The Rolling Stones classic “Brown Sugar” peaks to No.1 in May 1971
The song introduced a changing on the Rolling Stones sound, live lineup and set list, that would pretty much define the rest of their career for decades to come
The Rolling Stones classic “Brown Sugar” peaks to No.1 in May 1971
The opening track and lead single from the Rolling Stones 1971 outstanding album “Sticky Fingers”, “Brown Sugar” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded in 1969, though it was primarily the work of Jagger, who wrote it sometime during the filming of “Ned Kelly” in 1969. The lyrical content of “Brown Sugar” according to Mick Jagger is “all to do with the dual combination of drugs and girls” and reportedly was also written with African-American singer Marsha Hunt in mind, as she was Jagger’s girlfriend at the time and mother of his first child Karis. “Brown Sugar”‘s popularity often overshadowed its scandalous lyrics, which were essentially a pastiche of a number of taboo subjects, including slavery, rape, interracial sex, cunnilingus, sadomasochism, lost virginity and heroin. Released in April 1971 as the first single from “Sticky Fingers”, it became a number one hit in both the United States and Canada and a number two hit in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. While the US single featured only “Bitch” as the B-side, the British single featured that track plus a live rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock”. On May 29, 1971, it peaked to No.1 at the US Hot 100. The song introduced a changing on the Rolling Stones sound, live lineup and set list, that would pretty much define the rest of their career for decades to come, creating a separation from the 1960’s Stones of the Brian Jones era, after the guitarist death in 1969. Recently, with the “woke” movements, the band announced that they would no longer play the song live, which lead to protests from their fanbase.
Look back at the Rolling Stones performing “Brown Sugar” in 1971 for the British show Top Of The Pops
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