It has been my observation and experience that the energy of a woman when she is happy is equal to her energy when she is angry. In other words, you may not feel he is so lucky when he pisses her off! Just a theory.
This was a total party song, back in the day! Surest way to fill up the dance floor. Nobody really thought about what it meant, or cared, it was just great to dance to!
The last band I sang and played sax in, and the one I was in the longest, in the late 60s and 70s had this tune as our opening tune. We were a dance band, mostly playing covers, with some original stuff, some with our own arrangements, but we opened with "Brown Sugar" with the same tempo and energy as the Stone's version. We wanted people out on the dance floor and drinking, since we got a percentage of the booze sales. I always loved singing this song and playing the sax solo. It and "Gimme Shelter", which we also covered, are my two favorite Stones tunes.
@@kingspeechless1607 The period from Beggar's Banquet to Exile on Main Street were the golden years for the Stones when they were at the top of their game.
You mean like women on the cotton plantations Lynn? I get it, but as you say it was just a great sound when it came out. The association didn't really register... although it makes it even more interesting now I guess.
Look at Brad with the big brain....lol Stockholm syndrome is correct. I've heard this song hundreds of time and never knew what it was about. Now I'm educated. 👍
I have a good friend from high school that still plays that tenor sax. Leon Bridges and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Its a classic sound that never gets old.
This was recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, thus the funky beat. Check out others recorded at Muscle Shoals - Percy Sledge (When a Man Loves a Woman), Clarence Carter (Look Away); Aretha Franklin (I Never Loved a Man Like I love you); Boz Scaggs w Duane Allman (Someone Lend me a Dime); Wilson Picket (Mustang Sally); Etta James (I'd Rather Go Blind) and hundreds of others. Muscle Shoals studio musicians had their own unique sound.
See Duke's comment below, he's right. The song was always said to have been inspired by either Claudia Lennear, one of the hottest, best backup singers in the business, or the lady who mothered his first child. No, it's not a love story, it's a riff on interracial relationships. And yeah, the sound was kind of a "homage" to older rock and roll style, where there was usually a strong tenor saxophone solo. Great pick guys, enjoyed this one. 🌲⛄🎅🌲
"interracial relationships"? read the lyrics. it's about a slave ship coming from the gold coast to new orleans. and about the slaver whipping the women "just around midnight". hardly "a relationship".
breathe and squeeze well no, because the proceeding verses have their own content and references. A song can have multiple meanings and references - it doesn’t have to be monochromatic and this isn’t. The song isn’t “about slavery”. The first verse tells the story of a black woman being abused by her slave owner. The proceeding verses describe more consensual interracial encounters. In that sense, the song is more about interracial relationships than it is about slavery.
I think Brad is so cool! Unlike most reactions channels, Brad gets right into it by saying,"Let's get right into it". Most other channels talk for a minute or two while you leave the talking to mid stream or the end. Keep up the good work! 👍
The stones are great for writing really provocative and honest lyrics that then navigate away from just enough clarity for anyone to really define enough to attack. That to me, is real art art. At a time when it was a lot less ok to be in an interracial relationship, at the end of the day, this song helped make it be more ok. And to me, I feel that's a good thing. Rock songwriters today use the same method of provoke and maneuver. But once you figure the lyrics out to a Stone's song, your faith in humanity is more likely to be restored, whereas contemporary artists are more likely to make you lose faith in humanity.
Well, in the deep south at this time (1970), the old school white (previous Dixiecrats turned republicans) like Strom Thurman still had "shadow" families. This tradition goes back to antebellum times and was perfectly in line with racism and slavery. The idea of the hyper-sexualized Black Woman is an old but enduring racist trope. "House Boy" in the lyrics means this song might well be taking place in the antebellum times. I love the Stones, especially in this period (with Mick Taylor), but the "inter-racial" progressive stance you claim just doesn't play out at all in this song.
@@peterjonas4971 Yeah I think Jagger had some interesting things to say about this song. He was going out with a black girl at the time and he admitted the lyrics were a bit crazy. And certainly provocative.
Brown Sugar was written about Jagger's girlfriends Claudia Lennear and Marsha Hunt. Both women claim that the song was written about them specifically.
"Brown Sugar" was about getting "Some Sweet Loving" from your Afro-American Sweetheart. Young Black Men first coined the Phrase back in the Early 1960's. Another GREAT Rolling Stones "Funk" Song is "Honky Tonk Woman". This British Band loved to sing about the Women in New Orlean's... Apparently, they had a GREAT TIME there!
This, for me, was the ultimate Beach song (along with The Beach Boys) when the song first came out. It’s a memory that comes back to me crystal clear, when I was a kid back East (Ocean City & Bethany Beach): girls in Bikinis, throwing frisbees on the beach, people enjoying life, and there’s The Stones providing the soundtrack!! Great song!
I looked this up after watching your reaction and according to an article from CNN Entertainment, Mick Jager said of critics "Didn't they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery?" It was released in 1971. He said he would probably censor himself from writing it as of 1995. Keith Richards said he hopes society will be more accepting of some version of the song in the future.
This song along with Wild Horses were both recorded in a studio on 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, Alabama.(Studio used to be an old used appliance storage building. And i delivered alot of used appliances into that place lol) Cher's first album in her career was recorded in the same studio. And the album was named after the studio. The Rolling Stones are not the only artist to ever record here in northwest Alabama. And 3614 Jackson Highway isnt the only studio to ever record hit songs. The other studio being FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) owner Rick Hall was the man who made this area famous for making hit music. Hometown native Arthur Alexander recorded a song called " You better move on" That song was the song that the Rolling Stones did a cover of for the European fans in the 60's and got their attention about the amazing blues, soul, southern gospel type sound. And they wanted to record a couple of songs here. Percy Sledge another native of the area, had a song called "When a man loves a woman" during that time. Then the producers and artist came flooding in. Jerry Wexler, Clarence Carter, Jimmy Cliff, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Duane Allman, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Michael McDonald, Alisha Keys, Kid Rock, Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt, Alan Jackson, and more. Those are just a few that recorded at FAME. Here is a list of the ones that recorded at 3614 Jackson Highway. Cher, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Black Keys, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Dire Straights, Rod Stewart, Paul Simon, The Staple Singers, Bozz Skaggs, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, the list goes on. And now I'm going to make this story connect with my favorite band MetallicA. Walt Aldridge, and Gary Baker (Wrote the song "I swear") live here in the Shoals. WC Handy the father of the blues was born here in Florence. The founder of Sun Studios in Memphis Tennessee (Sam Phillips the father of Rock n Roll) and signed artist such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. Was born in Florence and is buried here. The man who helped write songs for Carrie Underwood (Before he cheats and others) Florida Georgia line, and a couple of rock bands. Chris Tompkins is someone I grew up with because his aunt lived right behind my house and I was a close friend with his cousin. Which now leads me to Gary Nichols, and Jason Isbell. I went to school with Gary Nichols. He was doing really well in country music. Had a video called "On broken ground" but he fell off somewhat. But still a really good guitar player. Jason Isbell and Tompkins went to the same high school (Rogers HS) Jason Isbell has a band called Jason Isbell and the 400 unit. And they recorded a cover of Sad But True for the Blacklist for MetallicA. BOOM! lol. If you guy love music, especially r&b, classic rock, southern rock, country, you name it. Come visit the Shoals in northwest Alabama. Or at least watch the Documentary movie "Muscle Shoals " special guest Bono from U2, Alisha Keys, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and others. Also my uncle was a musician that recorded at Sun studio in Memphis, Tn with his band Lou Roberts and the Marks. You can find several of their songs on UA-cam from those recordings. I know you guys have a love for music. As I myself also. Music runs through my veins, just like it does through the Tennessee river in which the area gets its musical and name identity from. The river that sings, the Muscle Shoals sound! 😉 I apologize guys! I really love the music history of my home, my family, and friends. Please check out some of the musicians and newer videos from Muscle Shoals and FAME. ROLL TIDE!
Direct quote from mick in the liner notes of a later compilation of hits "The lyric was all to do with the dual combination of drugs and girls. This song was a very instant thing, a definite high point".
Aye, heroin is known as brown sugar or golden brown here in the UK. The Stranglers have a song called Golden Brown and was about to be #1 here until one of the band members let the cat out of the bag. It's a great song as well.
Tina Turner performed this live with the Rolling Stones. At the time she said it was a well written account of a dark time in history, that no matter how uncomfortable, cant be ignored. And they told the story so well accompanied with a great rock n roll tune.
You are all wrong the greatest rock and roll song of all time? It's Only Rock and Roll is the song that sums rick and roll! Listen to the lyrics. But Dead Flowers is awesome. But New Riders of the Purple Sage does a better cover. And make no mistake I am a Stone fan. 3 concerts. The 82 year shows the best!
Brad and Lex - you both rock. I’ve watched many of your reviews and appreciate you know your s..t musically and the dynamic between you just simply works - huge love from London xx
The back story to this song that I heard was that the Stones had some black girls who were backup singers while on tour and they started hooking up with them. It was so great they wrote a song about it.
The Stones should count for two of the greatest bands ever. Their 60s and 70s catalogues are each worthy of being included in the greatest bands ever discussion. Maybe the Beatles are #1, but the Stones are #2 and #3!
@@brushstroke3733 do you know why people believe the beatles are the best band in the world? because they haven't got the brains to look elsewhere. the beatles were marketed as nothing else but a glorified boy band. they were molded by Epstein. He changed their look and made them popular. Their music is okay, but nothing great. They stole heaps of riffs and songs and claimed them as their own.
Rolling Stones! Yes, yall are correct on what the songs about lol. If I recall Mick Jagger used to date a pretty black lady back in the days, I forget her name, but she was one of the back up singers for Tina Turner.
Yes, it’s called Stockholm Syndrome when someone becomes attached to their captor in an emotional way! I love this song! The Rolling Stones are the prototype for what a real Rock band should be! This song was released in 1971! Mick Jagger is the best, he just loves all types of women! Music can tell many stories and I don’t find anything weird with this story! It’s about a realistic situation that probably happened a lot in the time of servitude!❤️❤️
It’s funny how much of the songs that I heard my parents play as a kid lyrically went over my head and made sense when grown but as a kid had no idea what tf I was singing
As a huge Stones fan, I had always hoped that Mic Jagger meant no ill will with the lyrics of this song... Thank you Brad because I never thought of the possible drug reference, which it could be about heroin. Which stones fans know that most of them have tried a time or 2...
"Stockholm Syndrome" is indeed the psychological effect you were referencing, named for an incident in 1973 where a bank robber took a bunch of bank clerks as hostages. If you liked this but are interested in trying something a bit different from the same band, try The Rolling Stones: "Angie."
Ethan Hawke starred in Stockholm, a strangely enjoyable film about that incident. They took some liberties, but the syndrome part is true. It reminded me of Dog Day Afternoon.
WOW. I've LISTENED to this song so many times... and loved it. This is perhaps the first time I've ever HEARD it... and it shocked me. I feel as if I learn something every day with you guys.
“Brown Sugar” is said to have been inspired by at least one of two Black women Jagger was romantically associated with at the time, one of whom is actually the mother of his first child.
@ndjfksnwvehsbdjckvkkfss right....he was calling out the establishment(those that chastised his choice of women) for being hypocritical. those that were against his choice of women were the descendants of that scarred ol slaver....
The Rolling Stones have a lot of historical types of songs, like Sympathy for the Devil. Many songs about sex, like Stray Cat Blues, Sister Morphine, they've explicitly explored the dark side of humanity with a wink and a leer. Also with amazing musicianship, Bobby Keys on saxophone, founding band member of the Stones, Ian Stewart (deemed too ugly to be on stage with the band, which is saying something) like this song is saying something about slavery, rape, and for that matter Gimmie Shelter touches on the same theme with that lyric sung by a pregnant black woman a lot of sex, drugs and it's only rock and roll.
This song has 2 meanings to the overall scheme of things. On one hand you have the slavery on the other hand you have the brown sugar which usually refers to ( Mexican brown or Mexican shoe scrapings which is a meaning for Heroin } which Keith used to inject and Mick use to smoke.
Yep. It's a really clever song, on one hand it is the story of slaves from Africa who were sold in New Orleans and raped by their white masters and all the slavery and whipping is a double meaning for the perils of being "mastered" by Brown Heroin, or "Brown Sugar." The drug cooks brown in a spoon.
That was my take also. Both ends burning,,sex and or rape of a young black woman under the nose of the lady of the house by the masta of the estate mixed in with the drug connection with Brown Sugar Heroin..double entendre here
@@stuartmaclean5572 Yep. And it was the fist song on the Sticky Fingers LP. I think it's possible to get stricky fingers, if you cook your heroin in a spoon...
Mick Jagger wrote "Brown Sugar" about Marsha Hunt, an actress who became the first black model to ever appear on the cover of Britain’s high-fashion magazine, Queen. Mick and Marsha had one child, a daughter named Karis.
This is a great song and great to listen to driving the open road. Saw the Stones in concert at MSG July of 1972, it was Mick Jagger’s 29th birthday and this was the song they opened with. Ticket price was $10.
In the 60s when the British rock stars headed to the US they met all these glamorous talented black ladies who they employed as back-up singers. Being British (and more counter culture types) they didn't have the same bias against mixed race relationships like their American counterparts did (Elvis had several black girlfriends that his minders kept hidden).
I’ve been happily married in an interracial marriage for 17 years and I can say the past few years as a country we have Gone backwards as far as accepting of those relationships the flack we’ve both received from so called “activists” or “social justice warriors” has been very sickening , we look back 10-15 years ago we didn’t have hardly any issues now it’s like we both have to be on the defensive.
@@brandon42054 That is awful to read! My first serious relationship was with a First Nations Australian girl and we never had any issues. What sort of problems have you had?
@@deanmaynard8256 mostly it’s just been some really racial comments , my wife (who is black) gets accused of white privilege cause she’s married to a white man ( in reality I’m registered Native American) but that shows how shallow and ignorant these ppl can be I worked with a guy who it really bothered and I got asked a lot of really uncomfortable questions weekly stuff like that
Ya gotta keep in mind, these guys grew up in the bombed out rubble of WWII. Everything American, and especially African American, was a new exotic treat to them. Bootlegged blues records were the impetus for the "British Invasion".
When this album was first released, the cover featured a man wearing tight blue jeans with an actual working zipper. The zipper didn’t reveal any anything. I was working at a record store and it was fun watching giggling girls unzip the zipper. Memories…..
The lyric is about slaves from Africa who were sold in New Orleans and raped by their white masters. The subject matter is quite serious, but the way the song is structured, it comes off as a fun rocker about a white guy having sex with a black girl. >> Mick Jagger wrote the lyric. According to Bill Wyman, it was partially inspired by a black backup singer named Claudia Lennear, who was one of Ike Turner's Ikettes. She and Jagger met when The Stones toured with Turner in 1969. David Bowie also wrote his Aladdin Sane track "Lady Grinning Soul" about Lennear.
This is the time in the history of The Stones when The Beatles had already broken up and if there was any debate over who was the greatest rock band, it was now no competition anymore....during the next few years, The Stones crafted their hard-driving sound and went into a league of their own!
Lol, and over 50 years later the Beatles still have many more good songs than the Stones and are still regarded as the greatest band of all time. Nice try tho
@@alrivers2297 nah you are wrong Stones all day every day. Stones wrote better songs. Beatles were marketed better and to a different audience. They were marketed to an audience that listens to mainstream radio, one that a lot of people paid a lot of money to radio stations to play their music on the radio. The Beatles is a prime example. Beatles have nothing on the Stones. Nice try tho.
@@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 lol, they were both marketed to mainstream audiences. Until the Beatles went psychedelic and then every band tried copying them including the Stones. When the Beatles came out with their Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album the Stones then did a poor imitation called Their Satanic Majesties Request. The Beatles were always the leaders and trend setters and every other band followed their lead. FACTS! When people make lists for the greatest bands of all time the top 3 are usually The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The Stones are usually somewhere lower on their lists. Their popularity has waned over the years while other bands popularity has increased. Sorry to break it to you
"What is that?" she said. OMG. Neither one of them could identify the sound of a saxophone! I'm not sure how I feel about that....Is the saxophone getting no love in the music world these days?
Yeeeeaah, a song from 1971 written by two British guys, who grew up listening to American Blues, and whose bands earlier albums include many a cover song of the Black American blues artists. Safe to say it’s meant to be pretty straightforward, especially since they have songs like, “Sister Morphine,” and there really isn’t much metaphor used there, (despite the title.)
Claudia lennear was a back up singer for ike and tina Turner and was the inspiration for the david bowie song called lady grinning soul and was the inspiration for brown sugar and has come out publicly and she says she wishes the rolling stones had not removed it from this 2021 tour for the first time in 50 years because some people found the song offensive
The opening chords to this song are maybe the best thing that Keith Richards ever came up with. When the second guitar sweeps in, I looose it! I have to howl! The lyrics, of course, are very controversial. The Stones don't play it anymore for fear of offending anyone. They're clever, all the same. It's a great, great tune forever!
Besides the obvious meanings you discovered the slavery and whipping mentions also refer to the dangers of being mastered by brown heroin aka brown sugar. Lex once again hit the nail on the head. Lex you are quite adept at seeing songs different meanings
Back in October, the Rolling Stones released a statement saying they would no longer sing this song in concert, due to the perception by some that it glorifies slavery. I can see how the argument could be made that "Brown Sugar" has no say in the relationship...that she is a piece of property for her "owner" to use/abuse...but I've always gotten more of a "Jungle Fever" vibe from the song. It comes from an era when interracial relationships were taboo yet the White Englishman singer is obsessed with this young Black woman.
"I’m trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is. Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? " -Mick Jagger
Classic Stones toe tappin', hip shakin' rock 'n' roll. That's right in the Stones sweet spot during their absolute peak (1968-1973). Anything from the Stones during that era is pure gold.
I was shocked at the lyrics. I always loved the sound and energy of the song but I had no idea. Looked it up and Jagger was in a relationship with a black backup singer when he wrote this song so you can figure out the rest.
I never new the lyrics either while loving this song...still this explanation doesnt explain the slave talk in the first few lines. I dont get why he would be clearly singing about a slave girl being whipped and taken advantage of when talking about the mother of his child.
@@mike-mz6yz What I've since read Jagger is now embarrassed and regrets the lyrics. He wrote it in 45 minutes and back in an era where it was common to throw in a mishmash of words and ideas that didn't have to make sense. Which really isn't an excuse. Since it's musically such a great song and its hard to decipher the lyrics it has gotten a free pass. The lyrics have not aged well but there seems no easy way to undo what has become a classic.
Horrific? In some ways. It was inspired by his relationship with a black woman (which was illegal back then) who ended up being the mother of his first child. The midnight reference is about how they had to hide the relationship due to the laws of the time. It had nothing to do with any fetishes at all. Just about the ridiculous nature of the law that forced them to hide their relationship
@@TonyM1961 Nonsense. "old Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields Sold in the market down in New Orleans Skydog slaver know he's doin' all right Hear him whip the women, just around midnight" is not about Mick having a relationship with a black woman (which was not illegal in Britain, where the Stones are from). It's about women being abducted, trafficked and raped.
@@kirstenhey9728 There are 2 parts to this song. One is about his relationship with Marsha Hunt (keeping in mind that she is the AMERICAN actress/model/singer and not the British actress of the same name) and that the song was written in 1967, the same year that interracial marriage was finally legalized in the US despite not being released until 1969. The other part is a take down on the people who made love illegal yet committed such horrible crimes against their fellow human beings. It's not either/or, but a serious critique of America as it was then and of the history that led up to it. Try expanding both your mind and your reading list. It will help
The track was originally titled “Black Pussy”. The lyrics make reference to slavery, sexual violence and heroin, with the opening verse depicting a slave driver whipping black women. The song is believed to be inspired by one of the band member’s former girlfriends. It took Sir Mick just 45 minutes to write.
Brown Sugar is actually a song about slavery and a slave being bought in New Orleans and raped by her white master, it's meant to shed light on the past, at the time of writing the song, Mick was dating a black back up singer for Tina Turner
Mick Jagger wrote the lyric. According to Bill Wyman, it was partially inspired by a black backup singer named Claudia Lennear, who was one of Ike Turner's Ikettes. She and Jagger met when The Stones toured with Turner in 1969. David Bowie also wrote his Aladdin Sane track "Lady Grinning Soul" about Lennear. American-born singer Marsha Hunt is also sometimes cited as the inspiration for the song. She and Jagger met when she was a member of the cast in the London production of the musical Hair, and their relationship, a closely guarded secret until 1972, resulted in a daughter named Karis.
Yeah, Mick's caught some heat for the lyrics, especially as we've moved into much more PC times, but when asked what he was thinking, he's always said he just wrote the lyrics out by the pool in Tampa, Fla. where the band was staying on tour then. And Lex, the solo you heard was a saxophone. It sounds AMAZING live!! Saw them in Houston in 2019 & when they played this...SO GOOD! 🎷
Happy Wife Happy Life - Lex is an incredible woman but for her to be so happy her domestic life has to be doing really great and I think that Brad has to be a large part of why she is so happy, so good on you both! Stay happy and Stay awesome! Mr. Brownstone is about Heroin and Master of Puppets is Cocain(I think)
Mick was just out to shock with this one. This was the opening track on the Sticky Fingers album. This was the period of the infamous Altamont concert and Performance in the cinema so the Stones were hotter than hell at the time.
Hey Brad and Lex the song is a red herring. When Jagger/Richards wrote the song Mick was dating a Black singer who gave birth to his first child, a daughter. But also The Stones worship Black Blues musicians from America and their whole scene, from Robert Johnson on up, and in that way the song is metaphor for Black music and "how it tastes so good," -- it's so good to The Stones dedicated their lives to imitating Black American musicians.
Been hearing this song since I was a kid, and only recently, when some issues with the lyrics came up, did I even learn what most of the lyrics were. When I was a kid, I didn't understand the Brown Sugar reference, natch, and I never even heard or understood the opening slavery stuff. Seems like the song is basically historical fiction to start, then moving on to a straight up inter-ethnicity (I dislike "interracial," as I believe we're all one race; the Human Race) sex song.
LEX IS PROLLY ONE OF THE HAPPIEST WOMEN IVE EVER SEEN ... YOU GOT LUCKY BRAD!
She's adorable, isn't she? Her demeanor will put you in a good mood, no matter how hard you might try to fight it!
It has been my observation and experience that the energy of a woman when she is happy is equal to her energy when she is angry.
In other words, you may not feel he is so lucky when he pisses her off! Just a theory.
Brad is probably the reason she is happy!!! Y’all do you!!!
cute
And now that they are on UA-cam, we are all lucky :)
This was a total party song, back in the day! Surest way to fill up the dance floor. Nobody really thought about what it meant, or cared, it was just great to dance to!
YES!
The last band I sang and played sax in, and the one I was in the longest, in the late 60s and 70s had this tune as our opening tune. We were a dance band, mostly playing covers, with some original stuff, some with our own arrangements, but we opened with "Brown Sugar" with the same tempo and energy as the Stone's version. We wanted people out on the dance floor and drinking, since we got a percentage of the booze sales.
I always loved singing this song and playing the sax solo. It and "Gimme Shelter", which we also covered, are my two favorite Stones tunes.
Spot on! Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women; they never failed
@@kingspeechless1607 The period from
Beggar's Banquet to Exile on Main Street were the golden years for the Stones when they were at the top of their game.
You mean like women on the cotton plantations Lynn? I get it, but as you say it was just a great sound when it came out. The association didn't really register... although it makes it even more interesting now I guess.
Lex, that is a tenor saxophone. Classic sound in blues, jazz and early rock-n-roll. Still used today.
Look at Brad with the big brain....lol Stockholm syndrome is correct. I've heard this song hundreds of time and never knew what it was about. Now I'm educated. 👍
...played by the late Bobby Keys.
i used to play tenor sax.....people used to offer me a tenner to STOP !
I have a good friend from high school that still plays that tenor sax. Leon Bridges and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. Its a classic sound that never gets old.
Mr. Bobby Keyes from Galveson, Texas on the sax!!
Beast of Burden. My dad always loved that one from the stones. He passed from covid this January. ❤ love how Lex gets her vibe on. 🎶
This was recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, thus the funky beat. Check out others recorded at Muscle Shoals - Percy Sledge (When a Man Loves a Woman), Clarence Carter (Look Away); Aretha Franklin (I Never Loved a Man Like I love you); Boz Scaggs w Duane Allman (Someone Lend me a Dime); Wilson Picket (Mustang Sally); Etta James (I'd Rather Go Blind) and hundreds of others. Muscle Shoals studio musicians had their own unique sound.
Mavis even mentioned "little davy" Hood in the Staples biggest hit!!!
Checkout the.Muscle Schoal documentary movie here on YT or on Netflix. It's really good and worth watching.
Watch the video Muscle Shoals Sounds. Some vintage clips of the Stones from 1974 i think.
A great documentary on Muscle Shoals:
ua-cam.com/video/hKmGUIM1uAI/v-deo.html
There’s a great documentary on that studio in muscle shoals
See Duke's comment below, he's right. The song was always said to have been inspired by either Claudia Lennear, one of the hottest, best backup singers in the business, or the lady who mothered his first child. No, it's not a love story, it's a riff on interracial relationships. And yeah, the sound was kind of a "homage" to older rock and roll style, where there was usually a strong tenor saxophone solo. Great pick guys, enjoyed this one. 🌲⛄🎅🌲
"interracial relationships"? read the lyrics. it's about a slave ship coming from the gold coast to new orleans. and about the slaver whipping the women "just around midnight". hardly "a relationship".
breathe and squeeze that’s what the first verse is about - slavery isn’t mentioned in the proceeding verses.
@@goldboy150 no, but one can easily assume the rest of the song is a continuation of the story they led off telling.
breathe and squeeze well no, because the proceeding verses have their own content and references. A song can have multiple meanings and references - it doesn’t have to be monochromatic and this isn’t.
The song isn’t “about slavery”. The first verse tells the story of a black woman being abused by her slave owner. The proceeding verses describe more consensual interracial encounters.
In that sense, the song is more about interracial relationships than it is about slavery.
@@zzz7zzz9
Some people will go to great extremes to deny the obvious.
Remember "Uncle" Ben Carson?:
"Poverty is a state of mind."
Lex puts more into one song than I've got energy for a whole week. Jim
I agree, but at 68 yo the beat still moves in me 😁
I think Brad is so cool! Unlike most reactions channels, Brad gets right into it by saying,"Let's get right into it". Most other channels talk for a minute or two while you leave the talking to mid stream or the end. Keep up the good work! 👍
agreed
The stones are great for writing really provocative and honest lyrics that then navigate away from just enough clarity for anyone to really define enough to attack. That to me, is real art art. At a time when it was a lot less ok to be in an interracial relationship, at the end of the day, this song helped make it be more ok. And to me, I feel that's a good thing. Rock songwriters today use the same method of provoke and maneuver. But once you figure the lyrics out to a Stone's song, your faith in humanity is more likely to be restored, whereas contemporary artists are more likely to make you lose faith in humanity.
Well, in the deep south at this time (1970), the old school white (previous Dixiecrats turned republicans) like Strom Thurman still had "shadow" families. This tradition goes back to antebellum times and was perfectly in line with racism and slavery. The idea of the hyper-sexualized Black Woman is an old but enduring racist trope. "House Boy" in the lyrics means this song might well be taking place in the antebellum times. I love the Stones, especially in this period (with Mick Taylor), but the "inter-racial" progressive stance you claim just doesn't play out at all in this song.
Well said,,.
I don't he is saying anything particularly profound, he's just telling a story about how things were, once@@peterjonas4971
@@peterjonas4971 Yeah I think Jagger had some interesting things to say about this song. He was going out with a black girl at the time and he admitted the lyrics were a bit crazy. And certainly provocative.
This song points out that men and women regardless of race really like each other !
Brown Sugar was written about Jagger's girlfriends Claudia Lennear and Marsha Hunt. Both women claim that the song was written about them specifically.
one of the Ikettes
When you know the song and you just wait till it dawns on them lol.
And brown sugar "I don't think it's a love story" is quote of the century for me.
From Custard Pie to Brown Sugar, and we still ain't talking about food!!
These guys are so good. Got to be in the top 2 greatest bands of all time. 8 number 1 hits, 10 number 1 albums, and 28 top 10 singles.
THE GREATEST ROCK N ROLL BAND OF ALL TIME
When Lex was asking what that sound was, it was a tenor saxophone rocking out hard :)
The sax was Bobby Keyes, their long time associate. Legend has it he was kicked out of the Stones for a while for partying too hard, wow 😯
"Brown Sugar" was about getting "Some Sweet Loving" from your Afro-American Sweetheart. Young Black Men first coined the Phrase back in the Early 1960's.
Another GREAT Rolling Stones "Funk" Song is "Honky Tonk Woman".
This British Band loved to sing about the Women in New Orlean's... Apparently, they had a GREAT TIME there!
Yep
"SWAY" by the Stones is a great song with the great "Mick Taylor" as the lead guitarist.
Lex is definitely my brown sugar!
There’s always layers to their songs! Both of you are correct! Nice job!
Lex, you were born out of time. You have the spirit of a 70's teen.
This, for me, was the ultimate Beach song (along with The Beach Boys) when the song first came out. It’s a memory that comes back to me crystal clear, when I was a kid back East (Ocean City & Bethany Beach): girls in Bikinis, throwing frisbees on the beach, people enjoying life, and there’s The Stones providing the soundtrack!! Great song!
It's about slave girls.
You are cracked.
Ocean City New Jersey or Ocean City Maryland?
@@quincee3376 Maryland
@@michaelbriefs9764 ah cool. Never been to that one but i did graduate from High School in the state of Maryland back in the day.
I looked this up after watching your reaction and according to an article from CNN Entertainment, Mick Jager said of critics "Didn't they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery?" It was released in 1971. He said he would probably censor himself from writing it as of 1995.
Keith Richards said he hopes society will be more accepting of some version of the song in the future.
This song along with Wild Horses were both recorded in a studio on 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, Alabama.(Studio used to be an old used appliance storage building. And i delivered alot of used appliances into that place lol) Cher's first album in her career was recorded in the same studio. And the album was named after the studio. The Rolling Stones are not the only artist to ever record here in northwest Alabama. And 3614 Jackson Highway isnt the only studio to ever record hit songs. The other studio being FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) owner Rick Hall was the man who made this area famous for making hit music. Hometown native Arthur Alexander recorded a song called " You better move on" That song was the song that the Rolling Stones did a cover of for the European fans in the 60's and got their attention about the amazing blues, soul, southern gospel type sound. And they wanted to record a couple of songs here. Percy Sledge another native of the area, had a song called "When a man loves a woman" during that time. Then the producers and artist came flooding in. Jerry Wexler, Clarence Carter, Jimmy Cliff, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Duane Allman, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Michael McDonald, Alisha Keys, Kid Rock, Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt, Alan Jackson, and more. Those are just a few that recorded at FAME. Here is a list of the ones that recorded at 3614 Jackson Highway. Cher, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Black Keys, The Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Dire Straights, Rod Stewart, Paul Simon, The Staple Singers, Bozz Skaggs, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, the list goes on. And now I'm going to make this story connect with my favorite band MetallicA. Walt Aldridge, and Gary Baker (Wrote the song "I swear") live here in the Shoals. WC Handy the father of the blues was born here in Florence. The founder of Sun Studios in Memphis Tennessee (Sam Phillips the father of Rock n Roll) and signed artist such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. Was born in Florence and is buried here. The man who helped write songs for Carrie Underwood (Before he cheats and others) Florida Georgia line, and a couple of rock bands. Chris Tompkins is someone I grew up with because his aunt lived right behind my house and I was a close friend with his cousin. Which now leads me to Gary Nichols, and Jason Isbell. I went to school with Gary Nichols. He was doing really well in country music. Had a video called "On broken ground" but he fell off somewhat. But still a really good guitar player. Jason Isbell and Tompkins went to the same high school (Rogers HS) Jason Isbell has a band called Jason Isbell and the 400 unit. And they recorded a cover of Sad But True for the Blacklist for MetallicA. BOOM! lol. If you guy love music, especially r&b, classic rock, southern rock, country, you name it. Come visit the Shoals in northwest Alabama. Or at least watch the Documentary movie "Muscle Shoals " special guest Bono from U2, Alisha Keys, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and others. Also my uncle was a musician that recorded at Sun studio in Memphis, Tn with his band Lou Roberts and the Marks. You can find several of their songs on UA-cam from those recordings. I know you guys have a love for music. As I myself also. Music runs through my veins, just like it does through the Tennessee river in which the area gets its musical and name identity from. The river that sings, the Muscle Shoals sound! 😉 I apologize guys! I really love the music history of my home, my family, and friends. Please check out some of the musicians and newer videos from Muscle Shoals and FAME. ROLL TIDE!
Love this song! Never retire it.
The Stones should never stop doing this song
Mick did in fact have a real appreciation for black women & he sings about it
Direct quote from mick in the liner notes of a later compilation of hits
"The lyric was all to do with the dual combination of drugs and girls. This song was a very instant thing, a definite high point".
Aye, heroin is known as brown sugar or golden brown here in the UK. The Stranglers have a song called Golden Brown and was about to be #1 here until one of the band members let the cat out of the bag. It's a great song as well.
@@8moody1 Town Called Malice by The Jam kept it off No.1.
@@daz_n Perhaps but the band blamed it on Jean-Jacques Burnel
@@8moody1 Sorry I meant that was the song that was at no.1 at the time, not that that was the reason for GB not getting there! 👍🏼
@@8moody1 Mr Brownstone by GNR also
Tina Turner performed this live with the Rolling Stones. At the time she said it was a well written account of a dark time in history, that no matter how uncomfortable, cant be ignored. And they told the story so well accompanied with a great rock n roll tune.
I thought the song was about heroin. "Brown sugar"
A dark time in History>? LOL, The Chinese and Irish were enslaving their people for centuries. Long before the Africans were selling theirs.
That too, undoubtedly.
I'm not a huge Stones fan, but "Under My Thumb" is one of their best songs.
Yeah I agree, they got a few jams but they're not my favorite. She's So Cold is another good one.
I agree. They're good but not the best. I always really liked "Jumpin Jack Flash". Nice bass playing by Ronnie Wood on that one.
Yeah, nothing like a good oppressive tune to start the day.
You are all wrong the greatest rock and roll song of all time? It's Only Rock and Roll is the song that sums rick and roll! Listen to the lyrics. But Dead Flowers is awesome. But New Riders of the Purple Sage does a better cover. And make no mistake I am a Stone fan. 3 concerts. The 82 year shows the best!
Why is it.if I may ask?
Brad and Lex - you both rock. I’ve watched many of your reviews and appreciate you know your s..t musically and the dynamic between you just simply works - huge love from London xx
The back story to this song that I heard was that the Stones had some black girls who were backup singers while on tour and they started hooking up with them. It was so great they wrote a song about it.
Jagger got very close to Tina Turner when they were on tour together. Needless to say, Ike Turner wasn’t happy about it.
that is indeed one banging harmonica!!!! 🤣love it!! such a tune 🙂
And that is just one of the reasons why the Rolling Stones are one of the two greatest rock and roll bands in the world
The Stones should count for two of the greatest bands ever. Their 60s and 70s catalogues are each worthy of being included in the greatest bands ever discussion. Maybe the Beatles are #1, but the Stones are #2 and #3!
OK, I`ll bite: who is the other band?
@@hosehead58 the other greatest band is ACDC for a whole bunch of other reasons
@@JP13007 you won't get an argument from me over your choices..
@@brushstroke3733 do you know why people believe the beatles are the best band in the world?
because they haven't got the brains to look elsewhere.
the beatles were marketed as nothing else but a glorified boy band.
they were molded by Epstein.
He changed their look and made them popular.
Their music is okay, but nothing great.
They stole heaps of riffs and songs and claimed them as their own.
According to R&B singer Marsha Hunt, mother of Mick Jagger's eldest daughter, Mick was inspired by their "romantic relationship" for the lyrics.
Rolling Stones! Yes, yall are correct on what the songs about lol. If I recall Mick Jagger used to date a pretty black lady back in the days, I forget her name, but she was one of the back up singers for Tina Turner.
Yes, it’s called Stockholm Syndrome when someone becomes attached to their captor in an emotional way! I love this song! The Rolling Stones are the prototype for what a real Rock band should be! This song was released in 1971! Mick Jagger is the best, he just loves all types of women! Music can tell many stories and I don’t find anything weird with this story! It’s about a realistic situation that probably happened a lot in the time of servitude!❤️❤️
This was a huge hit in the early seventies. I think it was on the album sticky fingers.
Yep, Sticky Fingers... One of their best albums!
I think I read that Mick Jagger was inspired to write this after hooking up with one of Ike and Tina Turner's backup singers.
That sound where Lex says " What is this ? " Is the saxophone 🎷
It’s funny how much of the songs that I heard my parents play as a kid lyrically went over my head and made sense when grown but as a kid had no idea what tf I was singing
As a huge Stones fan, I had always hoped that Mic Jagger meant no ill will with the lyrics of this song... Thank you Brad because I never thought of the possible drug reference, which it could be about heroin. Which stones fans know that most of them have tried a time or 2...
It's about Stockholm syndrome and interracial relationships at the time..basically giving a f*** you to the views held at the time.
The song is about
1.Sugar
2. Black gal
3. Drugs .
That's the genius of the songwriting for brown sugar.
"Stockholm Syndrome" is indeed the psychological effect you were referencing, named for an incident in 1973 where a bank robber took a bunch of bank clerks as hostages.
If you liked this but are interested in trying something a bit different from the same band, try The Rolling Stones: "Angie."
David Bowies wife Angie, Jagger fell in love with her.
I love Angie; one of my favourite Rolling Stone songs, very different to a lot of their stuff
Patty Hearst
Ethan Hawke starred in Stockholm, a strangely enjoyable film about that incident. They took some liberties, but the syndrome part is true. It reminded me of Dog Day Afternoon.
Also Wild Horses and Ruby Tuesday
I love The Rolling Stones. I love this song. I love this channel. Rock n Roll Brad & Lex
Stones are one of the greatest!!
WOW. I've LISTENED to this song so many times... and loved it. This is perhaps the first time I've ever HEARD it... and it shocked me. I feel as if I learn something every day with you guys.
“Brown Sugar” is said to have been inspired by at least one of two Black women Jagger was romantically associated with at the time, one of whom is actually the mother of his first child.
Marsha Hunt
@ndjfksnwvehsbdjckvkkfss right....he was calling out the establishment(those that chastised his choice of women) for being hypocritical. those that were against his choice of women were the descendants of that scarred ol slaver....
It's brown heroin...
@L Singletary me to.. So old.. But im still here!
Claudia Linnear, who was also a backup singer for Leon Russell
I love this song for all the right reasons, and all the wrong reasons! ❤
The Rolling Stones have a lot of historical types of songs, like Sympathy for the Devil. Many songs about sex, like Stray Cat Blues, Sister Morphine, they've explicitly explored the dark side of humanity with a wink and a leer. Also with amazing musicianship, Bobby Keys on saxophone, founding band member of the Stones, Ian Stewart (deemed too ugly to be on stage with the band, which is saying something) like this song is saying something about slavery, rape, and for that matter Gimmie Shelter touches on the same theme with that lyric sung by a pregnant black woman a lot of sex, drugs and it's only rock and roll.
You guys are so entertaining. Better than anything on TV these days.
This song has 2 meanings to the overall scheme of things. On one hand you have the slavery on the other hand you have the brown sugar which usually refers to ( Mexican brown or Mexican shoe scrapings which is a meaning for Heroin } which Keith used to inject and Mick use to smoke.
Yep. It's a really clever song, on one hand it is the story of slaves from Africa who were sold in New Orleans and raped by their white masters and all the slavery and whipping is a double meaning for the perils of being "mastered" by Brown Heroin, or "Brown Sugar." The drug cooks brown in a spoon.
That was my take also. Both ends burning,,sex and or rape of a young black woman under the nose of the lady of the house by the masta of the estate mixed in with the drug connection with Brown Sugar Heroin..double entendre here
@@stuartmaclean5572 Yep. And it was the fist song on the Sticky Fingers LP. I think it's possible to get stricky fingers, if you cook your heroin in a spoon...
Not certain, but from what Mick has said, he’s never touched heroin.
I don’t think it’s about heroin at all. This was written well before Keith got into heroin and Mick never was.
Mick said the song was about Claudia Lennear one of his backup singers he was involved with. Very gorgeous.
Gotta love The Rolling Stones!!
Mick was a showman! RIP Charlie Watts. Mick loved James Browns moves and tried like he'll to imitate him.
Mick Jagger wrote "Brown Sugar" about Marsha Hunt, an actress who became the first black model to ever appear on the cover of Britain’s high-fashion magazine, Queen. Mick and Marsha had one child, a daughter named Karis.
Mmm very interesting. This is a very solid take on the song
I really dont give a damm what the song is about .its what you make of it . I like it !
It’s love across borders, races, money, and language.
Human nature, and the bond of attraction/love, is stronger than all!
🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸
Claudia Linear, back-up singer for The Stones, was Mick's inspiration. Brown Heroin was Keith's.
It is a classic rock tune and probably talking about Bianca his wife who was from South America!
Because of this song I became fan of the Stones. The intro is unique.
This is a great song and great to listen to driving the open road. Saw the Stones in concert at MSG July of 1972, it was Mick Jagger’s 29th birthday and this was the song they opened with. Ticket price was $10.
In the 60s when the British rock stars headed to the US they met all these glamorous talented black ladies who they employed as back-up singers. Being British (and more counter culture types) they didn't have the same bias against mixed race relationships like their American counterparts did (Elvis had several black girlfriends that his minders kept hidden).
School is in. I didn't know that.
@@derekdonnell7780 Mick always had a fondness for the darker ladies! As did Bowie.
I’ve been happily married in an interracial marriage for 17 years and I can say the past few years as a country we have Gone backwards as far as accepting of those relationships the flack we’ve both received from so called “activists” or “social justice warriors” has been very sickening , we look back 10-15 years ago we didn’t have hardly any issues now it’s like we both have to be on the defensive.
@@brandon42054 That is awful to read! My first serious relationship was with a First Nations Australian girl and we never had any issues. What sort of problems have you had?
@@deanmaynard8256 mostly it’s just been some really racial comments , my wife (who is black) gets accused of white privilege cause she’s married to a white man ( in reality I’m registered Native American) but that shows how shallow and ignorant these ppl can be I worked with a guy who it really bothered and I got asked a lot of really uncomfortable questions weekly stuff like that
Ya gotta keep in mind, these guys grew up in the bombed out rubble of WWII.
Everything American, and especially African American, was a new exotic treat to them.
Bootlegged blues records were the impetus for the "British Invasion".
When this album was first released, the cover featured a man wearing tight blue jeans with an actual working zipper. The zipper didn’t reveal any anything. I was working at a record store and it was fun watching giggling girls unzip the zipper. Memories…..
Sticky Fingers
I always heard the lyric as "how come you dance so good".
The lyric is about slaves from Africa who were sold in New Orleans and raped by their white masters. The subject matter is quite serious, but the way the song is structured, it comes off as a fun rocker about a white guy having sex with a black girl. >>
Mick Jagger wrote the lyric. According to Bill Wyman, it was partially inspired by a black backup singer named Claudia Lennear, who was one of Ike Turner's Ikettes. She and Jagger met when The Stones toured with Turner in 1969. David Bowie also wrote his Aladdin Sane track "Lady Grinning Soul" about Lennear.
I heard The Stones have now removed 'Brown Sugar' from all their routines due to the highly evocative nature of the lyrics.
The Stones are the very Definition of Rock N Roll
This is the time in the history of The Stones when The Beatles had already broken up and if there was any debate over who was the greatest rock band, it was now no competition anymore....during the next few years, The Stones crafted their hard-driving sound and went into a league of their own!
Lol, and over 50 years later the Beatles still have many more good songs than the Stones and are still regarded as the greatest band of all time. Nice try tho
@@alrivers2297
nah you are wrong
Stones all day every day.
Stones wrote better songs.
Beatles were marketed better and to a different audience.
They were marketed to an audience that listens to mainstream radio, one that a lot of people paid a lot of money to radio stations to play their music on the radio.
The Beatles is a prime example.
Beatles have nothing on the Stones.
Nice try tho.
@@bwana-ma-coo-bah425 lol, they were both marketed to mainstream audiences. Until the Beatles went psychedelic and then every band tried copying them including the Stones. When the Beatles came out with their Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album the Stones then did a poor imitation called Their Satanic Majesties Request. The Beatles were always the leaders and trend setters and every other band followed their lead. FACTS! When people make lists for the greatest bands of all time the top 3 are usually The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The Stones are usually somewhere lower on their lists. Their popularity has waned over the years while other bands popularity has increased. Sorry to break it to you
@@alrivers2297 I didn't mean to imply The Stones were better than The Beatles.....I just meant that they were still a band!
@@flash218ily as far as longevity goes, the Stones are phenomenal. I do love them but not as much as some other bands.
Classic STONES ❤
"What is that?" she said. OMG. Neither one of them could identify the sound of a saxophone!
I'm not sure how I feel about that....Is the saxophone getting no love in the music world these days?
and the instrument you could not recognize, and thought might be a harmonica, it was Bobby Keys on the saxophone!
Damn I love Lex
I love how to smile creeps up on Brad as he be thinking 🤔 🙃 what's he talking bout😀
Yeeeeaah, a song from 1971 written by two British guys, who grew up listening to American Blues, and whose bands earlier albums include many a cover song of the Black American blues artists. Safe to say it’s meant to be pretty straightforward, especially since they have songs like, “Sister Morphine,” and there really isn’t much metaphor used there, (despite the title.)
I was just thinking about all that again, and realized, Mick Jagger would have only been about 27 or 28 when this song was released.
Claudia lennear was a back up singer for ike and tina Turner and was the inspiration for the david bowie song called lady grinning soul and was the inspiration for brown sugar and has come out publicly and she says she wishes the rolling stones had not removed it from this 2021 tour for the first time in 50 years because some people found the song offensive
The opening chords to this song are maybe the best thing that Keith Richards ever came up with. When the second guitar sweeps in, I looose it! I have to howl! The lyrics, of course, are very controversial. The Stones don't play it anymore for fear of offending anyone. They're clever, all the same. It's a great, great tune forever!
I luv u both soo much, rock on and ty for the entertainment. Especially in these hard times...luvs u 🥰
Rolling Stones- Beast of Burden is very good
Brad: disturbing lyrics, Lex: lets dance
Besides the obvious meanings you discovered the slavery and whipping mentions also refer to the dangers of being mastered by brown heroin aka brown sugar. Lex once again hit the nail on the head. Lex you are quite adept at seeing songs different meanings
She most definitely is!!
I suppose the stranglers Golden Brown was inspired by this song.
That was a Saxophone played by the late great Bobby Keys!
Back in October, the Rolling Stones released a statement saying they would no longer sing this song in concert, due to the perception by some that it glorifies slavery. I can see how the argument could be made that "Brown Sugar" has no say in the relationship...that she is a piece of property for her "owner" to use/abuse...but I've always gotten more of a "Jungle Fever" vibe from the song. It comes from an era when interracial relationships were taboo yet the White Englishman singer is obsessed with this young Black woman.
"I’m trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is. Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? " -Mick Jagger
@@redSectorA yes but it sounds like it was meant to be a good time, so it does glorify it in that way
So sick of all this "woke" garbage and people caving to it and appeasing all these whining crybabies, they can all kiss my ass.
I love Miss you, great song, and Start me Up. you would love both of them
People always claim "Exile on Main Street" is the best Stones album, but "Sticky Fingers" is better IMO...
Disagree
I'll take both thank you.
Equally brilliant albums IMO
Classic Stones toe tappin', hip shakin' rock 'n' roll. That's right in the Stones sweet spot during their absolute peak (1968-1973). Anything from the Stones during that era is pure gold.
Yeah definitely a good classic rock and roll (not just classic rock) vibe. Same with jumping jack flash.
@@soakedbearrd That's the thing with the Stones. They are definitely rock and roll as opposed to rock.
I was shocked at the lyrics. I always loved the sound and energy of the song but I had no idea. Looked it up and Jagger was in a relationship with a black backup singer when he wrote this song so you can figure out the rest.
I never new the lyrics either while loving this song...still this explanation doesnt explain the slave talk in the first few lines. I dont get why he would be clearly singing about a slave girl being whipped and taken advantage of when talking about the mother of his child.
@@mike-mz6yz What I've since read Jagger is now embarrassed and regrets the lyrics. He wrote it in 45 minutes and back in an era where it was common to throw in a mishmash of words and ideas that didn't have to make sense. Which really isn't an excuse. Since it's musically such a great song and its hard to decipher the lyrics it has gotten a free pass. The lyrics have not aged well but there seems no easy way to undo what has become a classic.
Absolutely a harmonica and guitar
Lead singer and rock and roll legend
This is one of those songs that somehow manages to be utterly brilliant despite the horrific lyrics
Horrific? In some ways. It was inspired by his relationship with a black woman (which was illegal back then) who ended up being the mother of his first child. The midnight reference is about how they had to hide the relationship due to the laws of the time. It had nothing to do with any fetishes at all. Just about the ridiculous nature of the law that forced them to hide their relationship
@@TonyM1961 Nonsense. "old Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
Sold in the market down in New Orleans
Skydog slaver know he's doin' all right
Hear him whip the women, just around midnight" is not about Mick having a relationship with a black woman (which was not illegal in Britain, where the Stones are from). It's about women being abducted, trafficked and raped.
@@kirstenhey9728 There are 2 parts to this song. One is about his relationship with Marsha Hunt (keeping in mind that she is the AMERICAN actress/model/singer and not the British actress of the same name) and that the song was written in 1967, the same year that interracial marriage was finally legalized in the US despite not being released until 1969. The other part is a take down on the people who made love illegal yet committed such horrible crimes against their fellow human beings. It's not either/or, but a serious critique of America as it was then and of the history that led up to it. Try expanding both your mind and your reading list. It will help
One of the best party songs
The track was originally titled “Black Pussy”. The lyrics make reference to slavery, sexual violence and heroin, with the opening verse depicting a slave driver whipping black women. The song is believed to be inspired by one of the band member’s former girlfriends. It took Sir Mick just 45 minutes to write.
No it wasn't...
They didn't have a horn section, but Bobby Keys played saxophonist for them most of the time. When they were on tour & in the studio.
Brown Sugar is actually a song about slavery and a slave being bought in New Orleans and raped by her white master, it's meant to shed light on the past, at the time of writing the song, Mick was dating a black back up singer for Tina Turner
Mick Jagger wrote the lyric. According to Bill Wyman, it was partially inspired by a black backup singer named Claudia Lennear, who was one of Ike Turner's Ikettes. She and Jagger met when The Stones toured with Turner in 1969. David Bowie also wrote his Aladdin Sane track "Lady Grinning Soul" about Lennear.
American-born singer Marsha Hunt is also sometimes cited as the inspiration for the song. She and Jagger met when she was a member of the cast in the London production of the musical Hair, and their relationship, a closely guarded secret until 1972, resulted in a daughter named Karis.
Yeah, Mick's caught some heat for the lyrics, especially as we've moved into much more PC times, but when asked what he was thinking, he's always said he just wrote the lyrics out by the pool in Tampa, Fla. where the band was staying on tour then.
And Lex, the solo you heard was a saxophone. It sounds AMAZING live!! Saw them in Houston in 2019 & when they played this...SO GOOD! 🎷
The great late Bobby Keyes on the sax 🎷!
Brad's a lucky guy, He's got a rock & Roller on his side.
Happy Wife Happy Life - Lex is an incredible woman but for her to be so happy her domestic life has to be doing really great and I think that Brad has to be a large part of why she is so happy, so good on you both! Stay happy and Stay awesome!
Mr. Brownstone is about Heroin and Master of Puppets is Cocain(I think)
Lex is some light brown sugar.
Mick was just out to shock with this one. This was the opening track on the Sticky Fingers album. This was the period of the infamous Altamont concert and Performance in the cinema so the Stones were hotter than hell at the time.
I read that it was originally titled "Black P***y" but obviously that wasn't going to fly.
Mick was definitely out to shock with this one!
Remember the real zipper on the album cover? Great way to reinforce your naughty boy cred Lol
Hey Brad and Lex the song is a red herring. When Jagger/Richards wrote the song Mick was dating a Black singer who gave birth to his first child, a daughter. But also The Stones worship Black Blues musicians from America and their whole scene, from Robert Johnson on up, and in that way the song is metaphor for Black music and "how it tastes so good," -- it's so good to The Stones dedicated their lives to imitating Black American musicians.
Been hearing this song since I was a kid, and only recently, when some issues with the lyrics came up, did I even learn what most of the lyrics were. When I was a kid, I didn't understand the Brown Sugar reference, natch, and I never even heard or understood the opening slavery stuff. Seems like the song is basically historical fiction to start, then moving on to a straight up inter-ethnicity (I dislike "interracial," as I believe we're all one race; the Human Race) sex song.
House Ninja!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Too funny Brad.