Sway (The Rolling Stones song)

Last updated
"Sway"
Song by the Rolling Stones
from the album Sticky Fingers
Released23 April 1971
RecordedMarch 1970
Genre Blues rock
Length3:51
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Jimmy Miller

"Sway" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1971 album Sticky Fingers . It was also released as the b-side of the "Wild Horses" single in June 1971. This single was released in the US only. Initial pressings of the single contain an alternate take; later pressings include the album version instead.

The Rolling Stones English rock band

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of bandleader Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued to work with the band as a contracted musician until his death in 1985. The band's primary songwriters, Jagger and Richards, assumed leadership after Andrew Loog Oldham became the group's manager. Jones left the band less than a month before his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor left the band, Ronnie Wood took his place in 1975 and continues on guitar in tandem with Richards. Since Wyman's departure in 1993, Darryl Jones has served as touring bassist. The Stones have not had an official keyboardist since 1963, but have employed several musicians in that role, including Jack Nitzsche (1965–1971), Nicky Hopkins (1967–1982), Billy Preston (1971–1981), Ian McLagan (1978–1981), and Chuck Leavell (1982–present).

<i>Sticky Fingers</i> 1971 studio album by The Rolling Stones

Sticky Fingers is the ninth British and eleventh American studio album by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in April 1971. It is the band's first album of the decade and the first release on the band's new label Rolling Stones Records, after having been contracted since 1963 with Decca Records in the UK and London Records in the US. It is also Mick Taylor's first full-length appearance on a Rolling Stones album and the first Rolling Stones album not to feature any contributions from guitarist and founder Brian Jones.

Wild Horses (The Rolling Stones song) single

"Wild Horses" is a song by the Rolling Stones from their 1971 album Sticky Fingers, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Rolling Stone ranked it number 334 in its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list in 2004.

Contents

Background

Credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Sway" is a slower blues song and was the first song recorded by the band at Stargroves.

Mick Jagger British songwriter, singer of The Rolling Stones

Sir Michael Philip Jagger is an English singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer who gained worldwide fame as the lead singer and one of the founder members of the Rolling Stones. Jagger's career has spanned over five decades, and he has been described as "one of the most popular and influential frontmen in the history of rock & roll". His distinctive voice and energetic live performances, along with Keith Richards' guitar style have been the trademark of the Rolling Stones throughout the band's career. Jagger gained press notoriety for his admitted drug use and romantic involvements, and was often portrayed as a countercultural figure.

Keith Richards British songwriter, guitarist of The Rolling Stones

Keith Richards is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine called Richards the creator of "rock's greatest single body of riffs" on guitar and ranked him fourth on its list of 100 best guitarists in 2011, and the magazine lists fourteen songs that Richards wrote with the Rolling Stones' lead vocalist Mick Jagger on its "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

Stargroves

Stargroves is a manor house and associated estate at East Woodhay in the English county of Hampshire. It is best known for being the home of Mick Jagger during the 1970s and a recording venue for The Rolling Stones and various other rock bands.

Ain't flinging tears out on the dusty ground for my friends out on the burial ground.
Can't stand the feeling getting so brought down.
It's just that demon life has got me in its sway.

The song features a bottleneck slide guitar solo during the bridge and a dramatic, virtuoso outro solo (both performed by Mick Taylor). Rhythm guitar performed by Jagger was his first electric guitar performance on an album. The strings on the piece were arranged by Paul Buckmaster, who also worked on other songs from Sticky Fingers. Richards added his backing vocals but provided no guitar to the track. Pete Townshend, Billy Nichols and Ronnie Lane are believed to contribute backing vocals as well.

Slide guitar guitar technique for steelguitars

Slide guitar is a particular technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues-style music. The technique involves placing an object against the strings while playing to create glissando effects and deep vibratos. It typically involves playing the guitar in the traditional position with the use of a tubular "slide" fitted on one of the guitarist's fingers. The slide may be a metal or glass tube like the neck of a bottle. The term "bottleneck" was historically used to describe this type of playing. The strings are typically plucked while the slide is moved over the strings to change the pitch. The guitar may also be placed on the player's lap and played with a hand-held bar and is then referred to as "lap slide guitar" or "lap steel guitar".

Mick Taylor British rock musician, former member of The Rolling Stones

Michael Kevin Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–69) and the Rolling Stones (1969–74). He has appeared on some of the Stones' classic albums including Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St..

Paul Buckmaster British musician

Paul John Buckmaster was a Grammy Award-winning British artist, arranger, conductor and composer.

Taylor would later claim that he felt he deserved writing credits on Sway and a few other songs, and the fact that he did not receive them was one of the causes of his departure from the band. [1]

Live

It was performed live for the first time in Columbus, Ohio, and then at many of the shows on the band's A Bigger Bang Tour in 2006.

A seven-minute version of "Sway" appears on the Carla Olson/Mick Taylor Live at the Roxy album (also known as Too Hot for Snakes). Taylor gets to stretch out and solo whereas the Stones version faded at just under four minutes. Ian McLagan plays piano on this version.

Carla Olson is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer.

Ian McLagan British musician

Ian Patrick McLagan was an English keyboard instrumentalist, best known as a member of the English rock bands Small Faces and Faces. He also collaborated with the Rolling Stones and led his own band from the late 1970s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

During the Stones' "50 & Counting" concert tour in 2013, the band, accompanied by their guest Mick Taylor, played "Sway" during concerts at Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. These concerts marked the first time that Taylor played on "Sway" at a Stones concert.

Personnel

Cover versions

The song was covered by the band Overwhelming Colorfast on the 1996 compilation album Super Mixer: A Goldenrod Compilation . [2]

It was also covered by Alvin Youngblood Hart on the October 1997 River North Records release, Paint It Blue: Songs Of The Rolling Stones. Albert Castiglia covered the track on his 2014 album, Solid Ground. [3]

Carla Olson and Mick Taylor do a wonderful cover with some stellar playing from Taylor on "Carla Olson and Mick Taylor: Live at the Roxy 1990".

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References

  1. ↑ Michaels, Sean (14 September 2009). "Former Rolling Stone to sue for unpaid royalties". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Super Mixer - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 1996-05-14. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  3. ↑ "Albert Castiglia – Solid Ground | Album Review". Blues Blast Magazine. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
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