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Rolling Stones unreleased: What Gives You the Right
Some Rolling Stones songs don’t disappear—they linger in the background, waiting to be rediscovered. What Gives You the Rightbelongs to that shadowy corner of the band’s late-’70s world, where tension, momentum, and creativity collided behind studio doors. Rather than a finished statement, the track feels like a snapshot of a band in motion, capturing instinct over perfection. It reflects a moment when experimentation mattered more than conclusions, and when the studio became a space to process pressure through sound. For listeners today, the song offers something rare: a chance to hear The Rolling Stones thinking out loud, shaping ideas in real time as their music continued to evolve.
Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA, Aug-Sept. 1978 Guest musicians: Ian McLagan (piano)
From Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012: At the end of the tour the band stayed together to complete some Paris session material (Summer Romance was worked upon) in the RCA studios and also to record a few new numbers. It was as though Keith Richards wanted to concentrate on music rather than the impending Canadian trial. There are two outtakes. The first one has an upfront piano and guitar with clear vocals, while the other outtake is more keyboard based and has softer vocals. It’s a passable ballad.
By the time The Rolling Stones wrapped up their 1978 U.S. tour, they chose not to scatter, but to regroup. Instead of heading their separate ways, the band settled into RCA Studios in Hollywood to revisit unfinished material from the Paris sessions. What began as a practical decision—tying up loose ends—quickly turned into something more focused and deliberate. Fresh ideas were recorded alongside older fragments, giving the sessions a sense of momentum rather than closure. For Keith Richards in particular, the studio became a kind of refuge, a place to disappear into work as the shadow of his upcoming Canadian trial loomed large. Music, as it so often had, became both distraction and anchor, allowing the band to stay productive during a moment charged with uncertainty and pressure.
Two takes, one restless band
Out of these Hollywood sessions came two distinct outtakes of What Gives You the Right, each revealing a different facet of the band’s mindset. The first version hits with immediacy: punchy piano chords and sharp guitar lines drive the track forward, while the vocals sit high in the mix, giving the performance a raw, urgent feel. It sounds like a band still running on tour adrenaline, channeling tension into attack and rhythm. The second take shifts the mood entirely. Built around a more prominent keyboard foundation, it eases back on aggression in favor of atmosphere, with smoother, more restrained vocals that suggest reflection rather than confrontation.
Neither version ultimately found a place on a finished album, yet their value lies precisely in what they reveal. These recordings capture The Rolling Stones in motion—experimenting, adjusting, and refusing to stand still despite exhaustion, legal pressure, and the aftershocks of a long tour. The contrast between the two takes highlights how quickly the band could pivot emotionally and musically, even within the same song. In the middle of chaos, uncertainty, and transition, What Gives You the Right stands as a reminder that for the Stones, creativity was not something saved for calm moments. It was the constant, the thing they returned to when everything else felt unstable.
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