a short video about it here. There are two video versions of "It's Only Rock And Roll" as well. The first one -- the original -- was in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV. I suspect that the Stones cut a later, inferior version of the Beach tent "bubbles" video to avoid being sued. I have searched the internets high and low for the original, but it has been successfully "disappeared."
"It's Only Rock And Roll" is the only song which Keith Richards declared a mistake and he insisted on changing the key and making it inferior. Again, I suspect, to avoid a lawsuit.
"Honky Tonk Women" is pure Rolling Stones magic, however. Ry Cooder may disagree.
Charlie looks like Caitlyn Jenner in this vid.
Never cared for the song. Not one little bit. But I just learned that Jessica Brown Findlay (who played that fresh-as-morning-dew chick in "Downton Abbey") is now working in a TV show called "Harlots." Apparently, it is set in 18th century England and it tells the story of Margaret Wells who runs a brothel and struggles to raise her daughters in a chaotic household.
Mother. Whorehouse. Daughters.
How totally awesome is that?
Oh. Perhaps I should add that I was being sarcastic.
Sounds like the kind of exploitative trash that makes the world a crappier place.
Post a Comment