"2000 Light Years From Home" is a song from The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

' 1967 psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...

 album Their Satanic Majesties Request

Their Satanic Majesties Request

Their Satanic Majesties Request is the sixth British and eighth American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released on 8 December 1967 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States by London Records...

. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

Jagger/Richards

The songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, known as Jagger/Richards , is a musical collaboration whose output has produced the majority of the catalogue of The Rolling Stones....

, it also appeared as the B-side to the U.S. single "She's a Rainbow

She's A Rainbow

"She's a Rainbow" is a song by the English rock 'n roll band The Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request.Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "She's a Rainbow" was recorded on 18 May 1967...

". Jagger reportedly wrote the lyrics in Brixton prison following his conviction on drug charges in June 1967. The working title of the instrumental backing was "Toffee Apple". The prominent string part is played by Brian Jones

Brian Jones

Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....

 on mellotron

Mellotron

The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...

.

The number was regularly featured during the Rolling Stones' 1989-90 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour

Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour

The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album Steel Wheels; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg of the tour, which featured a different stage and logo,...

s; until 1997, when "She's a Rainbow" was also added to the band's stage repertoire, it was the only track from Satanic Majesties that the band had performed in concert.

Personnel

• Lead Vocals: Mick Jagger
• Background Vocals: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman
• Electric Guitar: Keith Richards
• Bass: Bill Wyman
• Drums and Percussion: Charlie Watts
• Mellotron and Sound Effects: Brian Jones
• Piano: Nicky Hopkins

Notable cover versions

"2000 Light Years from Home" has been covered by The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...

, The Danse Society, Grave Digger

Grave Digger (band)

Grave Digger are a German heavy metal/power metal band formed in 1980. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid 1980s.-Band history:...

, Monster Magnet

Monster Magnet

Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...

, Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing four EP's and three studio albums...

, Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade

Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade

Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is one of many musical projects involving Primus bassist Les Claypool. The original band was formed in summer 2000 and consisted of: Les Claypool , Todd Huth , Jay Lane , Jeff Chimenti , Skerik , and Eenor...

, Cary Grace

Cary Grace

Cary Grace is an American recording artist, singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. She plays guitar and analogue synthesizers.Her music is strongly influenced by classic British psychedelic and progressive rock as well as space rock, but spans a wide range of genres, from folk rock to...

 and Sky Cries Mary

Sky Cries Mary

Sky Cries Mary is an American trance rock musical group from Seattle, Washington, that formed in the late 1980s.The husband and wife team of Roderick Wolgamott Romero and Anisa Romero sing dual lead vocals...

.