Dandelion (Rolling Stones song)

Last updated

"Dandelion"
DandelionWeLoveYouUS.jpg
US picture sleeve
Single by the Rolling Stones
A-side "We Love You" (UK)
B-side "We Love You" (US)
Released
  • 18 August 1967 (1967-08-18) (UK) [1]
  • 2 September 1967 (1967-09-02) (US) [2]
Recorded13, 21 June, 2 and 19 July 1967 [3]
Studio Olympic, London
Genre
Length3:48
Label
Songwriter(s) Jagger–Richards
Producer(s) Andrew Loog Oldham
The Rolling Stones UKsingles chronology
"Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday"
(1967)
"We Love You" / "Dandelion"
(1967)
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
(1968)
The Rolling Stones USsingles chronology
"Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday"
(1967)
"Dandelion"
(1967)
"She's a Rainbow"
(1967)

"Dandelion" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and first released as a B-side to "We Love You" in August 1967. As recently as October 2023 [6] Keith Richards confirmed that John Lennon and Paul McCartney sing backing vocals. [7] Billboard described the single as "an easy beat rocker with good story line." [8]

Contents

Background

The song has lyrical references to British counting or nursery rhymes. The first demo version of "Dandelion" was recorded in November 1966. Originally titled "Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Blue", it had different lyrics and was sung and played by Keith Richards. On the released version, Mick Jagger sings the lead vocal. [1]

The recording's arrangement makes use of baroque instrumentation; Brian Jones contributed a distinctive melodic figure played on Mellotron, while Nicky Hopkins performed on harpsichord. [9] The two parts move in contrary motion, with Jones' melody ascending against Hopkins' descending pedal point. The song is in the key of B-flat major and in the 4/4 time signature.[ citation needed ]

The Rolling Stones have never performed "Dandelion" live; [10] nonetheless it has been included on several compilations, including Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) , More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) , Singles Collection: The London Years , and Rolled Gold+: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones .

The original single release fades out with a brief section of the Nicky Hopkins piano intro from the A-side, "We Love You". [11] The coda is missing on most versions of "Dandelion" appearing on compilation albums, which include the song in a 3:32 edit, but it may be heard, for example, in the 3:48 version included on Singles Collection: The London Years and Through The Past, Darkly.

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, [12] except where noted:

The Rolling Stones

Additional personnel

Charts

"Dandelion" reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart and number 14 on the US Billboard 100 singles chart.

Chart (1967)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [13] 8
US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 14

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumpin' Jack Flash</span> 1968 single by the Rolling Stones

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a non-album single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone magazine, the song was perceived by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the baroque pop and psychedelia heard on their preceding albums Aftermath (1966), Between the Buttons (1967) and especially Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967). One of the group's most popular and recognisable songs, it has been featured in films and covered by numerous performers, notably Thelma Houston, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Peter Frampton, Johnny Winter, Leon Russell and Alex Chilton. To date, it is the band's most-performed song; they have played it over 1,100 times in concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sympathy for the Devil</span> 1968 song by the Rolling Stones

"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership. It is the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. The song has received critical acclaim and features on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It is the 22nd best ranked song on critics' all-time lists according to Acclaimed Music.

<i>Beggars Banquet</i> 1968 studio album by the Rolling Stones

Beggars Banquet is the seventh British and ninth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 6 December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It was the first Rolling Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, whose production work formed a key aspect of the group's sound throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Fade Away (song)</span> 1957 single by The Crickets

"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly and his band, the Crickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Tuesday (song)</span> Song by the Rolling Stones

"Ruby Tuesday" is a song recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1966, released in January 1967. The song became the band's fourth number-one hit in the United States and reached number three in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with "Let's Spend the Night Together". The song was included in the American version of Between the Buttons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honky Tonk Women</span> 1969 single by the Rolling Stones

"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. It topped the charts in both nations. The song was on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Love You</span> 1967 single by the Rolling Stones

"We Love You" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones that was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Their first new release of the summer of 1967, it was first released as a single on 18 August in the United Kingdom, with "Dandelion" as the B-side. The song peaked at number eight in Britain and number 50 in the United States, where "Dandelion" was promoted as the A-side and peaked at number 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get Off of My Cloud</span> 1965 single by The Rolling Stones

"Get Off of My Cloud" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for a single to follow the successful "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Recorded in Hollywood, California, in early September 1965, the song was released in September in the United States and October in the United Kingdom. It topped the charts in the US, UK, Canada, and Germany and reached number two in several other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's a Rainbow</span> 1967 single by the Rolling Stones

"She's a Rainbow" is a song by the Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic song" that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote for the Stones, although somewhat ambiguous in intention.

"Sittin' on a Fence" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was given to the singing duo Twice as Much, who released it as their debut single in May 1966. This version became a Top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart, and also received some attention in the United States, where it charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?</span> 1966 song by the Rolling Stones

"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in the late summer of 1966 during early sessions for what would become their Between the Buttons album. It was the first Stones single to be released simultaneously in both the UK and the US, and reached number five and number nine on those countries' charts, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother's Little Helper</span> 1966 song by the Rolling Stones

"Mother's Little Helper" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it is a folk rock song with Eastern influences. Its lyrics deal with the popularity of prescribed tranquilisers like Valium among housewives and the potential hazards of overdose or addiction. Recorded in December 1965, it was first released in the United Kingdom as the opening track of the band's April 1966 album, Aftermath. In the United States, it was omitted from the album and instead issued as a single in July 1966 during the band's fifth American tour. The Rolling Stones' twelfth US single, "Mother's Little Helper" spent nine weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and it reached No. 4 on both Record World and Cash Box's charts.

"Ride On, Baby" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1965. It was first released as a single by Chris Farlowe in October 1966 and reached No. 31 on the British charts. The Rolling Stones' own version appeared a few months later on Flowers, an album released only in the US in June 1967. It was recorded during the Aftermath sessions in December 1965.

Yesterday's Papers is a song by the Rolling Stones from their 1967 album, Between the Buttons. It was the first song that Mick Jagger wrote by himself for the group. It appears as the opening track on the UK version of the album and on the US version as the second track.

"Sweet Virginia" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and was the sixth song on the Rolling Stones' 1972 double album Exile on Main St. The song is a slow country-inspired composition with a saxophone solo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th Nervous Breakdown</span> 1966 single by the Rolling Stones

"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in late 1965 and released as a single in February 1966. It reached number 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Britain's Record Retailer chart, while topping the charts compiled by Cash Box and NME. In the UK, it broke the band's streak of consecutive number-one singles that had started with "It's All Over Now" (1964).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Another Land</span> 1967 single by Bill Wyman

"In Another Land" is a song by the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 as the first single from the album Their Satanic Majesties Request, and credited solely to Bill Wyman. In America, London Records released it as a single a week before the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Light Years from Home</span> 1967 single by the Rolling Stones

"2000 Light Years from Home" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it also appeared as the B-side to the American single "She's a Rainbow", and charted as a single in Germany.

"Think" is a Mick Jagger and Keith Richards composition that first appeared as a Chris Farlowe single which reached No 37 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stupid Girl (Rolling Stones song)</span> Song by the Rolling Stones

"Stupid Girl" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song featured on the band's 1966 album Aftermath. It was also issued as the B-side of the U.S. "Paint It Black" single.

References

  1. 1 2 Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 244.
  2. 1 2 3 Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 265.
  3. Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 264.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  5. DeRogatis, Jim (2003). "The Stones' Ten Best Psychedelic Rock Songs". Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 54. ISBN   0-634-05548-8.
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmQ_xZPvaYo
  7. In a journal entry for 18 July 1967, poet Allen Ginsberg describes Lennon and McCartney’s participation in the recording session: The Fall of America Journals, ed. Michael Schumacher (University of Minnesota Press, 2020), 262-63.
  8. "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. September 2, 1967. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  9. Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 245.
  10. "ROCKS OFF SETLISTS". Rocksoff.org. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  11. Everett, Walter (2009). The Foundations of Rock: From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 154. ISBN   978-0-19-531024-5.
  12. Margotin & Guesdon 2016, pp. 244–245.
  13. "Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  14. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.

Sources