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Rolling Stones unreleased:No Expectations (early take)
More about No Expectations (early take) by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
Nostalgia and Loss In A Rolling Stones Classic
Originally titled Slide Doodles, No Expectations is a bluesy, intimate ballad soaked in nostalgia, making it one of the most emotionally reflective songs in the Jagger–Richards catalog. It feels like a deliberate return to the Rolling Stones’ earliest roots, channeling that raw, unfiltered blues spirit that shaped their beginnings. The narrator sounds stranded in quiet despair, having lost both love and money, with the lyrics echoing a heavy sense of longing and emptiness. The track also carries an added layer of poignancy as one of Brian Jones’ final significant contributions, his slide guitar giving the song its haunting soul. Early versions and alternate takes of No Expectations appear across various bootlegs, including Beggars Banquet Sessions, Acoustic Motherfuckers, and several other collectors’ favorites, offering fascinating glimpses into its stripped-down evolution.
A Soulful Farewell to the Past
The imagery of the train and the plane in the song doesn’t represent a fresh start or new journey, but rather a symbolic break from the past. They’re about letting go of what’s been lost, an acknowledgment that the world and the people around us are constantly changing. On the final version Mick’s delivery of the line “Our love is like our music/ It’s here and then it’s gone“ is hauntingly soulful, with his voice perfectly capturing the emotion behind the words.
A Prophetic Shadow Over The Stones
These lyrics take on a much darker meaning when considering the events that followed. Just a few months after the song was released, Brian Jones, the band’s founding member, tragically passed away. The words about love being fleeting, much like their music, seemed eerily prophetic in that context. The song became a reflection of the band’s own loss and the passing of a significant chapter in their history.
No Expectations feels like a bittersweet moment in the Stones’ career—beautiful, melancholic, and full of memories. It’s one of those tracks that not only captures a specific time in the band’s journey but also carries a deep sense of emotional weight, especially in light of what happened just months later.
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