Midnight Rambler

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Midnight Rambler ( English , German as "the midnight Roving end" or "night owls") is a blues-rock - song of the Rolling Stones . It was released on the December 1969 studio album Let It Bleed on Decca Records . The authors are Mick Jagger ( electric guitar , vocals, harmonica) and Keith Richards (electric guitar), and the piece was produced by Jimmy Miller .

Emergence

Mick Jagger said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1995 about the genesis of the song : “Keith [Richards] and I wrote the song together. We were on vacation for a few nights in this beautiful Italian mountain town of Positano . I don't know why we wrote such a dark song in these pleasant, sunny surroundings. We wrote everything there: the changes in the tempos, everything. I played the harmonica and Keith the guitar in these little cafes. "

Richards called the song a " blues opera" and stated in the 2012 documentary Crossfire Hurricane that no one else could have written this piece except the Rolling Stones. When asked again in 1971 by Rolling Stone , Richards said about the technique of songwriting: "Usually when you write, you bump something into Mick, then let him go and spread, just listen to him and start picking up certain words that come through and out then it was created. A lot of people still complained that they couldn't hear the voice properly. If the words get through, that's nice, if not, that's okay, because then they can have a thousand different meanings for anyone anyway. "

Song content

The Midnight Rambler is described as a person who wanders around in the dark, from midnight to early morning when the rooster crows. It is said that he wraps himself in a black cat cloak, comes without warning, jumps over the garden wall and leaves his footprints.

The question: "Did you hear about the Midnight Rambler" is repeated, as is the statement "Talkin 'about the Midnight Rambler". In the middle of the song there is a play on words : "Midnight Rambler" - "Midnight Gambler", the wanderer is referred to as risk-loving, as gambler. At the end of the song there is a change of perspective. The one who tries to catch the Midnight Rambler becomes the lyrical self that now appears as the Midnight Rambler (“Did you see me make my midnight call?” - 'Did you see how I made my midnight visit?' ), take his mistress and slit her throat with a knife.

The character of the Midnight Rambler can be associated with the serial killer Albert DeSalvo , the "strangler of Boston". Jagger even went so far as to process part of DeSalvo's confessions for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Beverly Samans in the lyrics.

Versions

The studio version of the title with a length of 6 minutes and 53 seconds was recorded in the spring of 1969 in the Olympic Studios in London . Jagger sang the lyrics and played the harmonica, Richards did all the guitar parts, Bill Wyman the bass and Charlie Watts the drums. Brian Jones played the percussion .

The Rolling Stones first performed with the Midnight Rambler on July 5, 1969. Several other versions of different lengths followed. The version for the album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! in 1969 lasted 9 minutes and 43 seconds and was reissued in 1971 as part of the Hot Rocks Collection 1964–1971 . Here played Mick Taylor guitar. The version recorded for the LP The Brussels Affair '73 and only officially released in 2011 is 12 minutes and 49 seconds long. 1975 Ronnie Wood replaced Mick Taylor. The Stones played the song regularly in their concerts until 1976.

Midnight Rambler did not return to their stage repertoire until 1989. The version shown in the film Four Flicks in 2003 about a concert by the Rolling Stones runs for 12 minutes. On November 25, 2012, the Stones played a 12-minute version at their London concert with Mick Taylor as a guest. The live version of the concert in London's Hyde Park in July 2013, released on the album Sweet Summer Sun with Mick Taylor as a guest, lasts just under 12 minutes.

Relationship with the Altamont Free Concert

At the Rolling Stones' Altamont Free Concert on December 6, 1969 at Altamont Speedway , California, spectator Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death. The event was filmed and featured in the documentary Gimme Shelter .

Midnight Rambler , along with Brown Sugar, was one of the songs that were played right after the knife fight. The author Simon Frith sheds light on the role of the Rolling Stones in the concert and raises the question of the relationship between the singer of the piece, the lyrics and the listener. Because Midnight Rambler presents a narrative based on sexual / murderous fantasy, the song represents something that cannot be, but what exists through the performance. This is particularly true in connection with Jagger's stage appearance with his emphasis on satanic and sexual violence. From this it can be deduced that the brutality inherent in the song is not just a representation of human fears and longings. Through an identification process, this music can be seen as a symbol of solidarity with a justification for brutal violence. However, lyrics generally only become meaningful in connection with personal experiences and are therefore not generally suitable for forming an opinion. This applies to Midnight Rambler in particular because the lyrics were practically impossible to understand.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b The Database "Midnight Rambler". Retrieved February 18, 2013 .
  2. ^ "Jagger Remembers" . Rolling Stone . Dec 14, 1995 (accessed 12 June 2007).
  3. ↑ Greenfield, Robert. "Keith Richards Interview". Rolling Stone (magazine) August 19, 1971.
  4. ↑ Midnight Rambler
  5. ↑ Midnight Rambler Song
  6. ^ The Database Midnight Rambler , Time Is On Our Side, 2007 (accessed June 12, 2007)
  7. ↑ Rolling Stones feat. Mick Taylor - Midnight Rambler (2012 London O2 Arena) MULTICAM. on YouTube 2012 (accessed November 28, 2012)
  8. ↑ The Rolling Stones - Sweet Summer Sun - Hyde Park Live at Discogs (English)
  9. ↑ set list altamont concert
  10. ↑ Simon Frith: Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies, Volume 2, Routledge London 2004, ISBN 0-415-29905-5 , pp. 295-298. Restricted preview in Google Book Search