Sympathy for the Devil: Difference between revisions
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The song may have been spared further controversy when the first single from the album, "[[Street Fighting Man]]" became even more controversial in the wake of the [[Mass racial violence in the United States|race riots]] occurring in many cities in the U.S. |
The song may have been spared further controversy when the first single from the album, "[[Street Fighting Man]]" became even more controversial in the wake of the [[Mass racial violence in the United States|race riots]] occurring in many cities in the U.S. |
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Additional personnel included [[Nicky Hopkins]], piano; Rocky Dijon, congas; and [[Marianne Faithfull]] and [[Anita Pallenberg]], backup vocals. |
Additional personnel included [[Nicky Hopkins]], piano; Rocky Dijon, congas; Joseph Torrealba, [[maraca]]s; and [[Marianne Faithfull]] and [[Anita Pallenberg]], backup vocals. |
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In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine put it at #32 on their list of the [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]. Three years later, ''[[National Review]]'' magazine listed it as #3 on their list of the top 50 conservative rock songs. |
In 2003, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine put it at #32 on their list of the [[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]. Three years later, ''[[National Review]]'' magazine listed it as #3 on their list of the top 50 conservative rock songs. |
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Revision as of 18:25, 3 April 2007
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| Song |
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| Song |
"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by The Rolling Stones. The song first appeared as the opening track on the 1968 Stones album Beggars Banquet.
The song
The song is sung by Mick Jagger as a first-person narrative and commentary from the point of view of a suave and sophisticated Lucifer. The lyrics have been said to be inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita.[1].
The style of the stanzas also bears resemblance to a passage in The Devil and Daniel Webster.
"Sympathy for the Devil" begins:
- Please allow me to introduce myself
- I'm a man of wealth and taste
Backed by an intensifying rock arrangement, the singer recounts his exploits over the course of human history and warns the listener; the last line is used near-verbatim at another point in the song:
- If you meet me, have some courtesy
- Have some sympathy, and some taste
- Use all your well-learned politesse
- Or I'll lay your soul to waste
At the time of the release of Beggars Banquet the Stones had already raised some hackles for sexually forward lyrics such as "Let's Spend the Night Together" and for dabbling in Satanism (their previous album, while containing no direct Satanic references, had been titled Their Satanic Majesties Request), and "Sympathy" brought these concerns to the fore, provoking media rumors and fears among some religious groups that The Rolling Stones were indeed devil-worshipers and a corrupting influence on youth. It should be noted, however, that one interpretation of this song is that "The Devil" is in fact mankind. The lyrics are a brief history of some of the most notable atrocities committed by man against man, including a mentioning of The Hundred Years War but an actual reference to the Thirty Years War ("I watched with glee while your Kings and Queens fought for ten decades for the Gods they made"), the Russian Revolution of 1917 ("I stuck around St. Petersburg when I saw it was a time for a change, killed the Tsar and his ministers"), and World War II ("I rode a tank, held a general's rank while the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank"). In that light, the song would appear to be a criticism of the immorality of mankind.
In addition to the very idea of a sympathetic view of the Devil, the lyrics include references to the deaths of John and Robert Kennedy. The latter occurred while the Stones were recording the album, and the words were changed from "Who killed John Kennedy?" to "who killed the Kennedys?"
The song may have been spared further controversy when the first single from the album, "Street Fighting Man" became even more controversial in the wake of the race riots occurring in many cities in the U.S.
Additional personnel included Nicky Hopkins, piano; Rocky Dijon, congas; Joseph Torrealba, maracas; and Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg, backup vocals.
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine put it at #32 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Three years later, National Review magazine listed it as #3 on their list of the top 50 conservative rock songs.
Film
Sympathy for the Devil is also the title of a 1968 film by Jean-Luc Godard. The film, a loose documentary of the late 1960s American counterculture, also featured the Rolling Stones in the process of recording the song in the studio.
Covers and remixes
The song has been widely covered since its release, including a notable version by Jane's Addiction that was included on their 1987 self-titled live album, a much darker and complex version by jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, called "Symphony For the Devil", from the group's Third Album, and most famously by the American hard rock group Guns N' Roses that was recorded in 1994 and featured in the closing credits of Neil Jordan's film adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. In 1989, the Slovenian band Laibach released an EP of seven different versions of the song, interpreted as everything from a Fascist Wagnerian symphony to a light techno number.
The song has a similar chord structure as the coda to The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and The Residents perform the two quodlibet as the finale to their album The Third Reich 'n' Roll.
In December 1969, Sandie Shaw recorded the song for her album Reviewing The Situation.
In September 2003, ABKCO Records released a remix single of the original song featuring radio and remix versions by The Neptunes, Fatboy Slim, and Full Phatt.
In 2005, Ozzy Osbourne released a cover of the song on his four-disc box set Prince of Darkness. The fourth disk of Prince of Darkness, which included only cover songs, was re-released in late 2005 on its own with three more cover songs under the title Under Cover; Ozzy's cover of "Sympathy for the Devil" was included in the re-release.
Progressive/gothic metal band Tiamat covered the song on their 1999 album, Skeleton Skeletron.
A snippet of the song is often sung by Bono along with "Ruby Tuesday" during performances of "Bad" at U2 concerts, most notably performed at Live Aid in London as well as on the concert film Rattle and Hum.
Track listing: Sympathy For The Devil remixes
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Bombay Ducks
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - The Neptunes radio edit
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - The Neptunes extended remix
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Fatboy Slim radio edit
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Fatboy Slim extended remix
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Full Phatt radio edit
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Full Phatt extended remix
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Original Rolling Stones version
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Guns n' Roses for the "Interview with the vampire soundtrack"
- "Sympathy For The Devil" - Ozzy Osbourne - Undercover
Trivia
- In Alan Moore's comic book V for Vendetta, the main character, a terrorist known only as "V" quotes the first two lines of the song as he breaks into the room of Bishop Anthony Lilliman, in order to assassinate him.
- The first two lines also are the first two lines in TISM's song Leo's Toltoy.
- It is widely rumored among credible sources that Jimmy Page performs the solo in this song.
- The song is featured during a Midnight Mass during the film C.R.A.Z.Y.
- The term "Sympathy for the devil, and the Rolling Stones" is used by the Bellamy Brothers in their song 'Kids of the Baby Boom'.
- In Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Thompson plays the song constantly to "keep the rhythm of the road." It would have appeared in place of "Combination of the Two" by Big Brother & the Holding Company in the film adaptation but director Terry Gilliam was unable to secure the rights.
- This is the closing song to Fallen, a film involving a demon.
- The song is also the squad anthem for Blue Boy Group in Stephen King's Dreamcatcher.
- The song is also used in the credits for "Interview With a Vampire"
- Session 6 of the anime Cowboy Bebop was named "Sympathy for the Devil".
- On The NBC conedy Will and Grace Karen wanted to walk down the Isle to Sympathy For the Devil