Keith Richards Revealed Why The Rolling Stones Wrote ‘Honky Tonk Women’
One of The Rolling Stones‘ most famous songs is “Honky Tonk Women.” Keith Richards explained why The Rolling Stones wrote the song when they were in South America. Subsequently, he said the song had a special ability to make fans dance.
The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards revealed what he thought about South America
According to the book Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews and Encounters, Richards discussed his feelings on South America in a 1971 interview. He said São Paulo, Brazil, is an incredible place. “Which is, in the south, as fast as New York, as speedy as that in tropical conditions, it pours down rain for 10 minutes then the sun comes out and it’s a hundred and twenty, and the place starts to steam,” he said. “Millions of people rushing about … all for Coca Cola.”
He compared the music scene in São Paulo with the music scene in New York City. “It’s just like New York,” he opined. “Lot of good guitar players down there. All over South America, it must be the most widely played instrument.”
Keith Richards revealed The Rolling Stones wrote ‘Honky Tonk Women’ because they went to a cowboy ranch
Richards revealed what The Rolling Stones did on a trip to South America. “Went to a ranch and wrote ‘Honky Tonk Women’ because it was into a cowboy thing,” he recalled. “All these spades are fantastic cowboys. Beautiful ponies and quarter horses. Miles from anywhere. Just like being in Arizona or something.”
Richards said “Honky Tonk Women” was able to make fans dance. “We’ve never known why,” he noted. “There’s always been a few songs that do that. If they weren’t dancing by then, you’d know you weren’t getting it on. The guitar is in open tuning on that, I learned that particular tuning off Ry Cooder.”
The way fans in the United States and the United Kingdom reacted to ‘Honky Tonk Women’
“Honky Tonk Women” became a massive hit for The Rolling Stones. For four weeks, the song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song stayed on the chart for 15 weeks in total. The Rolling Stones released a country version of “Honky Tonk Women” called “Country Honk” on the seminal album Let It Bleed. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 44 weeks.
“Honky Tonk Women” was a huge hit in the United Kingdom as well. According to The Official Charts Company, the track was No. 1 for five of its 17 weeks on the U.K. chart. Meanwhile, Let It Bleed was No. 1 for one week. It lasted on the chart for 29 weeks altogether.
“Honky Tonk Women” is a classic Rolling Stones track and it might not exist without some South American cowboys.
