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The narrator of this song is talking to a young woman. He tells her he has seen a girl uptown who is so fine and has such lovely skin that she oughta be somewhere in Hollywood. He then reveals that this girl, whom he wants to be his girlfriend, is the person sitting by his side. The song is a pretty declaration of love with a rock ’n’ roll accompaniment that is pure Chuck Berry, and was released as a single in 1961 (with “Little Star” as the B-side). It is not to be confused with “Talkin’ About You” by Ray Charles,which was released in 1958.
Chuck Berry was a major source of inspiration for British groups of the early sixties, and many are the guitarists who have lifted the rock ’n’ roll pioneer’s guitar sequences for “Johnny B. Goode,” “Carol,” and “Roll Over Beethoven.” The Beatles had been performing “I’m Talking About You” at the Star Club in Hamburg as early as 1962. Three years later the Rolling Stones came to record it, having likewise honed it onstage, in their case since the beginning of 1964. Paradoxically, although the Stones were continually improving from concert to concert and from recording to recording, “Talkin’ About You” is definitely not their best version of a Chuck Berry song!
They have chosen to considerably slow down the tempo (from 148 to 120 bpm) in order to give the number a heavier, more insistent groove. The effect brings Bill Wyman to the fore with a big sound obtained from his Framus Humbug plugged into a Fender Bassman amp. Charlie Watts avoids stressing the beat even further by opting for an excellent funky, airy style. Keith Richards performs the intro exactly as Chuck Berry does, before switching to rhythm and later playing a solo.
Brian Jones supports him with a second (discreet but efficient) rhythm part, which he seems to play in power chords on his Gibson Firebird VII. Jagger fulfills his role as front man with a good vocal performance, assisted by Richards on backing vocals. A piano part attributable to either Ian Stewart or Jack Nitzsche can also be made out. The Stones’ version is more rhythm ’n’ blues than rock’n’roll, but although well put together, it is a long way from matching Chuck Berry’s.
