Jumpin' Jack Flash: Difference between revisions
rm nonconstructive addition - see Talk:Jumpin'_Jack_Flash#to_the_IP_adding_original_research_... |
|||
| Line 38: | Line 38: | ||
In March 2005, [[Q magazine|''Q'' magazine]] placed "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at number 2 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' rated the song 124th on its list of the ''[[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]''. VH1 placed it at 65 on its show ''100 Greatest Rock Songs''.<ref name="vh1">{{cite web |title=100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll (80-61) |publisher=VH1 |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/62158/episode_about.jhtml |accessdate=2008-03-09 }}</ref> |
In March 2005, [[Q magazine|''Q'' magazine]] placed "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at number 2 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' rated the song 124th on its list of the ''[[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]''. VH1 placed it at 65 on its show ''100 Greatest Rock Songs''.<ref name="vh1">{{cite web |title=100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll (80-61) |publisher=VH1 |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/62158/episode_about.jhtml |accessdate=2008-03-09 }}</ref> |
||
==The song== |
|||
The song's chorus is as follows: |
|||
"Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas {{br}} |
|||
Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas {{br}} |
|||
Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas {{br}} |
|||
Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas" |
|||
The song's chorus uses [[rhyme]] and rhymes the sound of the letter "a" in the word "flash" with the same [[phonetic]] sound in the word "gas" that follows, in repetition. |
|||
==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
||
Revision as of 05:57, 15 December 2009
| "Jumpin' Jack Flash" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Child of the Moon" |
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone,[1] the song is seen as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding albums Between the Buttons and Their Satanic Majesties Request.[2] One of the group's most popular and recognizable songs, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" has been featured in many films and on the Rolling Stones compilation albums Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), Hot Rocks, Singles Collection and Forty Licks .
Inspiration and recording
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, recording on "Jumpin' Jack Flash" began during the Beggars Banquet sessions of 1968 (although it was not released on that album). Regarding the song's distinctive sound, guitarist Richards has said:
I used a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic tuned to open D, six string. Open D or open E, which is the same thing - same intervals - but it would be slackened down some for D. Then there was a capo on it, to get that really tight sound. And there was another guitar over the top of that, but tuned to Nashville tuning. I learned that from somebody in George Jones' band in San Antonio in 1964. The high-strung guitar was an acoustic, too. Both acoustics were put through a Philips cassette recorder. Just jam the mic right in the guitar and play it back through an extension speaker.[3]
Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack - that's jumpin' Jack."[4] The rest of the lyrics evolved from there.[3][5]
Jagger said in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone that the song arose "...out of all the acid of Satanic Majesties... It's about having a hard time and getting out. Just a metaphor for getting out of all the acid things."[6] In his autobiography, Stone Alone, Bill Wyman has claimed that he came up with the song's distinctive main guitar riff on an organ without being credited for it.[3]
On the studio version of the number, Richards played the bass and floor tom as well as acoustic and electric guitar. Jagger provided the lead vocals and maracas, Brian Jones played electric guitar (though some sources list his contribution as acoustic guitar or tambura), Charlie Watts was on drums and Bill Wyman was on organ. Either Nicky Hopkins or Ian Stewart contributed piano, and producer Jimmy Miller joined in on the backing vocals.
Release and aftermath
Released on 24 May 1968, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (backed with "Child of the Moon") reached the top of the UK charts and peaked at number three in the United States. Some early London Records USA pressings of the single had a technical flaw in them: about halfway through the song's instrumental bridge, the speed of the master tape slows down for a moment, then comes back to speed. The first Rolling Stones album on which the song appeared was their 1969 compilation album, Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), one year after the single was released.
The Rolling Stones have played "Jumpin' Jack Flash" during every tour since its release; it ranks as the number the band has played in concert most frequently,[7][8] and has appeared on the concert albums Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, Love You Live, Flashpoint, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (featuring the only released live performance of the song with Brian Jones, though he is inaudible in the released mix), and Shine a Light. The intro is not usually played in concert; instead the song begins with the main riff. The open E or open D tuning of the rhythm guitar on the studio recording has also not been replicated in concert (with the possible exception of the 1968 NME awards show, no recording of which has ever surfaced). In the performance filmed for The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus in December 1968, Richards used standard tuning; and ever since the band's appearance at Hyde Park on 5 July 1969, he has played it in open G tuning with a capo on the fourth fret.
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at number 2 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004, Rolling Stone rated the song 124th on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. VH1 placed it at 65 on its show 100 Greatest Rock Songs.[9]
The song
The song's chorus is as follows:
"Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas
Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas
Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas
Jumpin' Jack flash, it's a gas"
The song's chorus uses rhyme and rhymes the sound of the letter "a" in the word "flash" with the same phonetic sound in the word "gas" that follows, in repetition.
Legacy
Use in film
In 1986, the song's title was used for the Whoopi Goldberg film Jumpin' Jack Flash. In addition to the Rolling Stones' version of the song, the film features Aretha Franklin's cover version, which was produced by Keith Richards. Ronnie Wood and Richards play guitar on the recording.
The song was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film Mean Streets (1973), in Ron Howard's Night Shift and at the end of Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In 2009, the song was included (anachronistically) in the film The Boat That Rocked.
Cover versions
A number of other artists have also performed and recorded versions of the song.
- Leon Russell performed a cover at The Concert for Bangladesh.
- Tina Turner included her version of the song in her 2008-2009 Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour setlist, alongside another Rolling Stones song, "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)". She had previously performed this medley during her 1982 tour.
- Peter Frampton released a version of the song on his first studio album, Wind of Change, and also on his 1976 live album, Frampton Comes Alive!
- Johnny Winter covered the number on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1974; the performance circulates as a bootleg recording.
- Motörhead covered the song during the recording sessions for the We Are Motörhead album; this rendition appeared on the 2001 re-release of their earlier album Bastards.
- Guns N' Roses made demo recordings of the song in 1987; these demo versions appear on the Welcome to the Sessions bootleg album.
- A cover of the song was featured as the final level in the Nintendo DS video game Elite Beat Agents.
Notes and references
- ^ "Jumpin' Jack Flash". Rolling Stone. 4 December 2007 (accessed 22 June 2007).
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. ""Jumpin' Jack Flash"". allmusic. allmusic. Retrieved 2006-06-16.
- ^ a b c McPherson, Ian. "Track Talk: Jumpin' Jack Flash". Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- ^ A jumping jack is an old-fashioned toy - see Jumping jack (toy).
- ^ The Rolling Stones (2003). Four Flicks (DVD). Warner Music Vision.
- ^ Wenner, Jann S. (1995-12-14). Cover Story: Jagger Remembers: Mick's most comprehensive interview ever. Rolling Stone, 14 December 1995. Retrieved on 2007-06-22 from http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/mick_jagger_remembers/page/2/.
- ^ Galbraith, Gary. "The Rocks Off Rolling Stones Setlists Page". Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ Zentgraf, Nico. "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962-2008". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll (80-61)". VH1. Retrieved 2008-03-09.