Keith Richards Dished on the Time The Rolling Stones Went to a Bar in Women’s Clothes

The Rolling Stones were often perceived as a macho band, but that didn’t stop them from dressing in a feminine way. For example, The Rolling Stones donned drag on the back sleeve of the single “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” Keith Richards discussed what happened when The Rolling Stones took the photos for the single.

Keith Richards said The Rolling Stones did drag on a quiet afternoon

According to the book Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews & Encounters, Richards discussed the single sleeve of “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” in a 1971 interview. “Jerry Schatzberg took the picture and Andrew ordered a truckload of costumes and Brian [Jones] just laid on me this incredible stuff,” he recalled. He just said, ‘Take this.'” 

Richards said there weren’t many folks around when The Rolling Stones took the photos. “We walked down from Park Lane in that gear and we did the pictures,” he remembered. “It was very quiet, Saturday afternoon, all the businesses are shut but there’s traffic.”

Keith Richards felt the time The Rolling Stones went to a bar in drag was ‘outrageous’

Richards noted The Rolling Stones were wearing high heels when they were photographed. “Bill [Wyman was] in a wheel chair,” Richards remembered. “It took a while to get this picture and going back, what do you do? Do you take half the stuff off and walk back … or do you keep it on?”

After taking the photos, The Rolling Stones decided to go to a bar while still in drag. “Hey, what voice do you do?” Richards said. “We sat there and had a beer and watched TV and no one said anything. But it was just so outrageous because Bill stayed in his wheelchair and Brian was pushing him about.”

The way fans in the United States and the United Kingdom reacted to ‘Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?’

“Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” became a hit in the United States. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for seven weeks. The song appeared on the compilation album Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass). The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 99 weeks.

“Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” was popular in the United Kingdom as well. According to The Official Charts Company, the track hit No. 5 there, lasting on the chart for eight weeks. Meanwhile, Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) hit No. 4 and remained on the chart for 45 weeks.

“Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” is a classic song and its single sleeve is part of what it makes it so legendary.