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Screaming people fly so fast/ In their shiny metal cars…
Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: Olympic Sound Studios, London, England, June 9 and July 7-22 1967 Guest musicians: Nicky Hopkins (piano) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
The great minds of rock music think alike. Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics of “Citadel” in September 1967, that is to say a month before Bob Dylan recorded “All Along the Watchtower” for the album John Wesley Harding. Men are armed shout who goes there?/We have journeyed far from here, armed with bibles make us swear. How should this song be interpreted?
The citadel of the title may be intended as the symbol of a megalopolis—and more specifically of the frantic, oppressive, decadent life of the big city—a metaphor suggesting that the Stones’ lyricist had been inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and the heroic fantasy tales of Robert E. Howard. If so, the citadel may well represent New York, a city in which money is king, where Flags are flyingdollar bills/Round the heights of concrete hills. No doubt there is also a reference here to the Warholian world of the Factory. Moreover, one of the characters goes by the name of Candy, perhaps a reference to Warhol actress Candy Darling, whom Mick Jagger had met a short time before.
