Waiting on a Friend: Difference between revisions
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| Name = Waiting on a Friend |
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| Cover = Waitingonafriend2.jpg |
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| name = Waiting on a Friend |
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| cover = Waitingonafriend2.jpg |
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| alt = |
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| type = single |
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| artist = [[the Rolling Stones]] |
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| album = [[Tattoo You]] |
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| B-side = [[Little T&A]] |
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| released = November 1981 |
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| recorded = 1972/1973 and 1981 |
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| studio = |
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| genre = [[Pop rock]] |
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| length = 4:35 |
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| This single = "'''Waiting on a Friend'''"<br />(1981) |
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| Next single = "[[Hang Fire]]"<br />(1982) |
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| writer = [[Jagger/Richards]] |
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| producer = [[The Glimmer Twins]] |
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| prev_title = [[Start Me Up]] |
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| prev_year = 1981 |
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| next_title = [[Hang Fire]] |
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| next_year = 1982 |
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| album = [[Tattoo You]] |
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| type = studio |
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"'''Waiting on a Friend'''" is a song by [[the Rolling Stones]] from their 1981 album ''[[Tattoo You]]''. |
"'''Waiting on a Friend'''" is a song by the English rock band [[the Rolling Stones]] from their 1981 album ''[[Tattoo You]]''. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released as the album's second single, it reached {{thinspace|No.|13}} on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] singles chart in the US. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Recording of "Waiting on a Friend" (as 'Waiting for a Friend') began in late 1972 through early 1973 in [[Kingston, Jamaica]], during the ''[[Goats Head Soup]]'' sessions |
Recording of "Waiting on a Friend" (as 'Waiting for a Friend') began in late 1972 through early 1973 in [[Kingston, Jamaica]], during the ''[[Goats Head Soup]]'' sessions. [[Mick Taylor]] was a band member at that time, but does not play on the official released version.{{cn|date=January 2023}} |
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It is debatable if his guitar piece made it to the overdubbing sessions in April 1981 when the song was selected by ''Tattoo You'' producer [[Chris Kimsey]] as one the band could re-work for the album. |
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⚫ | In the liner notes to 1993's compilation album ''[[Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones|Jump Back]]'', [[Mick Jagger]] said, "We all liked it at the time but it didn't have any lyrics, so there we were... The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band." Jagger also had stated that the 1981 lyrics were contemplated for a future possible video, making the song the first Rolling Stones single to be packaged as a possible video for the emerging [[MTV]] channel. |
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⚫ | In the liner notes to 1993's compilation album ''[[Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones|Jump Back]]'', [[Mick Jagger]] said, "We all liked it at the time but it didn't have any lyrics, so there we were... The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band." Jagger also had stated that the 1981 lyrics were contemplated for a future possible video, making the song the first Rolling Stones single to be packaged as a possible video for the emerging [[MTV]] channel. |
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⚫ | The video, shot |
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The lyrics see a more mature side of singer Jagger represented. He speaks of setting aside women and vices in favor of making some sense of his life and finding the virtues inherent in true friendship: |
The lyrics see a more mature side of singer Jagger represented. He speaks of setting aside women and vices in favor of making some sense of his life and finding the virtues inherent in true friendship: |
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{{cquote|''Don't need a whore, I don't need no booze, don't need a virgin priest. But I need someone I can cry to, I need someone to protect''.}} |
{{cquote|''Don't need a whore, I don't need no booze, don't need a virgin priest. But I need someone I can cry to, I need someone to protect''.}} |
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The song is noted for its dreamy qualities brought on by the soft guitars, smooth rhythm, and Jagger's lilting refrain of "doo-doo-doo" |
The song is noted for its dreamy qualities brought on by the soft guitars, smooth rhythm, and Jagger's lilting refrain of "doo-doo-doo". Veteran Stones collaborator [[Nicky Hopkins]] performs the track's running piano.<ref>Janovitz, Bill. [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t2766888|pure_url=yes}} The Rolling Stones "Waiting on a Friend"]. ''allmusic''. 2007 (accessed 19 May 2007).</ref> The Stones hired jazz saxophonist [[Sonny Rollins]] to perform the solo on this song, as well as two other songs on the album. On his contribution to the track, Jagger said in 1985: |
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⚫ | <blockquote>"I had a lot of trepidation about working with Sonny Rollins. This guy's a giant of the saxophone. Charlie said, 'He's never going to want to play on a Rolling Stones record!' I said, 'Yes he is going to want to.' And he did and he was wonderful. I said, 'Would you like me to stay out there in the studio?' He said, 'Yeah, you tell me where you want me to play and DANCE the part out.' So I did that. And that's very important: communication in hand, dance, whatever. You don't have to do a whole ballet, but sometimes that movement of the shoulder tells the guy to kick in on the beat."<ref name=time>{{cite web |title=Tattoo You |url=http://www.timeisonourside.com/lpTattoo.html |work=Time Is On Our Side |access-date=13 December 2009}}</ref></blockquote> |
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⚫ | Additional percussion, comprising [[claves]], [[cabasa]], [[güiro]] and [[conga]], by [[Michael Carabello]], was added during overdub sessions in April and June 1981, as well as acoustic guitar by Jagger.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones – Database |url=http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm |publisher=Nzentgraf.de |access-date=7 November 2015}}</ref> |
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⚫ | <blockquote>"I had a lot of trepidation about working with Sonny Rollins. This guy's a giant of the saxophone. Charlie said, 'He's never going to want to play on a Rolling Stones record!' I said, 'Yes he is going to want to.' And he did and he was wonderful. I said, 'Would you like me to stay out there in the studio?' He said, 'Yeah, you tell me where you want me to play and DANCE the part out.' So I did that. And that's very important: communication in hand, dance, whatever. You don't have to do a whole ballet, but sometimes that movement of the shoulder tells the guy to kick in on the beat."<ref name=time>{{cite web |
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==Music video== |
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⚫ | Additional percussion, comprising [[claves]], [[cabasa]], [[güiro]] and [[conga]], by [[Michael Carabello]], was added during overdub sessions in April and June 1981.<ref>{{cite web |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | The video, shot on 2 July 1981,{{cn|date=July 2021}} directed by [[Michael Lindsay-Hogg]] (who also directed their 1968 special ''[[The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus]]''), became very popular on MTV. Matching the song's lyrics, Jagger is seen waiting for [[Keith Richards]] in the doorway of an apartment block, with [[Peter Tosh]] sitting on the steps. The building, at 96–98 [[St. Mark's Place (Manhattan)|St. Mark's Place]] in [[Manhattan]], is notable for having also appeared on the cover of [[Led Zeppelin]]'s 1975 album ''[[Physical Graffiti]]''. The two then walk down the street and enter the St. Mark's Bar & Grill where the other three band members are already drinking. [[Ronnie Wood]] appears in the video, although he was not a musician on the original recording.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Stones LP, Tour Due Soon |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/stones-lp-tour-due-soon-232450/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=20 August 1981 |access-date=22 April 2020}}</ref> Jagger sings the song to Richards and the video concludes with the band setting up for a gig at the back of the bar, largely ignored by the other patrons.<ref>{{YouTube|MKLVmBOOqVU|The Rolling Stones - Waiting On A Friend - OFFICIAL PROMO}}</ref> |
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==Release== |
==Release== |
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Released as the second single after "[[Start Me Up]] |
Released as the second single after "[[Start Me Up]]", "Waiting on a Friend" became a radio staple in the US, where it reached {{thinspace|No.|13}} on the singles chart in early 1982. It did not fare as well in Europe, reaching a modest {{thinspace|No.|50}} on the [[UK Singles Chart]] but as high as {{thinspace|No.|9}} in the Netherlands. |
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''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' called it a "ballad that has a subtle [[honky tonk]] feeling" and a "tasty contrast" to the Rolling Stones' previous single "Start Me Up".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top Single Picks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSQEAAAAMBAJ |magazine=Billboard |date=28 November 1981 |page=75}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that "Jagger's magnetíc vocal, Sonny Rollins sax phrases and the hypnotic chorus make this one of the Stones most enticing pieces in recent memory."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine |title=Hits of the Week |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-11-28.pdf |magazine=Record World |date=28 November 1981 |page=1 |access-date=2 March 2023}}</ref> |
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Although included on both ''[[Jump Back]]'' and the earlier ''[[Rewind (1971–1984)]]'', it was not included on 2002's ''[[Forty Licks]]'' but is present on 2012's ''[[GRRR!]]''. A live performance with saxophonist [[Joshua Redman]] was recorded during the [[Bridges to Babylon Tour]] and released on the 1998 live album ''[[No Security]]'' and concert film ''[[Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98]].'' A 1981 performance of the song featured on ''[[Let's Spend the Night Together (film)]]'' (1983). The song was later used in the film ''[[The Normal Heart]]'' (2014). |
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"Waiting on a Friend" was included on the Stones' compilation albums ''[[Rewind (1971–1984)]]'' (1984), ''[[Jump Back]]'' (1993), and ''[[GRRR!]]'' (2012). A 1981 live performance of the song featured on the concert film ''[[Let's Spend the Night Together (film)|Let's Spend the Night Together]]'' (1983). A 1997 performance with saxophonist [[Joshua Redman]] was recorded during the [[Bridges to Babylon Tour]] and released in 1998 on the live album ''[[No Security]]'' and the concert film ''[[Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98]]''. |
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==Personnel== |
==Personnel== |
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'''Rolling Stones''' |
'''The Rolling Stones''' |
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*[[Mick Jagger]] – lead and backing vocals |
*[[Mick Jagger]] – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar |
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*[[Keith Richards]] |
*[[Keith Richards]] – lead and rhythm guitar |
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*[[Bill Wyman]] – bass guitar |
*[[Bill Wyman]] – bass guitar |
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*[[Charlie Watts]] – drums |
*[[Charlie Watts]] – drums |
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''' |
'''Additional musicians''' |
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*[[Mick Taylor]] - rhythm and lead guitar |
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*[[Nicky Hopkins]] – piano |
*[[Nicky Hopkins]] – piano |
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*[[Sonny Rollins]] – [[tenor saxophone]] |
*[[Sonny Rollins]] – [[tenor saxophone]] |
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{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
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! scope="col"| Chart ( |
! scope="col"| Chart (1981–1982) |
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! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |
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|align="left"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]]|last=Kent|first=David| |
|align="left"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[Kent Music Report|Australian Chart Book 1970–1992]]|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives, NSW]]|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6 }}</ref> |
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| style="text-align:center;"|44 |
| style="text-align:center;"|44 |
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|{{singlechart|Flanders|15|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Waiting on a Friend| |
|{{singlechart|Flanders|15|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Waiting on a Friend|access-date=18 June 2016}} |
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|Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web |title=Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0456&URLjpg=https%3a%2f%2ffanyv88.com%3a443%2fhttp%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.0456.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0456 |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1982-02-13 |access-date=2019-09-07}}</ref> |
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| style="text-align:center;"|10 |
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| align="left" |Finland (''[[The Official Finnish Charts|Soumen Virallinen]]'')<ref>{{cite book |last=Nyman |first=Jake |title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja |publisher=Tammi |year=2005 |isbn=951-31-2503-3 |edition=1st |location=Helsinki |page=240|language=fi}}</ref> |
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|style="text-align:center;"|28 |
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|{{singlechart| |
|{{singlechart|Dutch100|17|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Waiting on a Friend|access-date=18 June 2016}} |
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{| class="wikitable sortable" |
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! Year-end chart (1982) !! Rank |
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|[[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1982|US Top Pop Singles (''Billboard'')]]<ref>{{cite magazine |date=25 December 1982 |title=Talent in Action: Top Pop Singles |page=TIA-20 |magazine=Billboard |volume=94 |issue=51}}</ref> |
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|align="center"|94 |
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==Certifications== |
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{{Certification Table Top}} |
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{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Australia|artist=The Rolling Stones|title=Waiting on a Friend|award=Gold|certyear=2023|access-date=30 November 2023}} |
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{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}} |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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* {{MetroLyrics song|rolling-stones|waiting-on-a-friend}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider --> |
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{{The Rolling Stones}} |
{{The Rolling Stones}} |
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{{The Rolling Stones singles}} |
{{The Rolling Stones singles}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:The Rolling Stones songs]] |
[[Category:The Rolling Stones songs]] |
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[[Category:1981 singles]] |
[[Category:1981 singles]] |
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[[Category:1982 singles]] |
[[Category:1982 singles]] |
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[[Category:Songs |
[[Category:Songs about friendship]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Songs written by Jagger–Richards]] |
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[[Category:Song recordings produced by Jagger–Richards]] |
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[[Category:Music videos directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg]] |
[[Category:Music videos directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg]] |
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[[Category:1972 songs]] |
[[Category:1972 songs]] |
Latest revision as of 21:33, 26 December 2024
"Waiting on a Friend" | ||||
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Single by the Rolling Stones | ||||
from the album Tattoo You | ||||
B-side | "Little T&A" | |||
Released | November 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1972/1973 and 1981 | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 4:35 | |||
Label | Rolling Stones | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jagger/Richards | |||
Producer(s) | The Glimmer Twins | |||
The Rolling Stones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Waiting on a Friend” on YouTube | ||||
Tattoo You track listing | ||||
11 tracks
|
"Waiting on a Friend" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album Tattoo You. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released as the album's second single, it reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US.
History
[edit]Recording of "Waiting on a Friend" (as 'Waiting for a Friend') began in late 1972 through early 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, during the Goats Head Soup sessions. Mick Taylor was a band member at that time, but does not play on the official released version.[citation needed]
In the liner notes to 1993's compilation album Jump Back, Mick Jagger said, "We all liked it at the time but it didn't have any lyrics, so there we were... The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band." Jagger also had stated that the 1981 lyrics were contemplated for a future possible video, making the song the first Rolling Stones single to be packaged as a possible video for the emerging MTV channel.
The lyrics see a more mature side of singer Jagger represented. He speaks of setting aside women and vices in favor of making some sense of his life and finding the virtues inherent in true friendship:
Don't need a whore, I don't need no booze, don't need a virgin priest. But I need someone I can cry to, I need someone to protect.
The song is noted for its dreamy qualities brought on by the soft guitars, smooth rhythm, and Jagger's lilting refrain of "doo-doo-doo". Veteran Stones collaborator Nicky Hopkins performs the track's running piano.[1] The Stones hired jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins to perform the solo on this song, as well as two other songs on the album. On his contribution to the track, Jagger said in 1985:
"I had a lot of trepidation about working with Sonny Rollins. This guy's a giant of the saxophone. Charlie said, 'He's never going to want to play on a Rolling Stones record!' I said, 'Yes he is going to want to.' And he did and he was wonderful. I said, 'Would you like me to stay out there in the studio?' He said, 'Yeah, you tell me where you want me to play and DANCE the part out.' So I did that. And that's very important: communication in hand, dance, whatever. You don't have to do a whole ballet, but sometimes that movement of the shoulder tells the guy to kick in on the beat."[2]
Additional percussion, comprising claves, cabasa, güiro and conga, by Michael Carabello, was added during overdub sessions in April and June 1981, as well as acoustic guitar by Jagger.[3]
Music video
[edit]The video, shot on 2 July 1981,[citation needed] directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg (who also directed their 1968 special The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus), became very popular on MTV. Matching the song's lyrics, Jagger is seen waiting for Keith Richards in the doorway of an apartment block, with Peter Tosh sitting on the steps. The building, at 96–98 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan, is notable for having also appeared on the cover of Led Zeppelin's 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The two then walk down the street and enter the St. Mark's Bar & Grill where the other three band members are already drinking. Ronnie Wood appears in the video, although he was not a musician on the original recording.[4] Jagger sings the song to Richards and the video concludes with the band setting up for a gig at the back of the bar, largely ignored by the other patrons.[5]
Release
[edit]Released as the second single after "Start Me Up", "Waiting on a Friend" became a radio staple in the US, where it reached No. 13 on the singles chart in early 1982. It did not fare as well in Europe, reaching a modest No. 50 on the UK Singles Chart but as high as No. 9 in the Netherlands.
Billboard called it a "ballad that has a subtle honky tonk feeling" and a "tasty contrast" to the Rolling Stones' previous single "Start Me Up".[6] Record World said that "Jagger's magnetíc vocal, Sonny Rollins sax phrases and the hypnotic chorus make this one of the Stones most enticing pieces in recent memory."[7]
"Waiting on a Friend" was included on the Stones' compilation albums Rewind (1971–1984) (1984), Jump Back (1993), and GRRR! (2012). A 1981 live performance of the song featured on the concert film Let's Spend the Night Together (1983). A 1997 performance with saxophonist Joshua Redman was recorded during the Bridges to Babylon Tour and released in 1998 on the live album No Security and the concert film Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98.
Personnel
[edit]The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar
- Keith Richards – lead and rhythm guitar
- Bill Wyman – bass guitar
- Charlie Watts – drums
Additional musicians
- Mick Taylor - rhythm and lead guitar
- Nicky Hopkins – piano
- Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone
- Michael Carabello – güiro, claves, cabasa and congas
Charts
[edit]Chart (1981–1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 44 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 15 |
Canada RPM Top Singles[10] | 10 |
Finland (Soumen Virallinen)[11] | 28 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] | 17 |
UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 50 |
US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 13 |
Year-end chart (1982) | Rank |
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US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[15] | 94 |
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[16] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Janovitz, Bill. The Rolling Stones "Waiting on a Friend". allmusic. 2007 (accessed 19 May 2007).
- ^ "Tattoo You". Time Is On Our Side. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
- ^ "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones – Database". Nzentgraf.de. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Stones LP, Tour Due Soon". Rolling Stone. 20 August 1981. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ The Rolling Stones - Waiting On A Friend - OFFICIAL PROMO on YouTube
- ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. 28 November 1981. p. 75.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 28 November 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Waiting on a Friend" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 13 February 1982. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 240. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones – Waiting on a Friend" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Talent in Action: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 51. 25 December 1982. p. TIA-20.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 November 2023.