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One voice calls out my name/ It sure went straight to the mark…
Written by: Jagger/Richards/Wood Recorded: Pathé Marconi Studios, Paris, France, Jan. 15-March 3 & Apr. 8-June 17 1985; RPM Studios, NYC, USA, July 16-Aug. 17 & Sept. 10-Oct. 15 1985; Right Track Studios, NYC, USA, Nov. 5-Dec. 15 1985 Guest musicians: Jimmy Page (lead guitar), Chuck Leavell (keyboards), Bobby Womack, Don Covay, Patti Scialfa, Kirsty MacColl and Beverly D’Angelo (backing vocals) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
From Songfacts: Jimmy Page played lead guitar on this track. He was in the area because of Live-Aid, a huge benefit concert that reunited Led Zeppelin members Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. On “One Hit (To The Body),” Page took the role of session guitarist, which he used to be. Jimmy Cliff, Patty Scialfa and Tom Waits also contributed to the album.While Live Aid brought Led Zeppelin together, it did the opposite for The Stones: Mick Jagger performed solo for the first time at the concert, and Keith Richards backed up Bob Dylan. The Dirty Work album was spearheaded by Richards, as Jagger was fed up with the band and focused on his solo career.
Producer Steve Lillywhite’s wife, Kirsty MacColl, sang backup. She also performed on “Harlem Shuffle.”
The lyrics are not literal. The song is about a figurative punch from an emotionally charged love affair.
This opens with a clash of acoustic and electric guitars. The acoustic was Ron Wood’s idea – he got a writing credit for it.
The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, shows Mick Jagger and Keith Richards jabbing at each other. They were feuding at the time, so it wasn’t much of a stretch; there was no tour for the album because Jagger refused.
When this album came out, a group called the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was trying to get any music they considered offensive banned from the airwaves. They came up with a list of 15 artists they really didn’t like and called them the “Filthy 15.” The Stones were a famous band with some raunchy songs, but the PMRC left them off this list, but did manage to include Sheena Easton and Cyndi Lauper. In order to stay out of the controversy, The Stones record label released the Dirty Work album in a wrapper that hid any offensive words.
From the Rolling Stones – All the Songs, The Story Behind Every Track book: Oh your love is a sweet addiction, I can’t clean you out of my veins. It’s a lifelong addiction that has damaged my brain. Contrary to what one might believe, particularly in view of Keith Richards’s past, “One Hit (to the Body)” is not a drug song. Narcotics are merely used as a metaphor for love, which strikes suddenly, like lightning. “One Hit (to the Body)” is credited to the Glimmer Twins and Ron Wood. It can be attributed mainly to Keith and Ronnie, however, whose acoustic and electric work reveals a growing synchronicity between the two guitarists. “One Hit (to the Body)” was released as the second single from Dirty Work (with the B-side “Fight”) on May 9 1986, but only reached number 28 on the US Billboard chart, on June 28, and number 80 on the British chart.
