Gimme Shelter
Encyclopedia
"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock
band The Rolling Stones
. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed
. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling. The Rolling Stones first played the song live in 1969 at Pop Go the Sixties
.
and Keith Richards
, "Gimme Shelter" was created from the combined efforts of the singer and the guitarist. Richards had been working on the song's signature opening in London
while Jagger was working on the film Performance
. The song is a churning mid-tempo rocker and begins with a rhythm guitar
intro by Richards, followed by Jagger's lead vocal. On the recording of the album, Jagger said in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone
, "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..." On the song itself, he concluded, "That's a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It's apocalypse
; the whole record's like that."
A higher-pitched second vocal track is sung by guest vocalist Merry Clayton
. Of her inclusion, Jagger said in the 2003 book According to... The Rolling Stones: "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.' " Clayton gives her solo performance, and one of the song's most famous pieces, after a solo performed by Richards, repeatedly singing "Rape, murder; It's just a shot away, It's just a shot away," and finally screaming the final stanza. She and Jagger finish the song with the line, "Love, sister, it's just a kiss away." To date it remains one of the most prominent contributions to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist.
At about 2:59 into the song, Clayton's voice cracks twice from the strain of her powerful singing; once during the second refrain, on the word "shot" from the last line, and then again during the first line of the third and final refrain, on the word "murder", after which Jagger can be heard saying "Whoo!" in response to Clayton's emotional delivery. She suffered a miscarriage upon returning home, apparently due to the strain involved in reaching the highest notes. Merry Clayton's name was misspelled on the original release, appearing as 'Mary'.
The song was first recorded in London at Olympic Studios
in February and March 1969; the version with Clayton was recorded in Los Angeles
at Sunset Sound & Elektra Studios in October and November of that same year. Nicky Hopkins
played piano; the Rolling Stones' producer 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 absent from these sessions. An unreleased version features only Richards providing vocals, and another extended version has also surfaced, featuring the bass much more in the forefront of the mix.
Recent Rolling Stones tours have seen the song, once a staple of the show, dropped from the set list. Greil Marcus, writing in Rolling Stone, once described it as "the greatest ever rock and roll recording."
. It has since been included on many compilation releases, including both Hot Rocks 1964–1971
and Forty Licks
, and concert versions appear on the Rolling Stones' albums No Security
and Live Licks
.
In 2010, the component tracks of the song were released online.[1 ]
s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
" in 2004. Pitchfork Media
placed it at number 12 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
and Charlotte Zwerin
, chronicling the last weeks of the Stones' 1969 US tour and culminating in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert, took its name from the song. A live version of the song played over the credits.
The upcoming drama film
of the same name, directed and written by Ron Krauss, stars Vanessa Hudgens as a pregnant teenager who runs away from her abusive mother, played by Rosario Dawson
. Hudgens' character traces her real father, played by Brendan Fraser
.
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, and had a live version of the song by The Rolling Stones as a common lead track to ensure chart eligibility.
"Gimme Shelter" (Pop version - Cassette single)
"Gimme Shelter" (Alternative version - CD single)
"Gimme Shelter" (Rock version - CD single)
"Gimme Shelter" (Dance version - 12" single)
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band 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...
. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed
Let It Bleed
Let It Bleed is the eighth British and tenth American album by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States...
. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling. The Rolling Stones first played the song live in 1969 at Pop Go the Sixties
Pop Go The Sixties
Pop Go The Sixties! was a one-off, seventy five-minute TV special originally broadcast in colour on 31 December 1969, to celebrate the major pop hits of the 1960s. The show was a co-production between the United Kingdom's BBC and Germany's ZDF broadcasters...
.
Inspiration and recording
Written by Mick JaggerMick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, "Gimme Shelter" was created from the combined efforts of the singer and the guitarist. Richards had been working on the song's signature opening in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
while Jagger was working on the film Performance
Performance (film)
Performance is a 1968 British crime drama film; the film was produced in 1968 but not released until 1970. Directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, Performance stars James Fox and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in his film acting debut.-Plot:...
. The song is a churning mid-tempo rocker and begins with a rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
intro by Richards, followed by Jagger's lead vocal. On the recording of the album, Jagger said in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, "Well, it's a very rough, very violent era. The Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Violence on the screens, pillage and burning. And Vietnam was not war as we knew it in the conventional sense..." On the song itself, he concluded, "That's a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It's apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
; the whole record's like that."
A higher-pitched second vocal track is sung by guest vocalist Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton
Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
. Of her inclusion, Jagger said in the 2003 book According to... The Rolling Stones: "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.' " Clayton gives her solo performance, and one of the song's most famous pieces, after a solo performed by Richards, repeatedly singing "Rape, murder; It's just a shot away, It's just a shot away," and finally screaming the final stanza. She and Jagger finish the song with the line, "Love, sister, it's just a kiss away." To date it remains one of the most prominent contributions to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist.
At about 2:59 into the song, Clayton's voice cracks twice from the strain of her powerful singing; once during the second refrain, on the word "shot" from the last line, and then again during the first line of the third and final refrain, on the word "murder", after which Jagger can be heard saying "Whoo!" in response to Clayton's emotional delivery. She suffered a miscarriage upon returning home, apparently due to the strain involved in reaching the highest notes. Merry Clayton's name was misspelled on the original release, appearing as 'Mary'.
The song was first recorded in London at Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
in February and March 1969; the version with Clayton was recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at Sunset Sound & Elektra Studios in October and November of that same year. Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
played piano; the Rolling Stones' producer Jimmy Miller played percussion; Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
played drums; Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
played bass; Jagger played harmonica and sang backup vocals with Richards and Clayton. Guitarist Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
was absent from these sessions. An unreleased version features only Richards providing vocals, and another extended version has also surfaced, featuring the bass much more in the forefront of the mix.
Recent Rolling Stones tours have seen the song, once a staple of the show, dropped from the set list. Greil Marcus, writing in Rolling Stone, once described it as "the greatest ever rock and roll recording."
Release
"Gimme Shelter" was never released as a single. It quickly became a staple of their live show, first featured throughout their 1969 American TourThe Rolling Stones American Tour 1969
The Rolling Stones' 1969 Tour of the United States took place in November 1969. Rock critic Robert Christgau called it "history's first mythic rock and roll tour", while rock critic Dave Marsh would write that the tour was "part of rock and roll legend" and one of the "benchmarks of an...
. It has since been included on many compilation releases, including both Hot Rocks 1964–1971
Hot Rocks 1964–1971
Hot Rocks 1964–1971 is the first compilation album of Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records after the band's departure from Decca and Klein...
and Forty Licks
Forty Licks
Forty Licks is a double compilation album by The Rolling Stones. A 40-year career-spanning retrospective, Forty Licks is notable for being the first retrospective to combine the band's formative Decca/London era of the 1960s, now licensed by ABKCO Records , with their self-owned post-1970 material,...
, and concert versions appear on the Rolling Stones' albums No Security
No Security
No Security is a live album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1998. Recorded over the course of the lengthy 1997–1998 worldwide Bridges to Babylon Tour, it is the band's sixth official full-length live release....
and Live Licks
Live Licks
Live Licks is a double live album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 2004. Coming six years after No Security, this seventh official Rolling Stones full-length live release captures performances from the band's year-long 2002–2003 Licks Tour in support of their career-spanning retrospective...
.
In 2010, the component tracks of the song were released online.
Accolades
"Gimme Shelter" was placed at #38 on Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
" in 2004. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
placed it at number 12 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s".
Movies
The 1970 documentary film directed by Albert and David MayslesAlbert and David Maysles
Albert and David Maysles were a documentary filmmaking team whose cinéma vérité works include Salesman , Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens . Their 1964 film on The Beatles forms the backbone of the DVD, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit...
and Charlotte Zwerin
Charlotte Zwerin
Charlotte Zwerin was a documentary film director and editor best known for work concerning artists or musicians, although she also made films concerning other subjects....
, chronicling the last weeks of the Stones' 1969 US tour and culminating in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert, took its name from the song. A live version of the song played over the credits.
The upcoming drama film
Gimme Shelter (2012 film)
Gimme Shelter is an upcoming drama film directed and written by Ron Krauss, starring Vanessa Hudgens as a pregnant teenager who runs away from her abusive mother, played by Rosario Dawson and traces her real father, played by Brendan Fraser. -Plot:...
of the same name, directed and written by Ron Krauss, stars Vanessa Hudgens as a pregnant teenager who runs away from her abusive mother, played by Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson is an American actress, singer, and writer. She has appeared in films such as Kids, Men in Black II, 25th Hour, Sin City, Clerks II, Rent, Death Proof, The Rundown, Eagle Eye, Alexander, Seven Pounds, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Unstoppable.-Early...
. Hudgens' character traces her real father, played by Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
.
Cover versions
- Ruth Copeland on her debut album Self Portrait, performed with George ClintonGeorge Clinton (funk musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
's ParliamentParliament (band)Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
, in 1969 (reissued on The Invictus Sessions in 2002) - Original backing singer Merry ClaytonMerry ClaytonMerry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer , and an actress...
recorded her own version in 1970, and it hit the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. - Grand Funk RailroadGrand Funk RailroadGrand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
on the album SurvivalSurvival (Grand Funk Railroad album)Survival is Grand Funk Railroad's fourth studio album, and was released in April 1971 by Capitol Records. It was produced by Terry Knight.-Track listing:All songs by Mark Farner unless otherwise noted.#"Country Road" - 4:22...
in 1971; a #61 U.S. hit as a single - JosefusJosefusJosefus was a rock band from Houston who have been credited for being "one of the first models for the blunt sound of Texas hard rock and heavy metal." They were also mentioned in an article in Classic Rock titled, "The Lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal"...
for their album Dead Man. - The Sisters of MercyThe Sisters of MercyThe Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
in 1983, on the B-side of their single "Temple of Love" (released on the album Some Girls Wander by MistakeSome Girls Wander by Mistake-Personnel:Tracks 1-2-3-4-11-12-13-17-18-19*Andrew Eldritch - vocals*Gary Marx - guitar*Craig Adams - bass guitar*Ben Gunn - guitar*Doktor Avalanche - drumsTracks 5-6-7-8-9-10*Andrew Eldritch - vocals, guitar*Craig Adams - bass guitar...
in 1992). This version is notable for interchanging "shot" and "kiss" in the lyrics, ie. War [...] is just a kiss away, love [...] is just a shot away. - The Divine HorsemenThe Divine HorsemenDivine Horsemen were a punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. , formerly of L.A. punk rock band The Flesh Eaters. The band developed a distinctive alt country- type sound. They took their name from a voodoo term; a worshiper who is possessed by loa during a ceremony is said to be being ridden...
, a Los Angeles post-punk band, included a note-perfect cover on their 1987 album Middle of the Night, with co-lead singer Julie Christensen doing a spooky take on Merry Clayton's wailing. - The Goo Goo DollsGoo Goo DollsThe Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
on their 1989 album JedJed (album)Jed is the second album by the Goo Goo Dolls. It is the first studio album in which John Rzeznik sung vocals for some of the tracks. The majority of the songs are sung by Robby Takac, with Rzeznik taking over for two... - MetricMetric (band)Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
pay tribute to the song in their track "Gimme Sympathy" off their 2009 album Fantasies*The Inspiral CarpetsInspiral CarpetsInspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...
in 1990 - John MellencampJohn MellencampJohn Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
covered the song during his 2001 Cuttin' Heads tour. - Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
covered the song during live shows in the 1980s with vocalist Leslie Aday (aka 'Leslie Loaf') duetting Merry Clayton's parts opposite her husband - Holy SoldierHoly Soldier-Background:The band was originally formed in early 1985 by bassist Andy Robbins and guitarist Jamie Cramer. The band gained a strong local following before signing. Holy Soldier was initially noted for their strong evangelical focus, although they regularly played to secular audiences. For a time...
, a 1980s ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
metal band from Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, on the album Last Train in 1992 - HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, studio album It Is the Business of the Future to Be DangerousIt Is the Business of the Future to Be DangerousIt Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous is the eighteenth studio album by the English space rock group Hawkwind, released in 1993. It spent one week on the UK albums chart at #75....
, 1993 - Michael HedgesMichael HedgesMichael Alden Hedges was an American composer, Acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.-Background:...
, album Strings on Steel, 1993 - ThunderThunder (band)Thunder were an English hard rock band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley to form a new group, namely Thunder...
on their album Their Finest Hour (And A Bit) released in October 1995 - The HellacoptersThe HellacoptersThe Hellacopters were a Swedish garage rock band that was formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson , Dregen , Kenny Håkansson and Robert Eriksson . Andersson had been the drummer for death metal band Entombed and Dregen was taking a break from his full-time band Backyard Babies...
released a cover in 1997 on their 7" "Like No Other Man" released 1998, also featured in Cream Of The Crap Vol. 1Cream Of The Crap Vol. 1Cream Of The Crap Vol. 1 is the first of two compilation albums by Swedish rock band The Hellacopters which contains rare singles, B-sides, EP selections, and other non-album tracks by the band. The follow-up Cream Of The Crap Vol...
, 2002 - Ashley ClevelandAshley ClevelandAshley Cleveland is an American singer/songwriter perhaps best known as a background vocalist and Grammy-winning gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee...
on her album You Are There, 1998 - Rio ReiserRio ReiserRio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
, German singer, sometimes performed the song on stage; a recording was released only posthumously on the album Am Piano 2, 1999 - Rock band The Accident Experiment on the maxi-single "Mind Death Machine"
- Legião UrbanaLegião UrbanaLegião Urbana were a Brazilian rock band formed in 1982 in Brasília, Distrito Federal. The band primarily consisted of Renato Russo , Dado Villa-Lobos and Marcelo Bonfá...
, on their album Música P/ AcampamentosMúsica P/ AcampamentosMúsica P/ Acampamentos is a double-disc compilation album by Brazilian rock band Legião Urbana. It was released in 1992. It features live and acoustic songs performed for radio, television and shows between 1986 and 1992... - Kathy MatteaKathy MatteaKathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
covered the song on her 2005 album "Right Out of Nowhere." - TurbonegroTurbonegroTurbonegro is a Norwegian punk rock band that was initially active from 1989 to 1998, and later reformed in 2002. Their style combines glam rock, punk rock and hard rock into a style the band describes as "deathpunk"....
's cover was an unreleased song that ended up on their rarity collection Small FecesSmall FecesSmall Feces is a 2-part compilation album by the Norwegian band Turbonegro released in 2005 on Bitzcore Records. It features 42 songs and documents the first steps from the beginning in 1989 until the Ass Cobra times ca. 1997. It contains a lot of unreleased/unheard material, 7"s, compilation...
. - The London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
on the album Symphonic Music of The Rolling Stones. This version of the song is heard in the Children of MenChildren of MenChildren of Men is a 2006 science fiction film loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2027, two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in England, where the last...
(2006) trailer. - StreetlabStreetlabStreetlab is a live electronic rock production duo out of New York City formed by Mark 'Coz' Lamorg and Ryan Leary. The two approach music with an appeal to both rockers and dancers....
, techno remix, released 30 January 2007 - Patti SmithPatti SmithPatricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
released the song as a single from her April 2007 cover album TwelveTwelve (Patti Smith album)Twelve is an album by Patti Smith, released April 17, 2007 on Columbia Records. As the title suggests, the album contains twelve tracks, all of which are cover versions. It debuted on Billboard 200 at number 60, with 11,000 copies sold in its first week...
. - Keith UrbanKeith UrbanKeith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
and Alicia KeysAlicia KeysAlicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
at Live Earth at Giants StadiumLive Earth concert, New York CityThe Live Earth concert for North America was held at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA on July 7, 2007.-Running order:In order of appearance:*Kenna - "Out Of Control", "Face The Gun", "Sun Red Sky Blue"...
on July 7, 2007 - Angélique KidjoAngélique KidjoAngélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...
and Joss StoneJoss StoneJocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
covered the song for Kidjo's album Djin Djin and performed it live at the Live Earth concert in JonnesburgLive Earth concert, JohannesburgThe Live Earth concert in South Africa was held at the Coca-Cola Dome, South Africa on 7 July 2007.-Running order:*South African Drum Cafe Team - unknown title...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on July 7, 2007 - StereophonicsStereophonicsThe Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
released a cover version as the B-side to "My FriendsMy Friends (Stereophonics song)"My Friends" is a single released by Stereophonics from the album Pull the Pin. It was released on December 10, 2007, reaching #32 in the UK Singles Chart, making it the lowest charting single by the band since "More Life in a Tramps Vest" reached #33 back in 1997."Gimme Shelter" is a cover version...
" in December 2007 - Sheryl CrowSheryl CrowSheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
incorporated elements of "Gimme Shelter" into live performances of her song "Gasoline", which appeared in its original form on the album DetoursDetoursDetours has been praised by music critics and her fans, scoring a 75 on the website Metacritic. Many deem this album as marking Crow's return to prominence, linking the tracks to her original sound as heard on The Globe Sessions.-Track listing:...
. - Paul BradyPaul BradyPaul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
& The Forest Rangers covered the song for the final episode of season 2 of Sons of AnarchySons of AnarchySons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
. This version is available on the 5 song EP Sons of Anarchy: Shelter. - U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
covered the song at the Rock And Roll Hall Of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
benefit concert on October 30, 2009, with Mick Jagger sharing lead vocals with BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
and featuring The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
members Fergie, singing Merry Clayton's vocal part, and will.i.amWill.i.amWilliam James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
, playing piano and synthesizer. - Zeds DeadZeds Dead-Background:Zeds Dead is an Electronic duo from Toronto, Ontario composed of DC and Hooks. DC and Hooks have been producing together since 2004, formerly as Mass Productions. Taking influence from the digging in the crates sampling school of hip hop, Mass Productions released one independent album...
released a DubstepDubstepDubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
version on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. - Playing for ChangePlaying for ChangePlaying for Change is a multimedia music project created by the American producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group, that seeks to bring together musicians from around the world...
made a music video rendition of "Gimme Shelter" which is dedicated to all the lost, homeless and forgotten people in this world. - Puddle of MuddPuddle of MuddPuddle Of Mudd is an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, USA. To date the band has sold over 7 million albums, and have had a string of #1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut Come Clean has sold over 5 million copies...
covered the song on their 2011 cover album Re:(disc)overedRe:(disc)overedRe:overed is the fifth studio album from U.S. post-grunge band Puddle of Mudd. It was released on August 29, 2011 on Arms Division Records.-Background:The band began recording the album in March 2011 and commenced within a three week period...
.
"Putting Our House in Order" project
In 1993 a Food RecordsFood Records
Food Records was a record label set up in 1984 by David Balfe, who later took on Andy Ross as his partner. Originally formed as an independent record label with distribution going through Rough Trade Distribution, Food licenced acts to the Polygram offshoot London and Warner's WEA Records, before...
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, and had a live version of the song by The Rolling Stones as a common lead track to ensure chart eligibility.
"Gimme Shelter" (Pop version - Cassette single)
- Voice of the BeehiveVoice of the BeehiveVoice of the Beehive is an Anglo-American alternative pop rock band formed in London in 1986 by Californian sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland, daughters of The Four Preps singer, Bruce Belland.- Career :...
and Jimmy SomervilleJimmy SomervilleJames William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice... - Heaven 17Heaven 17Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
and Hannah JonesHannah JonesHannah Jones is a British female dance music vocalist, who scored Three Top 5 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the late 1990s. Her first two songs hit #1 on that chart: "No One Can Love You More Than Me" in 1997 and "You Only Have To Say You Love Me" in 1998...
"Gimme Shelter" (Alternative version - CD single)
- New Model ArmyNew Model Army (band)New Model Army are an English rock band, who were formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1980. They have been variously classified by Allmusic as post-punk and alternative rock.-Overview:...
and Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records... - CudCud (band)Cud are a British indie rock band formed in Leeds, England in 1987, consisting of vocalist Carl Puttnam , guitarist/keyboardist Mike Dunphy , bassist William Potter , and drummer Steve Goodwin .Though an indie rock band, their music incorporated elements of funk...
and Sandie ShawSandie ShawSandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest... - KingmakerKingmaker (band)Kingmaker were a British indie rock group, founded in Kingston upon Hull in 1990.-Formation:Teenage schoolmates Loz Hardy and Myles Howell formed the group during their year off after school. They placed an advertisement for a drummer, and eventually recruited the significantly older John Andrew...
"Gimme Shelter" (Rock version - CD single)
- ThunderThunder (band)Thunder were an English hard rock band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley to form a new group, namely Thunder...
- Little AngelsLittle AngelsLittle Angels were a hard rock band of the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s.-History and members:Little Angels formed in Scarborough, England in 1984, under the name Mr Thrud. The founding members were Toby Jepson , Mark Plunkett , Dave Hopper and the brothers Bruce John and Jimmy Dickinson...
- HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
and Samantha FoxSamantha FoxSamantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
"Gimme Shelter" (Dance version - 12" single)
- 808 State808 State808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
and Robert OwensRobert Owens (musician)Robert Owens is an American contemporary R&B and house-music vocalist best known for his work with the Chicago house group Fingers Inc. in the mid-1980s...
- Pop Will Eat ItselfPop Will Eat ItselfPop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
vs Gary ClailGary ClailGary Clail is an English singer and record producer. He was part of On-U Sound Records and led Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System.-Biography:...
vs Ranking RogerRanking RogerRanking Roger is an English musician. He was a vocalist in the 1980s two-tone band, The Beat and General Public...
vs The Mighty DiamondsThe Mighty DiamondsMighty Diamonds are a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group, which comprised Donald "Tabby" Shaw, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson, and Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson, was formed in 1969, and remains together as of 2010...
vs The On U Sound System - Blue PearlBlue PearlBlue Pearl was a techno and house music duo, consisting of American female singer Durga McBroom and British musician Youth . They charted two songs on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart....
(produced and mixed by Utah SaintsUtah SaintsUtah Saints is a dance band based in Leeds, England. The music is produced by Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt, who are joined on-stage by other musicians whenever the band plays live...
)
Other appearances in popular culture
- "Gimme Shelter" is played in the final part of Air America as a large battle is being built up then fought.
- "Gimme Shelter" is playable in the video game Rock Band.
- A portion of the song appeared in DexterDexter (TV series)Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
Season 2 episode 5 entitled The Dark DefenderThe Dark Defender"The Dark Defender" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Dexter, which first aired on October 28, 2007 on Showtime in the United States. The episode was written by Timothy Schlattmann and was directed by Keith Gordon. In the episode, Dexter Morgan "The...
. - A portion of the song appeared in The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and GaysMarge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays"Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season. After Lindsay Naegle forms an anti-children group, Marge fights back with a group led with Mr. Burns' power. The episode originally aired on January 4, 2004. It was written by...
". - The song has become a signature theme in Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's gangster films, including GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, CasinoCasino (film)Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
, and The DepartedThe DepartedThe Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
. - It is used as the entrance song for Brazilian mixed martial artist Antônio Rodrigo NogueiraAntonio Rodrigo NogueiraAntônio Rodrigo Nogueira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a former UFCInterim Heavyweight Champion...
in the Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipUltimate Fighting ChampionshipThe Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
promotion. - In Layer CakeLayer Cake (film)Layer Cake is a 2004 British crime thriller produced and directed by Matthew Vaughn, in his directorial debut. It is based on the novel Layer Cake by J. J...
, it appears when Sienna MillerSienna MillerSienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
is stripping in Daniel CraigDaniel CraigDaniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
's hotel room. - "Gimme Shelter" plays in the promo for When We Left Earth: The NASA MissionsWhen We Left Earth: The NASA MissionsWhen We Left Earth: The NASA Missions or NASA's Greatest Missions: When We Left Earth in the UK is a Discovery Channel HD documentary miniseries consisting of six episodes documenting American human spaceflight, spanning from the first Mercury flights through the Gemini program to the Apollo moon...
on the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. - An episode of That 70's Show was named after the song.
- An instrumental cover version of the song appeared in the trailer for the 2006 film, Children of MenChildren of MenChildren of Men is a 2006 science fiction film loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2027, two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in England, where the last...
. - The song was also played in the EntourageEntourage (TV series)Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
episode "The Abyss". - Andrew Garcia performed the song on the Top 12 week of the ninth seasonAmerican Idol (season 9)The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres permanently replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was...
of the U.S. TV series American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. - The beginning of the song was used in the 1987 film Adventures in BabysittingAdventures in BabysittingAdventures in Babysitting is a 1987 American comedy film written by David Simkins, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring Elisabeth Shue, Maia Brewton, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Penelope Ann Miller, Bradley Whitford, and a brief cameo by blues singer/guitarist Albert Collins...
. - A portion of the song appears in the 1969 episode of RTÉ's Reeling in the YearsReeling In The YearsReeling in the Years is a historical documentary series broadcast in Ireland by RTÉ. Each episode, approximately 25 minutes long, looks back at the news and events of a particular year, from 1962 to 2009. The programme uses news archive footage, along with subtitles as the means of narration, to...
. - A portion of the song appears in the beginning of season 1, episode 4 of Hawaii Five-0.
- This song is used in various advertising videos for the video game Call of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch, published by Activision and released worldwide on November 9, for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii consoles, with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. Announced on April 30, 2010,...
. - The opening was aired in London's O2 Arena just before every singles tennis match at the ATP World Tour Finals, 21–28 November 2010. [Also featured were the Clash's "London Calling" (as players entered the arena) and Moby's "Porcelain" (during player warmups).
- The song is played in the Life episode "Fill it up" (season finale of season 1).
- The song is played in Knight Rider season 2 episode 1 “Goliath”
- The song is the opening theme for the 2003 movie War Stories.
- The song is played in Season 2, Episode 13 of the FX TV show Sons of AnarchySons of AnarchySons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
. This version is covered by Paul Brady & The Forest Rangers. - A portion is played on Top Gear's review on the Range Rover Evoque
- The song is played in Season 2, Episode 10 (Season 2 finale) of Covert AffairsCovert AffairsCovert Affairs is a USA Network television series starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on...
. - In Sonic BattleSonic BattleSonic Battle is a fighting game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega and THQ for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the first game being Sonic the Fighters...
there is an area named after this song.