Rolling Stones’ “Waiting On A Friend” – The Story Behind The Song
The Rolling Stones’ “Waiting On a Friend” was initially recorded in 1972 for Goat’s Head Soup, but it didn’t make the cut. It ended up getting shelved and becoming a part of Tattoo You nine years later. Although it certainly sounds like Mick Taylor’s presence is heard in the song (he left the Rolling Stones in 1974), no musician credits are given on Goat’s Head Soup and Mick did not receive compensation for the song.
Who Else Played on “Waiting on a Friend?
The Stones hired several session musicians for the album including jazz saxophonist, Sonny Rollins. Rollins’ saxophone is heard on three tracks of Tattoo You including “Waiting on a Friend.” The song also features Nicky Hopkins on piano, Kasper Winding on tambourine, and Jimmy Miller on percussion.
I Love This Song, But Can I Go Off for Just a Second?
Listen. This is one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs, but the line “Don’t need a whore” kinda goes up my asterisk. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Both have seen days of less-than-stellar behavior in one way, shape, or form. Mick Jagger has 8 kids by 5 different women. I’m not getting into the specifics, but you can read them at people.com. I just feel like the line is rather hypocritical. Maybe Keith wrote it. After spending more time researching “How many women did the Rolling Stones sleep with?” than I care to admit, Keith seems to be a pretty big relationship kinda guy. BTW, Brian Jones beat everything you can imagine in a fairly short time period. He famously slept with 64 women in 19 days when the Stones first toured the U.S.A. Bill Wyman kept track. lol
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
Those last two lines mean more to me than my disdain for the first line. It’s such a poetic way of saying you need someone that will take care of you and let you take care of them. Isn’t that the balance we all search for in our relationships?
The Rolling Stones’ Video for “Waiting on a Friend”
“Waiting on a Friend” was the Rolling Stones’ first music video. MTV had launched a few months before and they were dying for videos from big bands. The concept for the video was exactly what you’d think it is. Mick Jagger is standing in a doorway, waiting for his friend. Keith Richards shows up and they head to the bar where the rest of the band is waiting.
To read more stories behind the songs, CLICK HERE.
Or read on and discover the joy I have for sarcasm and how I’ve used it in my life. 🙂
13 Sarcastic T-Shirts For Making Friends