Why The Rolling Stones’ ‘Start Me Up’ Is Disgusting
The Rolling Stones‘ “Start Me Up” is one of the band’s most famous songs. In addition, it has a lyric that’s completely disgusting. That hasn’t stopped it from appearing in an Applebee’s commercial!
The Rolling Stones’ ‘Start Me Up’ is gross but somehow not controversial
For better or worse, The Rolling Stones were never afraid to be tasteless. For example, “Sympathy for the Devil” came at a time when Satanism in rock music was a lot more controversial. Mick Jagger sang “Midnight Rambler” from the perspective of the Boston Strangler at a time when his murders were fresh in the public consciousness. “Brown Sugar” is just about the most offensive classic rock song of all time.
“Start Me Up” doesn’t go as far as the latter two songs, but it’s still disgusting. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem to inspire any controversy at all despite Jagger singing that a woman could “make a dead man c**.” Gross! I wonder who would find a pickup line like that flattering.
How The Rolling Stones made a song with such a gross lyric into a major hit
How on earth did a song like that become so mainstream? It even appeared in a recent Applebee’s commercial! I don’t know who would want to eat boneless wings and fried shrimp after hearing a song this crass, but that’s just me. At the very least, the offensive line from the song isn’t included in the ad. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a pretty risque song for a commercial for casual dining.
Perhaps the riffs from “Start Me Up” are so good the song could’ve been about anything and it still would have been a hit. On the same token, The Rolling Stones certainly benefited a lot from the 1960s nostalgia that fueled the top 40 in the 1980s. Many ’60s acts like Roy Orbison, The Monkees, and The Beach Boys managed to have a hit or two in the 1980s. Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones repeatedly had hits in the 1980s, with “Start Me Up” being one of the most famous.
How ‘Start Me Up’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Start Me Up” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 24 weeks. The tune spent more time on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other Rolling Stones single.
“Start Me Up” appeared on the album Tattoo You. The album was huge as well, topping the Billboard 200 for a whopping nine weeks. None of The Rolling Stones’ subsequent studio albums reached No. 1 in the United States, so Tattoo You marked the end of an era. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for 59 weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Start Me Up” reached No. 7 in the United Kingdom. It remained on the chart for nine weeks. Meanwhile, Tattoo You peaked at No. 2 there and lasted on the chart for 29 weeks.
“Start Me Up” is a classic hit and it’s also kind of gross.
