Tattoo You is an album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1981. The follow-up to Emotional Rescue, it proved to be a big critical and commercial success upon its release and is still celebrated as one of The Rolling Stones' finest full-length releases, despite its prolonged recording history.

Tattoo You is primarily composed of outtakes, some dating back a decade, along with two new songs, put together so the Rolling Stones could have a new album to promote for their world tour beginning that September:

• "Tops" was cut in late 1972 during the Goats Head Soup sessions (thus featuring Mick Taylor, not Ron Wood, on guitar; Taylor later demanded and received a share of the album's royalties).
• The Stones claim that "Waiting On A Friend" was also recorded for Goats Head Soup, but there is evidence that it actually dates from the Sticky Fingers sessions in 1970; the Stones disseminated the Goats Head Soup timeframe to avoid having to pay royalties to Allen Klein, their manager prior to Sticky Fingers.
• "Slave" and "Worried About You" were recorded in 1975 during the Black and Blue sessions in Rotterdam. They feature Billy Preston on keyboards and Ollie Brown on percussion. Wayne Perkins plays the lead guitar on "Worried About You".
• "Start Me Up" was originally written as a reggae number called "Never Stop" during the 1977 Some Girls sessions. The Tattoo You version was recorded in 1979 during the making of Emotional Rescue. "Start Me Up" was left unreleased at the time because Keith Richards had expressed concern that he might have inadvertently taken its main riff from another song he had heard (something that was later to happen with "Anybody Seen My Baby" on Bridges to Babylon).
• "Hang Fire", "Little T&A", "Black Limousine", and "No Use In Crying" all came from the Emotional Rescue sessions in 1979.
• "Neighbours" and "Heaven" were the only new recordings (from April to June 1981), although the band began a version of "Neighbours" during work on Emotional Rescue. "Heaven" has an unusual lineup, consisting of only Charlie Watts on drums, Bill Wyman on synthesizer and bass, Mick Jagger on guitar, and producer Chris Kimsey on piano.

Some of the older tracks were overdubbed and mixed during the 1979 Emotional Rescue sessions or in 1981 as Tattoo You was being compiled.

Despite the eclectic nature of the album, the Rolling Stones were able to divide Tattoo You into two distinct halves: a rock and roll side backed with one focusing on ballads.

"Start Me Up" was released in August 1981, just a week before Tattoo You, to a very strong response. Widely considered one of their most infectious songs, it was enough to carry Tattoo You to #1 for nine weeks in the US, while reaching #2 in the UK with solid sales. It has been certified four times platinum in the US alone. The critical reaction was positive, many feeling that Tattoo You was an improvement over Emotional Rescue and a high quality release. "Waiting On A Friend" and "Hang Fire" became popular Top 20 US hits as well.

Although they would continue to remain popular well into the 2000s, as an indication of the band's longevity in the music industry (being on the eve of their 20th anniversary), "Start Me Up" would prove to be The Rolling Stones' last single to reach as high as #2 in the US, while Tattoo You remains to date their last American #1 album.

The album title was originally planned to be simply "Tattoo". Jagger claims to this day that even he has no clue how the "You" became attached to the title. The title caused friction between Jagger and Richards, who suspected Jagger had changed the title without seeking his input.

In 1994, Tattoo You was remastered and reissued by Virgin Records.

Track listing

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All songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, except where noted.

1. "Start Me Up" - 3:32
2. "Hang Fire" - 2:21
3. "Slave" - 6:33
4. "Little T&A" - 3:23
5. "Black Limousine" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/Ron Wood) - 3:31
6. "Neighbours" - 3:31
7. "Worried About You" - 5:17
   • Tracks 3 and 7 were begun during the 1975 sessions for Black and Blue
8. "Tops" - 3:45
9. "Heaven" - 4:22
10. "No Use In Crying" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards/Ron Wood) - 3:25
    • Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 10 were recorded during the 1979 sessions for Emotional Rescue
11. "Waiting On A Friend" - 4:34
    • Tracks 8 and 11 were begun during the 1972 sessions for Goats Head Soup

External links

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• Rolling Stones TATTOO YOU TATTOO YOU Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones albums | 1981 albums | Rolling Stones Records albums | Virgin Records albums

Tattoo You | 刺青の男 | Tattoo You | Tattoo You