Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
Rolling Stones songs: Waiting On A Friend
A smile relieves a heart that grieves/ Remember what I said…
Original titles: Waiting For A Friend ; Waiting On My Friend Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: Dynamic Sounds Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, Nov. 25-Dec. 21 1972; EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, June 10-Oct. 19 1979; Electric Ladyland Studios, NYC, USA, Oct. 11-Nov. 12 1980 and April-June 1981 Guest musicians: Nicky Hopkins (piano), Sonny Rollins (sax), Kasper Winding (tambourine) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
More about Waiting On A Friend by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
Keith Richards: “‘Waiting on a Friend’ is one of those songs that you write sometimes, and when you hear it back you say, ‘What was that really about?’ At one level it’s just a nice song and I don’t think there’s ever any pointed meanings.”
But Mick Jagger sees it differently. To him, Waiting on a Friend—originally from the Goats Head Soup sessions—is a song about friendship, as he explains in the Jump Back compilation booklet: “We all liked it at the time but we didn’t have any lyrics, so there we were. As well as the vocal, we stuck on that amazing sax solo at the end by Sonny Rollins. The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band.”
In fact the refrain says it all: “I’m not waiting on a lady/I’m just waiting on a friend” (much like Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s music video, which perfectly captures the song’s laid-back vibe) In the video, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards casually meet outside a New York City apartment building (they’re actually hanging out at the same one featured on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti album) before strolling over to a bar (the St. Mark’s Bar & Grill, at the time located at the corner of St. Mark’s Place and First Avenue in Greenwich Village), where Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, and Ron Wood are already hanging out. The relaxed, almost documentary-style footage reflects the song’s themes of camaraderie and companionship, showing the band in a rare, unguarded moment.
More from Mick (1983): “Just let me be cynical for a moment. First of all, it’s really not about waiting on a woman friend. It’s just about a friend. It doesn’t matter if it’s a man or a woman. I can see people saying, ‘Oh, we’re all much older now, Mick’s writing this much more compassionate stuff, must be about a real person’. But that’s only in their perception of it.”
For Tattoo You, the Stones brought in legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins to add his signature touch to the album. His smooth yet powerful sax playing gave several tracks a unique flair. Rollins’ contributions didn’t stop in Waiting On A Friend—he also played on Slaveand Neighbours, bringing a jazz-infused energy that set Tattoo You apart from their previous records.
Waiting on a Friend was released as the A-side of the second single from Tattoo You, paired with Little T & A as the B-side. The single hit the shelves on November 27 and 30, 1981, giving fans another taste of the album’s diverse sound. With its mellow, reflective vibe, the song stood in contrast to the album’s more energetic tracks, showcasing a different side of the Stones’ songwriting. When it dropped as a single, it took off in the U.S., thanks in part to MTV, which had just launched in 1981. The network was more than happy to showcase a fresh video from a band as legendary as the Stones, helping boost the song’s success.
Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
