‘Start Me Up’: The Rolling Stones song that was almost erased
Since the 1960s, The Rolling Stones have become a rock and roll institution. As much as the band might focus on releasing new material now and again, it almost seems redundant when there are so many hits to choose from in their back catalogue. Although the group could have quit releasing original material after 1976 and still been set for life, they proved to be even more inventive in their later years.
After seeing John Lennon and Paul McCartney write a song in front of them for the first time, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards began to pump out tracks like clockwork, creating a bluesy sound that was distinctively nastier than what The Beatles could have done. Although the band were happy to play with blues-infused fodder, they knew there was more to their musical identities than just lonesome heartache tunes.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, The Stones would constantly toy with their usual sound, making way for bold choices on albums like Their Satanic Majesties Request and Aftermath. Although the band would return to making incredible rock music across albums like Exile on Main St., they tended to hit a wall more than a few times in the next decade.
While the 1980s may have sparked a handful of ill-advised songs of the band’s career on tracks like ‘Harlem Shuffle’, the band kicked off the decade right with Tattoo You. Although many would latch onto the track ‘Waiting on a Friend’ as an overlooked gem by the rock giants, ‘Start Me Up’ ushered them into the next decade with class, featuring a roaring riff from Keith Richards.
Even though the song is known for its distinctive rock flavour, Richards always envisioned the tune as a reggae track, with Jagger saying, “It was Keith’s guitar riff, and I wrote the rest. The sunny thing was that it turned into a reggae song after two takes. And that take on Tattoo You was the only take that was a complete rock and roll take. And then it went completely reggae for about 20 takes.”
Despite the reggae-soaked original version, the band also came dangerously close to wiping out the song entirely. When talking about the track’s recording, engineer Chris Kimsey remembered that Richards wanted the final take deleted, recalling in Classic Tracks, “I said, ‘That’s bloody great! Come and listen.’ However, when I played it back, Keith said, ‘Nah, it sounds like something I’ve heard on the radio. Wipe it.’ Of course, I didn’t, but he really did not like it, and I’m not sure whether he likes it to this day.”
While the track might not have been one Richards had envisioned in his head, a handful of his greatest riffs have originated with the same story. If Richards had his way and had a horn section put on their trademark hit ‘Satisfaction’, there’s a good chance that no one would have heard the distorted riff that would redefine rock and roll for years to come. Although it may be frustrating not being able to articulate songs correctly, artists end up sounding more like themselves through mistakes like this.
