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TL;DR:

  • Mick Jagger said some songs from one of The Rolling Stones’ albums were “outtakes.”
  • He recorded part of the album in a “broom cupboard.”
  • One song from the album became a massive international hit.
The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger holding a microphone
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger | George Wilkes Archive / Contributor

Mick Jagger said he created one of The Rolling Stones‘ albums with little help from the rest of the band. He recorded part of the album in a “broom cupboard.” Subsequently, one of the songs from the album — “Start Me Up” — became a massive hit.

Mick Jagger said 1 of The Rolling Stones’ albums features ‘bits’ of songs that he finally completed

During a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger discussed the creation of The Rolling Stones’ 1981 album Tattoo You. “[Producer] Chris Kimsey and I went through all the tracks from those two previous records,” he said. “It wasn’t all outtakes; some of it was old songs. 

“And then I went back and found previous ones like ‘Waiting on a Friend,’ from Goats Head Soup,” he continued. “They’re all from different periods. Then I had to write lyrics and melodies. 

“A lot of them didn’t have anything, which is why they weren’t used at the time — because they weren’t complete,” he added. “They were just bits, or they were from early takes.” 

Mick Jagger said a producer stopped the album from sounding like it was written during different time periods

Jagger said the recording of Tattoo You was inexpensive. “And then I put them all together in an incredibly cheap fashion,” he recalled. “I recorded in this place in Paris in the middle of the winter. And then I recorded some of it in a broom cupboard, literally, where we did the vocals.” 

Jagger remembered he was the primary creative force behind Tattoo You. “The rest of the band were hardly involved,” he said. “And then I took it to [producer] Bob Clearmountain, who did this great job of mixing so that it doesn’t sound like it’s from different periods.”

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How The Rolling Stones’ ‘Tattoo You’ and its singles performed on the charts in the United Kingdom and the United States

Tattoo You became a massive hit. It was No. 1 for nine of its 59 weeks on the Billboard 200. Three songs from the Tattoo You were singles: “Start Me Up,” “Waiting on a Friend,” and “Hang Fire.” “Start Me Up” and “Waiting on a Friend” peaked at No. 2 and No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. “Hang Fire” did not chart.

According to The Official Charts Company, Tattoo You peaked at No. 2 in the United Kingdom, staying on the chart for 29 weeks. Meanwhile, “Start Me Up” and “Waiting on a Friend” respectively peaked at No. 7 and No. 50 in the U.K. “Hang Fire” did not chart there either.

Tattoo You became a massive hit — even if it had humble origins.

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