Recorded - December 3 and 4, 1969 & April 24, 1970
Released - April 16, 1971 (UK), April 23, 1971 (US)
#1 for weeks of May 29 and June 5, 1971.
The Rolling Stones continued their late '60's/early '70's creative peak with their classic Sticky Fingers album. Primarily recorded over a sporadic period of 10 months, the album features such classics as "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", "Wild Horses", "Bitch", and of course the reason I'm writing this blog post in the first place: "Brown Sugar".
Lyrically, "Brown Sugar" was the most salacious pop song to top the pop charts yet. Just imagining this song being released in say, 1962, makes me chuckle at just how much it would have upset the apple cart of clean cut America. Underneath some of the song's more potent lyrics, "Brown Sugar" was a love song for Mick Jagger's then-girlfriend Marsha Hunt.
What makes "Brown Sugar" stand out, (Besides the already mentioned lyrical content), is the music. There are several standout guitar riffs present in the piece. Another highlight is the selective use of instrumentation. In addition to the standard guitar/bass/drums, there is occasional piano, saxophone, and castanets used strategically during the song. You're not hearing all of these elements at once and as a result, the song never feels dull.
The Stones would spend most of 1971 and early 1972 recording their first double album, Exile On Main Street. While this album contains numerous classic tracks such as "Tumblin' Dice" and "Happy", sadly none of the album's songs peaked at #1. As for 1973's Goat's Head Soup, we've got to pay a visit to "Angie"...
Final Verdict - "Brown Sugar" remains a stone cold Stones classic for a reason: It's a potent mix of spicy lyrics and a sweet music track. A winning combination in my eye, and one of the most truly "Rock and roll" numbers to top the pops.
Coming Up Next - "Want Ads" by The Honey Cone.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and wild horses couldn't drag me away -
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