Discarded Underwear Helped Inspire The Rolling Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’
Keith Richards revealed his opinion about why songwriters often write about heartbreak. In addition, he said The Rolling Stones‘ “Ruby Tuesday” was partly inspired by discarded underwear. The tune became a massive hit in the United States and a different version of it became a hit in the United Kingdom.
Keith Richards said a fashion model ‘probably’ inspired him to write The Rolling Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’ on a Tuesday
According to the 2013 book 50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of The Rolling Stones, Richards said “Ruby Tuesday” was inspired by a model he dated. “It was probably written about Linda Keith not being there (laughs),” he said. “I don’t know, she had pissed off somewhere. It was very mournful, very, very Ruby Tuesday and it was a Tuesday.
“That’s one of those things — some chick you’ve broken up with,” he added. “And all you’ve got left is the piano and the guitar and a pair of panties. And it’s goodbye you know. And so it just comes out of that. And after that you just build on it.”
The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards explained why songwriters often write about breakups
Richards explained why it’s easy to write about breakups. “It’s one of those songs that are easiest to write because you’re really right there, and you really sort of mean it,” he opined. “And for a songwriter, hey, break his heart and he’ll come up with a good song.”
The book Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews & Encounters includes an interview from 1986. In it, Richards said something different about the inspiration behind “Ruby Tuesday.” “I saw this picture in some fashion magazine that a chick had lying around her apartment,” he recalled. “It was this great photograph of a great chick — she’s probably a housewife now, with 15 kids. It was an ad for jewelry — rubies.”
How ‘Ruby Tuesday’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Ruby Tuesday” became a massive hit in the United States. It reached the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, staying on the chart for 12 weeks in total. The track appeared on the American edition of the album Between the Buttons but not its British counterpart. The album hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 47 weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, a live version of “Ruby Tuesday” peaked at No. 59 in the United Kingdom and stayed on the chart for two weeks. This rendition appeared on the live album Flashpoint. The album reached No. 6 and lasted on the chart for seven weeks in total.
“Ruby Tuesday” is a classic ballad and it might not be the same without a pair of underwear.
