Under My Thumb

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"Under My Thumb"

Song by The Rolling Stones
from the album Aftermath
Released	April 15 (UK), June 20 (US), 1966
Recorded	March 6-9, 1966
Genre	Rock
Length	3m:41s
Label	Decca/ABKCO
Writer(s)	Jagger-Richards
Producer(s)	Andrew Loog Oldham
Aftermath track listing
"Lady Jane" (3)	"Under My Thumb" (4)	"Doncha Bother Me" (5)

"Under My Thumb" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones. Though its first appearance was as an album track on 1966's Aftermath, and it was never released as a single, it was one of the band's more popular songs from the period and probably the most well-known Aftermath track, appearing frequently on best-of compilations. For reasons given below, it was also recorded by The Who in 1967 and is available on The Who's Odds and Sods cd remastered in 1998.

1 Lyrics
2 Music
3 Legacy
4 External links
5 Notes

[edit] Lyrics

The song's lyrics, an examination of a sexual power struggle, were very much in tune with the rebellious, vaguely misogynistic attitude that the mid-'60s Stones had cultivated, though the concept of "Under My Thumb" is arguably more sophisticated--even psychological--than any of the other controversial songs the Stones had released up to that point.

Jagger's lyrics celebrate the satisfaction of finally having controlled and gained leverage over a previously pushy, dominating woman. The lyrics, which savor the successful "taming of the shrew" with glee (comparing the woman in question to a "pet" and a "cat"), definitely provoked negative reactions among some listeners, especially feminists, who objected to the suppressive sexual politics of the male narrator. It can be reasonably argued, however, that the song is a vignette, or simply an examination of sexual malevolence and tension, and that the maliciousness of both the lyrics and Jagger's performance is theatrical and doesn't seriously advocate male domination. Many listeners also note that the woman who is the subject of the song was previously the dominant figure in the relationship, and that the narrator was originally submissive to her, making the implications of the song more complicated than simple chauvinism. Jagger later reflected on the track in a 1995 interview: "It's a bit of a jokey number, really. It's not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others.... Yes, it's a caricature, and it's in reply to a girl who was a very pushy woman." ^[1]

[edit] Music

Like many of songs from the Aftermath period, "Under My Thumb" uses more novel instrumentation than had featured on previous Stones records, including swishing fuzz bass lines (probably played by Bill Wyman), and, more notably, the Brian Jones-played marimba riffs (a variation on the opening riff in the Four Tops's hit, "Same Old Song"), which provide the song's most prominent hook and underscore the tune's inescapable groove. Melodically, the song--like the Aftermath album as a whole--shows the Stones incorporating pop and early psychedelic influences while remaining grounded in black, moody R&B.

[edit] Legacy

In 1967, after the imprisonment of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, on drug charges, The Who recorded covers of "Under My Thumb" and "(This Could Be) The Last Time" as a single. It's intention was to help Jagger and Richards make bail, although ironically, by the time the single was made available, they were released.

The song was also notable for its (unintentional) connection with the unfortunate death of Meredith Hunter at the notorious Altamont concert in 1969. The Stones were halfway into the number when a fight broke out between Hells Angels on the security detail and concertgoers, ultimately culminating in the stabbing of Hunter by Hell's Angel Alan Passaro after Hunter apparently pulled a gun, whether he did so before or after he was stabbed is still disputed.

Blind Faith covered the song at their 1969 debut in Hyde Park.

In the early 1980's, punk band, Social Distortion, covered the song before the release of their first LP. This version is now available on their rarities collection, Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past. In the mid-90's they re-recorded it as a hidden track on their album, White Light, White Heat, White Trash, and also on Live at the Roxy, as it had become a live staple for the band.

The Canadian rock band Streetheart also recorded a cover of "Under My Thumb" in 1979. Streetheart's cover was their biggest hit on the Canadian Top 40 charts.

The doom metal band Pentagram also recorded a cover of "Under My Thumb" in the 1970s. Originally released as a 7" single, it can now be found on their 2006 album First Daze Here Too.

Chilean rock band Los Miserables recorded a cover of "Under my Thumb" too, based in the Social Distortion's version. The particularitity of this tribute track is that the lyrics were changed into Spanish language. The name of the song is "Bajo este Sol" (Under this Sun in English), and the lyrics were not translated according with the original work, but were re-invented conserving only the melodic line of Rolling Stones' "Under my Thumb". "Bajo este Sol" is included in the album "Date Cuenta" (2000).

The song was covered by Michael Hutchence of INXS, on the album Symphonic Music of The Rolling Stones, released in 1994.