Quite unusual, even for the late 1970s, the lyrics deal openly with the perspective of a gay man:
Yeah, mama and papa told me I was crazy to stay/ I was gay in New York, I was a fag in L.A./ So I saved my money and I took the plane/ Wherever I go, they just treat me the same.
In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone magazine to mark the release of Some Girls, Jagger responded to questions regarding the song's lyrics: "...There is one song that's a straight gay song—"When the Whip Comes Down"—but I have no idea why I wrote it. It's strange - the Rolling Stones have always attracted a lot of men... I don't know why I wrote it. Maybe I came out of the closet {laughs}. It's about an imaginary person who comes from L.A. to New York City and becomes a garbage collector... I sure hope the radio stations will play [it]."[2] The lyrics could be taken to imply that the singer becomes a male prostitute:
Yeah I go to 53rd Street and they spit in my face/ But I'm learning the ropes, yeah, I'm learning a trade/ The East River truckers is churning with trash/ I've got so much money but I spend it so fast.
Yeah, some call me garbage when I'm sweeping up the street/ But I never roll and I never cheat/ And I'm filling a need, yeah, I'm plugging a hole/ My mama's so glad I ain't on the dole.
"When the Whip Comes Down" was recorded at the Pathé Marconi studio in Paris, France, between the months of October and December 1977. It was another of the famed Some Girls songs to feature just the core members of the Rolling Stones at the time. Jagger performed vocals plus guitar alongside Richards and Ronnie Wood. Wood would also contribute pedal steel guitar to the number, an instrument that also appears on the Some Girls songs "Shattered" and "Far Away Eyes". Bill Wyman performs bass while Charlie Watts plays the song's distinctive, driving drum beat. There are versions of both the base instrumental track and the fully developed backing track with additional lyrics, that run over ten minutes, widely available on bootlegs.
The song is seen by some Rolling Stones fans[who?] as the closest the Stones came to outright punk music on the album that many[who?] call the Stones' "punk album". It is also one of a few songs on the album to carry a heavy New York City influence. A majority of the Rolling Stones were living in New York at the time.
When the Whip Comes Down is also the name of a 16-track Nine Inch Nails bootleg album taken from their performance at the Woodstock '94 music festival.[citation needed]
Personnel
Mick Jagger – lead vocals, electric guitar, backing vocals
^Janovitz, Bill. "When The Whip Comes Down by The Rolling Stones - Track Info | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
^Cott, Jonathan (29 June 1978). "Mick Jagger: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone.
External links
Complete official lyrics
April 25, 2023
when, whip, comes, down, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, fe. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources When the Whip Comes Down news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message When the Whip Comes Down is a song by the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from their 1978 album Some Girls When the Whip Comes Down Song by The Rolling Stonesfrom the album Some GirlsReleased9 June 1978 1978 06 09 RecordedOctober December 1977GenreRock and roll 1 Length4 20LabelRolling Stones VirginSongwriter s Jagger RichardsProducer s The Glimmer TwinsSome Girls track listing10 tracksSide one Miss You When the Whip Comes Down Just My Imagination Running Away with Me Some Girls Lies Side two Far Away Eyes Respectable Before They Make Me Run Beast of Burden Shattered Official audio When the Whip Comes Down Remastered on YouTube When the Whip Comes Down was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards although Jagger handled the song s lyrics Contents 1 Background 2 Personnel 3 References 4 External linksBackground EditQuite unusual even for the late 1970s the lyrics deal openly with the perspective of a gay man Yeah mama and papa told me I was crazy to stay I was gay in New York I was a fag in L A So I saved my money and I took the plane Wherever I go they just treat me the same In a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone magazine to mark the release of Some Girls Jagger responded to questions regarding the song s lyrics There is one song that s a straight gay song When the Whip Comes Down but I have no idea why I wrote it It s strange the Rolling Stones have always attracted a lot of men I don t know why I wrote it Maybe I came out of the closet laughs It s about an imaginary person who comes from L A to New York City and becomes a garbage collector I sure hope the radio stations will play it 2 The lyrics could be taken to imply that the singer becomes a male prostitute Yeah I go to 53rd Street and they spit in my face But I m learning the ropes yeah I m learning a trade The East River truckers is churning with trash I ve got so much money but I spend it so fast Yeah some call me garbage when I m sweeping up the street But I never roll and I never cheat And I m filling a need yeah I m plugging a hole My mama s so glad I ain t on the dole When the Whip Comes Down was recorded at the Pathe Marconi studio in Paris France between the months of October and December 1977 It was another of the famed Some Girls songs to feature just the core members of the Rolling Stones at the time Jagger performed vocals plus guitar alongside Richards and Ronnie Wood Wood would also contribute pedal steel guitar to the number an instrument that also appears on the Some Girls songs Shattered and Far Away Eyes Bill Wyman performs bass while Charlie Watts plays the song s distinctive driving drum beat There are versions of both the base instrumental track and the fully developed backing track with additional lyrics that run over ten minutes widely available on bootlegs The song is seen by some Rolling Stones fans who as the closest the Stones came to outright punk music on the album that many who call the Stones punk album It is also one of a few songs on the album to carry a heavy New York City influence A majority of the Rolling Stones were living in New York at the time A recording from a live show at the Detroit Masonic Temple on 6 July 1978 was released on the 1981 compilation album Sucking in the Seventies which covered much of their later 1970s material It also acted as album mate Respectable s B side A live recording from their 2002 2003 Licks Tour was captured and released on the 2004 live album Live Licks When the Whip Comes Down is also the name of a 16 track Nine Inch Nails bootleg album taken from their performance at the Woodstock 94 music festival citation needed Personnel EditMick Jagger lead vocals electric guitar backing vocals Keith Richards electric guitar backing vocals Ronnie Wood electric guitar backing vocals pedal steel Bill Wyman bass guitar Charlie Watts drumsReferences Edit Janovitz Bill When The Whip Comes Down by The Rolling Stones Track Info AllMusic allmusic Retrieved 8 February 2023 Cott Jonathan 29 June 1978 Mick Jagger The Rolling Stone Interview Rolling Stone External links EditComplete official lyrics Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title When the Whip Comes Down amp oldid 1138281559, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
