"Jumpin' Jack Flash
" is a song by English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone
, [1] the song is seen as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding albums Between the Buttons
and Their Satanic Majesties Request
. [2] One of the group's most popular and recognizable songs, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" has been featured in many films and on the Rolling Stones compilation albums Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)
, Hot Rocks
, Singles Collection
and Forty Licks
.
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JUMPIN' JACK FLASH TICKETS
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Inspiration and recording
Written by
Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards, recording on "Jumpin' Jack Flash" began during the
Beggars Banquet
sessions of 1968 (although it was not released on that album). Regarding the song's distinctive sound, guitarist Richards has said:
Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack - that's jumpin' Jack."
[4] The rest of the lyrics evolved from there.
[5]
Jagger said in a 1995 interview with
Rolling Stone
that the song arose "...out of all the acid of
Satanic Majesties
... It's about having a hard time and getting out. Just a metaphor for getting out of all the acid things."
[6]
In his autobiography, Stone Alone,
Bill Wyman has claimed that he came up with the song's distinctive main guitar riff on an organ without being credited for it.
On the studio version of the number, Richards played the
bass and
floor tom as well as acoustic and electric
guitar. Jagger provided the lead vocals and
maracas,
Brian Jones played electric guitar,
Charlie Watts was on
drums and
Bill Wyman was on
organ.
Nicky Hopkins contributed
piano, and producer
Jimmy Miller joined in on the backing vocals.
Release and aftermath
Released on 24 May 1968, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (backed with "Child of the Moon") reached the top of the UK charts and peaked at number three in the United States. Some early London Records USA pressings of the single had a technical flaw in them: about halfway through the song's instrumental bridge, the speed of the master tape slows down for a moment, then comes back to speed. The first Rolling Stones album on which the song appeared was their 1969 compilation album,
Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)
, one year after the single was released.
The Rolling Stones have played "Jumpin' Jack Flash" during every tour since its release; it ranks as the number the band has played in concert most frequently,
[7] [8] and has appeared on the concert albums
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
,
Love You Live
,
Flashpoint
and
Shine a Light
. The intro is not usually played in concert; instead the song begins with the main riff. The open E or open D tuning of the rhythm guitar on the studio recording has also not been replicated in concert (with the possible exception of the 1968
NME awards show, no recording of which has ever surfaced). In the performance filmed for The Rolling Stones'
Rock and Roll Circus in December 1968, Richards used standard tuning; and ever since the band's appearance at
Hyde Park on 5 July 1969, he has played it in
open G tuning with a
capo on the fourth fret.
In March 2005,
Q
magazine placed "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at number 2 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. In 2004,
Rolling Stone
rated the song 124th on its list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time
. VH1 placed it at 65 on its show
100 Greatest Rock Songs
.
[9]
Legacy
Use in film
In 1986, the song's title was used for the
Whoopi Goldberg film
Jumpin' Jack Flash
. In the film the song is said to be in the key of B-flat, but in reality it is recorded in the key of B. For unknown reasons, the officially released version plays somewhat lower, thus changing the key from B to in between B-flat and B. In addition to the Rolling Stones' version of the song, the film features
Aretha Franklin's cover version, which was produced by Keith Richards; Richards and
Ronnie Wood play guitar on the recording.
The song was also featured in
Martin Scorsese's film
Mean Streets
(1973), in
Ron Howard's
Night Shift
(1982) and at the end of
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
(1998).
Cover versions
In addition to
Aretha Franklin, a number of other artists have also performed and recorded versions of the song.
Leon Russell performed a cover at the
Concert For Bangladesh, and
Tina Turner included her version of the song in her
Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour setlists, along with another Rolling Stones song, "
It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)".
Peter Frampton released a version of the song on his first studio album,
Wind Of Change
, and also on his 1976 live album,
Frampton Comes Alive!
.
Johnny Winter covered the number on the
Old Grey Whistle Test in 1974; the performance circulates as a
bootleg recording.
The British rock band
Shed Seven released a live cover version of the song as a b-side to their "On Standby" single,
[10] released in August 1996, and in a limited-edition issue of their singles compilation,
Going For Gold
, in May 1999.
A cover version also appeared in the
Nintendo DS video game,
Elite Beat Agents
.
The British
heavy metal band
Motörhead covered the song during the recording sessions for the
We Are Motörhead
album; this rendition appeared on the
SPV re-release of their earlier album
Bastards
.
American hard rock band
Guns N' Roses covered it in 1986, Live At The Roxy.
Notes and references
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash". ''Rolling Stone''. 4 December 2007 (accessed 22 June 2007).''
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
- Track Talk: Jumpin' Jack Flash
- A ''jumping jack'' is an old-fashioned toy - see Jumping jack (toy).
- Four Flicks
- Wenner, Jann S. (1995-12-14). Cover Story: Jagger Remembers:
Mick's most comprehensive interview ever. ''Rolling Stone'', 14 December 1995. Retrieved on 2007-06-22 from http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/mick_jagger_remembers/page/2/.
- The Rocks Off Rolling Stones Setlists Page
- The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962-2008
- 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll (80-61)
- Shed Seven - On Standby