Shine a Light (song)
| Shine a light | |
|---|---|
| The Rolling Stones | |
| publication | May 12, 1972 |
| length | 4:14 |
| Genre (s) | skirt |
| Author (s) | Jagger / Richards |
| Label | Rolling Stones Records |
| album | Exile on Main St. |
Shine a Light is a song by the British rock group The Rolling Stones . The recording was of Jimmy Miller produces and first appeared on May 12, 1972, the album Exile on Main St . Musically and lyrically (refrain: "May the good Lord shine a light on you [...]") the song is said to be a mixture of rock 'n' roll and gospel music .
Origin and first recording
Although the piece, like almost all Rolling Stones songs, is attributed to the Jagger / Richards writing duo, Mick Jagger wrote Shine a Light almost alone. Work began in the spring of 1968, before the album Beggars Banquet was released , when Brian Jones was still in the band. In fact, the song really deals with Jones' drug problems, which got worse over time, and his isolation in the band. A first working title was Get a Line on You .
Leon Russell worked on his new album at Olympic Studios in the fall of 1969 and recorded the song with members of the Rolling Stones. In addition to Russell, who played the piano, Mick Jagger (vocals), Charlie Watts (drums), Bill Wyman (bass) and Mick Taylor (guitar) were present. The recordings came about because Watts and Wyman were among the studio musicians on Russell's new record, which was released in 1970 under the title Leon Russell . Get a Line on You wasn't included on it. When the album was released on CD, some bonus tracks were added to the original track list. The last of these tracks is Get a Line On You .
Exile on Main St
The Rolling Stones devoted themselves again in 1970/71 to the piece that was now called Shine a Light . This recording was released in 1972 on the double LP Exile on Main St . The musicians were also the producer Jimmy Miller on drums, Mick Taylor on electric guitar and possibly on electric bass (some sources mention Bill Wyman as an alternative). Billy Preston played the piano and organ. Clydie King, Joe Green, Venetta Field and Jesse Kirkland provided the backing vocals .
Live performances and recordings
It took a long time for the Rolling Stones to add Shine a Light to their concert repertoire. It wasn't until the Voodoo Lounge Tour in 1995 that the piece was put on the set list . The piece was also played on subsequent tours. In 2008 Martin Scorsese shot the concert film Shine a Light , although the title track is only played briefly during the credits. On the accompanying soundtrack CD, however, a recording of Shine a Light can be heard, which was recorded in October 2006. Another live recording of the song can be found on the 1995 album Stripped .
Cover versions
A small number of musicians who shine a light in the studio or on stage gecovert . Allison Crowe released a version of the song on her album Tidings in 2004 and Elton John performed Shine a Light live in 2012. Phish regularly plays the song live.