Honky Tonk Women
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2007) |
"Honky Tonk Women" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Rolling Stones | ||||
B-side | "You Can't Always Get What You Want" | |||
Released | 4 July 1969 | |||
Recorded | June 1969 | |||
Studio | Olympic, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:03 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Jagger–Richards | |||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Miller | |||
Rolling Stones UK singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rolling Stones US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Official audio | ||||
"Honky Tonk Women" on YouTube |
"Honky Tonk Women" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released as a non-album single on 4 July 1969 in the United Kingdom, and a week later in the United States (a country version called "Country Honk" was later included on the album Let It Bleed). It topped the charts in both nations.[3] The song was on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Inspiration and recording
The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on holiday in Brazil from late December 1968 to early January 1969, inspired by Brazilian "caipiras" (inhabitants of rural, remote areas of parts of Brazil) at the ranch where Jagger and Richards were staying in Matão, São Paulo.[4] Two versions of the song were recorded by the band: the familiar hit which appeared on the 45 single and their collection of late 1960s singles, Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), and a honky-tonk version entitled "Country Honk" with slightly different lyrics, which appeared on Let It Bleed (1969).
Thematically, a "honky tonk woman" refers to a dancing girl in a
The band initially recorded the track called "Country Honk" in London in early March 1969.
"Honky Tonk Women" is distinctive as it opens not with a guitar riff but with a beat played on a cowbell by producer Jimmy Miller.
The concert rendition of "Honky Tonk Women" on Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (1970) differs significantly from the studio hit, with a markedly dissimilar guitar introduction and the first appearance on vinyl of an entirely different second verse.
Release
The single was released in the UK the day after the death of founding member Brian Jones, with "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as the single's B-side. In the UK, it remained on the charts for seventeen weeks, peaking at number one for five weeks. It remains the band's last single to reach number one in their home country. The song also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks from 23 August 1969. It was later released on the compilation album Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) in September. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song overall for 1969.
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".[10] Record World said it was "the Rolling Stones at their funky best."[11] It was ranked number 116 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in April 2010.[12] The song was later put into the track listing for the video game Band Hero. In 2014, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Single artwork and location by John Kosh with photo by Ethan Russell
Releases on compilation albums and live recordings
- Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) (1969)
- Hot Rocks 1964–1971 (1971)
- Rolled Gold: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones (1975)
- 30 Greatest Hits (1977)
- Singles Collection: The London Years (1989)
- Forty Licks (2002)
- Singles 1968–1971 (2005)
- GRRR! (2012)
Concert versions of "Honky Tonk Women" are included on the albums , and Havana Moon. Some of the live versions include a Paris verse not included on the original single.
"Country Honk"
This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. (December 2016) |
"Country Honk" | |
---|---|
Song by the Rolling Stones | |
from the album Let It Bleed | |
Released | 5 December 1969 |
Recorded | June and October 1969 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:10 |
Label |
|
Jimmy Miller |
"Country Honk" is a country version of "Honky Tonk Women", recorded before it but released five months later on the album Let It Bleed (1969). As noted above, the country arrangement was the original concept of "Honky Tonk Women". Richards has maintained that "Country Honk" is how "Honky Tonk Women" was originally written.
"Country Honk" was recorded at Olympic Studios. Byron Berline played the fiddle on the track, and has said that Gram Parsons was responsible for him being chosen for the job (Berline had previously recorded with Parsons' band the Flying Burrito Brothers). Producer Glyn Johns suggested that Berline should record his part on the pavement outside the studio to add ambiance to the number. Sam Cutler, the Rolling Stones' tour manager, performed the car horn at the beginning of the track.[15] Nanette Workman performs backing vocals on this version (although the album sleeve credits actress Nanette Newman). Berline's fiddle and all vocals were recorded at Elektra. There is a bootleg recording in existence that contains neither the fiddle nor Mick Taylor's slide guitar.
Personnel
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon,[16] except where noted:
"Honky Tonk Women"
The Rolling Stones
|
Additional personnel
|
"Country Honk"
The Rolling Stones
|
Additional personnel
|
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
|
Notes
- ^ Margotin and Guesdon write Ian Stewart contributed piano,[19] while authors Andy Babiuk and Greg Prevost write it was Hopkins.[17]
- ^ While Babiuk and Prevost credit Bell with the song's backing vocals,[17] Margotin and Guesdon instead write it was Reparata and the Delrons, Doris Troy and Nanette Workman.[20]
- ^ Margotin and Guesdon are uncertain whether Jagger or the Stones' tour manager, Sam Cutler, honked the car's horn.[21] Babiuk and Prevost write the horn was from Cutler's car.[18]
References
- ISBN 978-1-62634-070-1.
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
- ISBN 1-901447-04-9.
- ^ "Kappa Magazine". Revistakappa.com.br. p. 100. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ The Rolling Stones "Honky Tonk Women". Time Is on Our Side. (accessed 19 May 2007).
- ^ "Honky Tonk Women". Keno.org. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Country Honk - Lyrics". Keno.org. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ Appleford, Steve (1997). The Rolling Stones It's Only Rock and Roll: Song by Song. New York: Schirmer Books. p. 88.
- ^ McPherson, Ian. "Track Talk: Honky Tonk Women". Retrieved 27 August 2009.
- ^ Marcus, Greil (23 August 1969). "Records". Rolling Stone. No. 40. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 35. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 12 July 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- ISBN 9781933237398. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ISBN 9781493064601.
- ISBN 978-1-74166-609-0
- ^ Margotin & Guesdon 2016, pp. 292–293, 308–311.
- ^ a b c Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 317.
- ^ a b c Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 316.
- ^ Margotin & Guesdon 2016.
- ^ Margotin & Guesdon 2016, pp. 308–309.
- ^ Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 292.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6002." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 23 August 1969 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Honky Tonk Women". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women". VG-lista. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Listas de superventas: 1969". 12 February 2010.
- ^ "Låtarna från Kvällstoppen 19 augusti 1969". NostalgiListan.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1969/Top 100 Songs of 1969". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- ^ "Oct 2023 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Women". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Woman". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
Sources
- 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: ISBN 978-0-316-31774-0.