Gimme Shelter

"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. It is the opening track on their 1969 album Let It Bleed.[5][6] The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and fear.[7][6] It features prominent guest vocals by American singer Merry Clayton.

This article is about the song by the Rolling Stones. For other uses, see Gimme Shelter (disambiguation).

"Gimme Shelter"
Song by the Rolling Stones
from the album Let It Bleed
Released5 December 1969 (1969-12-05)[1][2][3]
Recorded23 February, 2 November 1969
Genre
Length4:37
Label
Songwriter(s)Jagger-Richards
Producer(s)Jimmy Miller
Audio sample
Gimme Shelter
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American author, music journalist and cultural critic Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of its release, praised the song, stating that the band has "never done anything better".[3] "Gimme Shelter" has placed in various positions on many "best of/greatest" lists including that of Rolling Stone magazine.[8] In 2021 "Gimme Shelter" was ranked at number 13 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[9]

Inspiration and recording

"Gimme Shelter" was written by the Rolling Stones' lead vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, the band's primary songwriting team.[note 1] Richards began working on the song's signature opening riff in London while Jagger was away filming Performance with Richards' then-girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg. In his autobiography Life, Richards revealed that the tension of the song was inspired by his jealousy at seeing the relationship between Pallenberg and Jagger, and his suspicions of an affair between them.[10]

As released, the song begins with Richards performing a guitar intro, soon joined by Jagger's lead vocal. Of Let It Bleed's bleak world view, Jagger said in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone magazine:

Well, it's a very rough, very violent era. The Vietnam War. Violence on the screens, pillage and burning. And Vietnam was not war as we knew it in the conventional sense. The thing about Vietnam was that it wasn't like World War II, and it wasn't like Korea, and it wasn't like the Gulf War. It was a real nasty war, and people didn't like it. People objected, and people didn't want to fight it ... That's a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It's apocalypse; the whole record's like that.[11]

Similarly, on NPR in 2012:

It was a very moody piece about the world closing in on you a bit ... When it was recorded, early '69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that's reflected in this tune. It's still wheeled out when big storms happen, as they did the other week [during Hurricane Sandy]. It's been used a lot to evoke natural disaster.[12]

The song's inspiration was not initially Vietnam or social unrest, however, but Richards seeing people scurrying for shelter from a sudden rain storm. According to him:

I had been sitting by the window of my friend Robert Fraser's apartment on Mount Street in London with an acoustic guitar when suddenly the sky went completely black and an incredible monsoon came down. It was just people running about looking for shelter – that was the germ of the idea. We went further into it until it became, you know, rape and murder are 'just a shot away'.[13]

The recording features guest vocals by Merry Clayton, recorded at a last-minute late-night recording session in Los Angeles during the mixing phase, arranged by her friend and record producer Jack Nitzsche.[14] After the first verse is sung by Jagger, Clayton enters and they share the next three verses. A harmonica solo by Jagger and guitar solo by Richards follow. Then, with great energy, Clayton repeatedly sings "Rape, murder! It's just a shot away! It's just a shot away!", almost screaming the final stanza. She and Jagger then repeat the line "It's just a shot away" and finish with repeats of "It's just a kiss away". When speaking of her inclusion in the recording, Jagger stated in the 2003 book According to the Rolling Stones that the Rolling Stones' producer Jimmy Miller thought of having a female singer on the track and told fellow producer Nitzsche to contact one: "The use of the female voice was the producer's idea. It would be one of those moments along the lines of 'I hear a girl on this track – get one on the phone.'"[14][15] Summoned from bed around midnight by Nitzsche, Clayton – about four months pregnant – made her recording with just a few takes and then returned home to bed.[14] It remained the most prominent contribution to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist for 54 years,[16] until the October 2023 release of "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" on their album, Hackney Diamonds, featuring Lady Gaga, whom producer Andrew Watt described as "almost embodying Merry Clayton" on the track.[17]

At about 2:59 into the song, Clayton's voice cracks under the strain; once during the second refrain on the word "shot", then on the word "murder" during the third refrain, after which Jagger is faintly heard exclaiming "Woo!" in response to Clayton's powerful delivery.[18] Upon returning home, Clayton suffered a miscarriage, attributed by some sources to her exertions during the recording.[19][20]

Merry Clayton's name was erroneously written on the original release, appearing as "Mary". (Her given name is "Merry" due to her being born on Christmas Day.) Her name is also listed as "Mary" on the 2002 Let It Bleed remastered CD.[21]

The song was recorded in London at Olympic Studios in February and March 1969; the vocals were recorded in Los Angeles at Sunset Sound Recorders and Elektra Studios in October and November that same year.[22] Nicky Hopkins played piano, Jimmy Miller played percussion, Charlie Watts played drums, Bill Wyman played bass, Jagger played harmonica and sang backup vocals with Richards and Clayton. Guitarist Brian Jones was present during the early sessions but did not contribute, Richards being credited with both rhythm and lead guitars on the album sleeve. For the recording, Richards used an Australian-made Maton SE777, a large single-cutaway hollowbody guitar, which he had previously used on "Midnight Rambler". The guitar barely survived the recording before literally falling apart. "[O]n the very last note of 'Gimmie Shelter,'" Richards told Guitar World in 2002, "the whole neck fell off. You can hear it on the original take."[23]

Releases on compilation albums and live recordings

"Gimme Shelter" quickly became a staple of the Rolling Stones' live shows. It was first performed sporadically during their 1969 American Tour and became a regular addition to their setlist during the 1972 American Tour. For these live renditions, all vocals were handled by Mick Jagger. These performances are now famous instead for the finely crafted soloes by lead guitarist Mick Taylor who did not yet play on the studio recording of the song. Other concert versions appear on the Stones' albums No Security (recorded 1997, released 1998),[24] Live Licks (recorded 2003, released 2004),[25] Brussels Affair (recorded 1973, released 2011),[26][27] and Hyde Park Live (2013).[28] A May 1995 performance recorded at Paradiso (Amsterdam) was released on the 1996 "Wild Horses" (live) single, on the 1998 "Saint of Me" single (included in the 45-CD 2011 box set The Singles 1971–2006), and again on Totally Stripped in 2016.

The song appeared in Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, a film of the Stones' 1972 North American Tour, as well as on its 2010 official DVD release.[29] It is also featured on the concert DVD/Blu-ray sets Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98 (1998), Four Flicks (2003), The Biggest Bang (2007), Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live (2013), Totally Stripped (2016), and Havana Moon (2016).[30]

The female contributor to the live version of the song was Lisa Fischer from 1989 to 2015,[31][32] and has been Sasha Allen since 2016.

In their 2012 50th anniversary tour, the Rolling Stones sang this song with Mary J. Blige,[33] Florence Welch,[33] and Lady Gaga.[34][33]

"Gimme Shelter" was never released as a single. Nevertheless, it has been included on many compilation releases, including Gimme Shelter,[35] Hot Rocks 1964–1971,[36] Forty Licks,[37] and GRRR![38] In 2023, a version of the song, featuring Lady Gaga, was also included on their 50th-anniversary live tour album, GRRR Live! – Live at Newark.[39]

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[40]

The Rolling Stones

Additional personnel

Accolades

Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of the "Gimme Shelter"'s release, stated that "[t]he Stones have never done anything better".[42] Pitchfork placed it at number 12 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".[43] Ultimate Classic Rock put the song at number one on their Top 100 Rolling Stones songs[44] and number three on their Top 100 Classic Rock Songs.[45]

It is ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.[9] It is also ranked number 1 on the magazine's list of the band's best songs.[46] According to Acclaimed Music, it is the 34th most celebrated song in popular music history.[47]

"Gimme Shelter" has been featured in a variety of films, television shows, and commercials. The 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter, directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin,[48] chronicling the last weeks of the Stones' 1969 US tour and culminating in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert, took its name from the song.[49][50][51] A live version of the song played over the documentary's credits.[52] The song has appeared in three Martin Scorsese films.

  • French filmmaker Michel Gondry directed a video using the song as musical backing, which was released in 1998. The video features a sixteen-year old Brad Renfro, playing a young man escaping with his brother from a dysfunctional home and the abuse they suffered at the hands of their abusive alcoholic father, and then from society as a whole.[53]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[54] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notable cover versions
  • Merry Clayton, who performed with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones version of the song (see above), released a cover of "Gimme Shelter" in 1970 on her first solo album, also titled Gimme Shelter.[56] The song reached #63 in Canada.[57]
  • American rock band Grand Funk Railroad covered and included it on their fourth studio album, Survival (1971). It was released as a single and reached 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[58]
  • U2 covered the song at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame benefit concert on 30 October 2009, with Mick Jagger sharing lead vocals with Bono and featuring the Black Eyed Peas members Fergie, singing Merry Clayton's vocal part, and will.i.am, playing piano and synthesizer.[59][60][61]
  • Paolo Nutini covered the song and was asked by Mick Jagger and Ben Affleck to perform the track for a documentary of the same name on the plight of the millions of people displaced from their homes as a result of fighting in the Sudanese region.[62]

"Putting Our House in Order" project

In 1993, a Food Records project collected various versions of the track by the following bands and collaborations, the proceeds of which went to the Shelter charity's "Putting Our House in Order" homeless initiative. The versions were issued across various formats, featuring on some also a live version of the song by the Rolling Stones.

"Gimme Shelter" (pop version – CD and cassette single)
"Gimme Shelter" (alternative version – CD single)
"Gimme Shelter" (rock version – CD single)
"Gimme Shelter" (dance version – 12" single)

Charts
Chart (1993–1994) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart (ARIA Charts)[66] 214
UK Singles Chart (OCC)[67] 23

References

Informational notes

  1. The Mick Jagger and Keith Richards writing team is commonly referred to as the "Glimmer Twins" and has occasionally been credited as such on releases.
  2. While Margotin and Guesdon credit güiro and maracas to Miller,[40] authors Andy Babiuk and Greg Prevost write Miller contributed tambourine.[41]

Citations

  1. "Gimme Shelter: How the Rolling Stones Captured the Death of the '60s". 5 December 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  2. "The Story Behind The Song: Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones". loudersound.com. Classic Rock Magazine. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  3. sw00ds (22 March 2020). "'Let it Bleed' (12/27/69)". GreilMarcus.net. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  4. v.d. Luft, Eric (21 September 2009). Die at the Right Time!: A Subjective Cultural History of the American Sixties. Gegensatz Press. p. 410. ISBN 978-1-933237-39-8.
  5. Let it Bleed tracklisting here
  6. "You Won't Believe The Haunting Truth Behind The Rolling Stone's "Gimme Shelter"". Society Of Rock. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. Wall, Mick (28 April 2014). "The Story Behind The Song: Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones". loudersound. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  8. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  9. "Gimme Shelter ranked #13 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  10. Petridis, Alexis (14 June 2017). "Anita Pallenberg – anything but a passenger on the Stones' journey". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  11. Wenner, Jann (14 December 1995). "Jagger Remembers". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2007.,
  12. "Mick Jagger On The Apocalyptic 'Gimme Shelter'". NPR. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  13. Giles, Jeff (27 October 2017). "Keith Richards Recalls Making the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  14. Springer, Mike. "Mick Jagger Tells the Story Behind 'Gimme Shelter' and Merry Clayton's Haunting Background Vocals Open Culture". Open Culture. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  15. Jagger, Mick; Richards, Keith; Wood, Ronnie; Watts, Charlie (2003). According to the Rolling Stones. California: Chronicle Books. p. 117. ISBN 0811869679.
  16. Unterberger, Richie. "Gimme Shelter". allmusic.com (2007). Accessed 20 May 2007.
  17. Eccleston, Danny (13 October 2023). "The Rolling Stones On Working With Paul McCartney And Lady Gaga: "Macca wanted to put the dirt on it."". www.mojo4music.com.
  18. 20 Feet From Stardom – Gimme Shelter, 12 February 2016, retrieved 3 September 2017
  19. Snowden, Don (13 March 1986). "For Clayton, The Gloom Is Gone". Los Angeles Times.
  20. Ham, Robert (8 April 2021). "Merry Clayton: 'Gimme Shelter left a dark taste in my mouth'". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  21. Jagger, M., Richards, K., "Let It Bleed." Album credits. 2002. CD.
  22. Rolling Stones and the Making of Let It Bleed, by Sean Egan, ISBN 1903318777 (ISBN 9781903318775)
  23. "From the Archive: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards Looks Back on 40 Years of Making Music". Guitar World. 6 January 2012.
  24. "No Security | The Rolling Stones". rollingstones.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  25. "Live Licks – The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  26. Harris, John (22 November 2011). "Why a Rolling Stones bootleg is one of my albums of the year". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  27. "Brussels Affair (Live 1973) - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  28. "Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  29. Spitz, Marc (11 October 2010). "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones Finally Gets the DVD Treatment". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  30. "Reviewed! The Rolling Stones - Havana Moon - Uncut". Uncut. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  31. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (7 June 2016). "Lisa Fischer on life in the shadows of the Stones and Tina Turner: 'I got used to keeping quiet'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  32. Greene, Andy (22 June 2022). "Watch the Rolling Stones Play a Stunning 'Gimme Shelter' With Guest Vocalist Chanel Haynes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  33. "Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter': Did Gaga, Mary J. or Florence Sing It Best?". Billboard. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  34. "Lady Gaga sings 'Gimme Shelter' with The Rolling Stones at New Jersey gig". NME. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  35. "Gimme Shelter [Live] - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  36. "Hot Rocks: 1964-1971 - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  37. "Forty Licks - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  38. "Buy GRRR! | The Rolling Stones". rollingstones.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  39. Kreps, Daniel (30 November 2022). "Rolling Stones to Release All-Star 50th Anniversary Show as Live Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  40. Margotin & Guesdon 2016, pp. 288–289.
  41. Babiuk & Prevost 2013, p. 313.
  42. Marcus, Greil (27 December 1969). "Let It Bleed The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  43. "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s". Pitchfork. 18 August 2006. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  44. "No. 1: 'Gimme Shelter' – Top 100 Rolling Stones Songs". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  45. "No. 3: Rolling Stones, 'Gimme Shelter' – Top 100 Classic Rock Songs". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  46. "Gimme Shelter ranked #1 on 100 Best Rolling Stones Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  47. "Gimme Shelter 34th most acclaimed song". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  48. "Gimme Shelter". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  49. Awesome, Network (21 February 2013). "Just a Shot Away: The Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  50. "The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  51. Canby, Vincent. "Movie Review - Gimme Shelter". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  52. "Gimme Shelter [Video] - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  53. "The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter (1998)". Michel Gondry: Pleasure of the Unknown. realeyz.tv. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  54. "Italian single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 12 January 2018. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Gimme Shelter" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  55. "British single certifications – Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  56. "Merry Clayton - Gumme Shelter" AllMusic
  57. "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 25, 1970" (PDF).
  58. Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954-1982. Sheridan Books. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
  59. "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame captivates the senses with debut of Connor Theater (video)". cleveland.com. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  60. "Fergie's Night Out With Mick Jagger!". Us Weekly. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  61. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (14 December 2010), U2, Mick Jagger, Fergie - "Gimme Shelter" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Shows, archived from the original on 29 January 2012, retrieved 6 August 2017
  62. "The 20 amazing Paolo Nutini facts you can share with your mates at the Hydro". HeraldScotland. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  63. "Gimme Shelter – Voice of the Beehive and Jimmy, a playlist by Wade W Wellard on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  64. "Gimme Shelter - Tom Jones & New Model Army Song - BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  65. Gimme Shelter, 25 September 1995, retrieved 7 August 2017
  66. "Gimme Shelter" (ARIA) peak: "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 28 April 2017". Imgur.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  67. "Gimme Shelter (EP)". Official Charts Company. OCC. officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023.

Bibliography

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