You Can't Always Get What You Want
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" | ||||
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Single by the Rolling Stones | ||||
from the album Let It Bleed | ||||
A-side | "Honky Tonk Women" | |||
Released |
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Recorded | 16–17 November 1968 | |||
Studio | Olympic, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | ||||
Label |
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Jimmy Miller | ||||
Rolling Stones UK singles chronology | ||||
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Rolling Stones US singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in its 2004 list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" before dropping a place the following year.
Composition and recording
Jagger commented on the song's beginnings:
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" was something I just played on the acoustic guitar—one of those bedroom songs. It proved to be quite difficult to record because Charlie couldn't play the groove and so Jimmy Miller had to play the drums. I'd also had this idea of having a choir, probably a gospel choir, on the track, but there wasn't one around at that point. Jack Nitzsche, or somebody, said that we could get the London Bach Choir and we said, "That will be a laugh."[4]
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" was composed in the key of
In his retrospective review of the song, Richie Unterberger of AllMusic said: "If you buy John Lennon's observation that the Rolling Stones were apt to copy the Beatles' innovations within a few months or so, 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' is the Rolling Stones' counterpart to 'Hey Jude'."[1] Jagger said in 1969, "I liked the way the Beatles did that with 'Hey Jude'. The orchestra was not just to cover everything up—it was something extra. We may do something like that on the next album."[8][9]
Lyrics
The three verses (and the varied theme of the fourth verse) address major topics of the 1960s: love, politics, and drugs. Each verse captures the essence of the initial optimism and eventual disillusion, followed by the resigned pragmatism of the chorus.[citation needed]
Unterberger elaborated:
Much has been made of the lyrics reflecting the end of the overlong party that was the 1960s, as a snapshot of
Swinging London burning out. That's a valid interpretation, but it should also be pointed out that there's also an uplifting and reassuring quality to the melody and performance. This is particularly true of the key lyrical hook, when we are reminded that we can't always get what we want, but we'll get what we need.[1]
Jimmy Hutmaker of Excelsior, Minnesota claimed to be the "Mr. Jimmy" cited in the song and that he said the phrase "you can't always get what you want" to Jagger during a chance encounter at an Excelsior drug store in 1964.[10] However, David Dalton, a writer for Rolling Stone who witnessed the filming of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, claims in his commentary for the DVD of the concert that "Mr. Jimmy" refers to Miller, the Stones producer from 1968 to 1973.[11]
Marianne Faithfull has also claimed a role: "Obviously I also contributed to 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' and 'Dear Doctor' – junk songs ... I know they used me as a muse for those tough drug songs. I knew I was being used but it was for a worthy cause."[12]
Release and aftermath
The song was originally released on the B-side of "
Live recordings appear on the albums
The song was performed live with members of Voce Chamber Choir and London Youth Choir[16] for the Stones' 2012 shows in London, November 25 and November 29.[citation needed] The same choir also performed on the track at Glastonbury and two performances at Hyde Park in 2013.[citation needed]
Trump campaign use
Personnel
The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitars
- Bill Wyman – bass guitar
Additional personnel
- London Bach Choir – choral arrangements by Jack Nitzsche
- Al Kooper – piano, organ, French horn[1]
- Jimmy Miller – drums
- Rocky Dijon – congas, maracas, tambourine
- Madeline Bell – backing vocals
- Nanette Workman – backing vocals (credited as 'Nanette Newman' on the LP)
- Doris Troy – backing vocals
Charts
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Singles (RPM)[25] | 68 |
US Billboard Hot 100[26] | 42 |
US Cash Box Top 100[27]
|
34 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[28] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c d "You Can't Always Get What You Want". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
- ^ London Recordssingle label lists "Time: 5:00"
- ^ London Records Let It Bleedinner sleeve lists "7:28"
- ISBN 0-8118-4060-3.
- ^ Mick, Jagger; Keith, Richards; Stones, The Rolling (2004-03-22). "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
- ^ "You Can't Always Get What You Want". timeisonourside.com.
- ISBN 9781844034949– via Google Books.
- ^ "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Time Is On Our Side. 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
- ISBN 9781844034949– via Google Books.
- ^ Cohen, Ben (2007-10-04) Jimmy Hutmaker was town character of Excelsior, Star Tribune
- ^ Beviglia, Jim (19 January 2020). "Behind the Song: The Rolling Stones, "You Can't Always Get What You Want"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Bell, Max (March 2011). "A walk on the wild side". Classic Rock #155. p. 76.
- ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Hot Rocks: 1964–1971 – The Rolling Stones". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Complete Singles Collection: The London Years – The Rolling Stones". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ Macarthur, Jane (3 December 2012). "I got satisfaction rocking with Mick and Keith". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07.
- ^ "Donald Trump's Victory Speech Ended with a Very Ironic Song". Fortune. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
- ^ "Why Donald Trump Should Have Gotten Song Permission from The Rolling Stones (But Not Queen)". The Hollywood Reporter. 25 July 2016.
- ^ "Rolling Stones Respond to Trump's Use of Their Song at RNC". Billboard. July 22, 2016.
- ^ "President Trump gets what he wants, plays The Rolling Stones despite band's request to stop". Daily News. New York. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-12-22.
- ^ Handley, Lucy (2018-05-15). "Rolling Stone Keith Richards says America has to 'get rid' of Donald Trump". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^ "PolitiFact - The Stump Speech Analyzer: Donald Trump in Tulsa". @politifact.
- ^ "Rolling Stones warn Trump not to use their songs". BBC. June 28, 2020.
- ^ Nolan, Emma (2020-09-22). "Trump dances to YMCA, but still hasn't done the iconic Village People moves". Newsweek. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4839." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones Complete Hit Singles List (1963–2006)". BeatZenith. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 6/16/73". tropicalglen.com.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "British single certifications – Rolling Stones – You Can't Always Get What You Want". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 March 2020.