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Rolling Stones songs: Continental Drift
Open the door and let the light pour over/ Open the door, don’t you keep me out…
Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: Air Studios, Montserrat, March 29-Apr. 15 1989; Olympic Sound Studios, May 15-June 29 1989; Palace of Ben Abbou, Tangier, Morocco, June 16-17 1989 *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
Mick Jagger: vocals, keyboards Keith Richards: acoustic guitar Charlie Watts: drums Ron Wood: bass, acoustic guitar Guest musicians: Matt Clifford (keyboards), The Master Musicians of Jajouka with Bachir Attar (African and Moroccan instruments), Luis Jardim (percussion), Lisa Fischer, Sarah Dash, Bernard Fowler, Tessa Niles, Farafina and Sonia Morgan (backing vocals)
More about Continental Drift by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
The Rolling Stones’ Global Reawakening
In 1989 The Rolling Stones ventured far from their usual studios, setting their creative compass toward Tangier, Morocco. For three extraordinary days, they immersed themselves in a collaboration with the Master Musicians of Jajouka, under the direction of Bachir Attar. The result was Continental Drift, one of the most adventurous and atmospheric songs from Steel Wheels. The sessions marked more than a musical experiment—it was a rediscovery of the adventurous spirit that once defined the band’s most daring work. Following the recordings, Mick Jagger made a personal pilgrimage to the village of Jajouka, revisiting the same paths Brian Jones had walked in 1968. It was both a tribute and a continuation, linking two distinct eras of the Stones’ evolution. Through Continental Drift the group reconnected with its fascination for global sounds, echoing the exploratory pulse that had fueled their art in the 1960s.
Echoes From the Past
Long before “world music” became a buzzword, The Rolling Stones had already begun exploring far-flung influences. Under Brian Jones’ guidance, they had blended Middle Eastern and Indian textures into songs like Paint It Black and albums such as Aftermath and Their Satanic Majesties Request. By the time Continental Drift came to life, that same sense of sonic curiosity resurfaced—richer, deeper, and more personal. Many listeners drew comparisons to artists like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, and Talking Heads, all of whom had merged Eastern and Western traditions. Yet the Stones’ journey was not imitation but remembrance—an homage to the curiosity that once made them pioneers of cross-cultural sound. Continental Drift was their bridge between past and present, paying quiet respect to Jones’ adventurous spirit.
Creating the Drift
The song’s origins are as spontaneous as they are symbolic. Mick Jagger composed Continental Drift in Barbados, and one morning Keith Richards woke up to hear him playing an unfamiliar, exotic melody on a keyboard. “That reminds me of Morocco,” Richards recalled later. Within days, the pair was en route to Tangier to collaborate with the Master Musicians of Jajouka, the same ensemble Brian Jones had recorded two decades earlier. For Jagger, the project was a creative reset. “The hard-rock thing just took over,” he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1989. “We lost a little sensitivity and adventure. It’s boring just doing hard rock all the time. You gotta bounce it around a little.” The result was a song that shimmered with texture—love “as pure as silver, as pure as gold”—blending acoustic guitars, hand drums, and haunting Moroccan flutes into a meditative, hypnotic groove.
Layers of Sound and Spirit
Production-wise Continental Drift was a world away from Jumpin’ Jack Flash. The Stones started the recording in Montserrat with Jagger and engineer Chris Kimsey programming drum machines and synthesizers. Richards and Ronnie Wood added acoustic guitars and bass, though these were ultimately enveloped by layers of African percussion recorded in Tangier and by the Farafina ensemble from Burkina Faso. Charlie Watts anchored it all with precise, understated drumming, while Jagger’s vocals floated amid a chorus of Moroccan singers. One of the most unusual details comes right at the start: Keith Richards created a shimmering, metallic sound by running a knife blade along the spokes of a spinning bicycle wheel—credited simply as “bicycle” in the liner notes. The moment encapsulates the song’s philosophy: innovation through instinct, blending ancient rhythms with unexpected textures.
A Sonic Pilgrimage
Continental Drift stands as both homage and experiment—a fusion of memory, geography, and emotion. The track’s mystical energy connects the band’s late-’60s experimentation with their late-’80s reinvention. It isn’t just a song but a statement: that The Rolling Stones, even after decades of touring and reinvention, could still seek out the unfamiliar and make it their own. In revisiting Jajouka, the band retraced a spiritual lineage begun by Brian Jones, proving that their music’s soul was never confined to rock’s traditional borders. Instead, it drifted—across continents, cultures, and time—toward something timeless.
Mick Jagger (1989): “I remember Brian playing (his Moroccan) tapes (in the ’60s). We had this engineer we were working with, George Chkiantz, and George was one of the first people to be heavily into phasing, which was like the scratching of the middle ’60s. So Brian took all of the Jajouka tapes and put them through phasing, which was really quite before its time. I always felt the Stones were quite adventurous that way.”
Keith Richards (1989): “I made that metallic noise at the beginning of the song with a knife against a bicycle wheel. I supposed you could do it with a spoon. But it wouldn’t sound as good as it does with the knife. Kids, don’t try this in your own homes, these men are trained professionals…”
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