Mick Jagger reveals the songs that influenced ‘Exile On Main St.’
Exile On Main St. represents a stormy period in the history of The Rolling Stones, but they managed to hold off the treacherous weather and create a classic album. Chaos was constantly surrounding the band at this time, and to escape the melee of their lives, they fled to southern France. Jumping the channel was a direct attempt to not let the noise negatively impact their creativity.
Controversially, the band had become tax exiles after the British government had implemented a 93% tax sting on high earners such as themselves. Therefore, their time in the UK was limited, and they needed to write and record the album abroad. The Rolling Stones scarpered to a 16-room retreat called Nellcôte on the Côte d’Azur, arranged by guitarist Keith Richards, and set about penning their songs.
Due to the French’s financial incentives, the band decided to continue writing and recording in the country. Despite the south of France being more glamorous than rural England, it didn’t have the adequate recording equipment for a band of The Rolling Stones’ stature. However, they found a way to solve the issue and turned the villa’s basement into a studio.
In 2010, Jagger reflected on the recording sessions for Exile On Main St. during an appearance on the Celebrity Playlist Podcast. On the programme, The Stones frontman provided a playlist of songs which soundtracked their recording sessions and reminded him of that particularly special time in the group’s career.
Jagger’s first choice was ‘Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothin’ by James Brown. “This is like an amazing period for James Brown. He made the most incredible records,” the Stones singer said. “I think he had some argument with his band. I don’t know what about. And then, he got a whole load of new guys. So on Funk Power, you’ve got Bootsie Collins, and Catfish Collins playing the guitar, and Robert McCulloch playing sax.”
The singer continued to wax lyrical about the record before playing his favourite track from the LP, ‘Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothin’. Another interesting selection from Jagger was the Curtis Mayfield classic, ‘Move On Up’. In his explanation, he said: “I mean, this is a really good period for Curtis Mayfield. This is a period of soul music, very much having a social consciousness. Curtis Mayfield was at the forefront of this social consciousness (scene) … It was a really good moment, I think, Curtis Mayfield was definitely in there, and very subtle with some of his lyrics.”
The Rolling Stones leader also discussed his band’s love for The Chi-Lites and their song ‘Trouble’s A-Comin’. He commented: “The Chi-Lites. Keith used to play to death that song, ‘Have You Seen Her’, and The Rolling Stones cut a version of ‘Trouble’s A-Comin’. I don’t know what ever happened to it. Maybe it’ll come out on one of these re-releases they do so often now. This is one of the few fast tunes they did. They were mostly ballad specialists. The Chi-Lites, of course, are famous for providing the horn lick on ‘Crazy In Love’.”
Although Jagger suggested The Stones’ version of ‘Trouble’s A-Comin’ would be lost for eternity, the band finally released it in 2021. The group recorded their version of The Chi-Lites in 1979 while they were working on Emotional Rescue, and it took over 40 years for the release to see the light of day.
The songs that influenced Exile On Main St:
- ‘Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothin’ – James Brown
- ‘Back Stabbers’ – The O’Jays
- ‘Move On Up’ – Marvin Gaye
- ‘Trouble’s A-Comin’ – The Chi-Lites
- ‘Everyday People’ – Sly and The Family Stones
- ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’ – Marvin Gaye
- ‘Voodoo Chile Blues’ – Jimi Hendrix
- ‘Rock and Roll’ – Led Zeppelin
Listen below to a playlist of songs which influenced Jagger while making Exile On Main St.
