Album: It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (1974)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a reggae-influenced song. Most of their previous album, Goats Head Soup, was recorded in Jamaica.
  • Keith Richards got the idea for this from a song that came on the radio while he was driving in Munich.
  • The lyrics tell the tale of a poor laborer working long hours while his boss at the oil refinery gets rich.
  • The CD version contains an extra 30 seconds which was left off the original.
  • Ray Cooper played percussion on this track. A British session musician, he played on most of Elton John's albums in the '70s, and has also recorded with Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Roger Waters. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France

Comments: 4

  • Justin from MaineThat guitar tone!
  • Tim from Long Island, NyOpen G tuning, key of C.
  • Mike from Framingham, MaThis riff and the whole truthful story did and still does blow my mind. Shows the uniqueness of the Stones and always lifts my spirits. I love their aggressive, funky, rocking sound and this song ecapsulates it perfectly just like Jumping Jack Flash and Beast of Burden IMO.
  • Johnny from Los Angeles, CaI thought it was about a wife, but right now is the first time I heard it.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.