When the Whip Comes Down (song)
Encyclopedia
"When the Whip Comes Down" is a song by rock and roll
band The Rolling Stones
from their 1978 album Some Girls
.
"When the Whip Comes Down" was written by Mick Jagger
and Keith Richards
, although Jagger handled the song's lyrics. Quite unusual, even for the late 1970s, the lyrics deal openly with the perspective of a gay man:
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]." The lyrics could be taken to imply that the singer becomes a male prostitute,
"When the Whip Comes Down" was recorded at the Pathé Marconi Studios 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 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.
"When the Whip Comes Down" is seen by some Rolling Stones fans as the closest the Stones came to outright punk music on the album that many 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.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel 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...
from their 1978 album Some Girls
Some Girls
Some Girls is the 14th British and 16th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1978 on Rolling Stones Records, catalogue COC 39108...
.
"When the Whip Comes Down" was written by Mick Jagger
Mick 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...
, although Jagger handled the song's lyrics. Quite unusual, even for the late 1970s, the lyrics deal openly with the perspective of a gay man:
In a 1978 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...
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
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
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
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and becomes a garbage collector... I sure hope the radio stations will play [it]." The lyrics could be taken to imply that the singer becomes a male prostitute,
"When the Whip Comes Down" was recorded at the Pathé Marconi Studios 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
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
to the number, an instrument that also appears on the Some Girls songs "Shattered
Shattered (song)
"Shattered" is a song by The Rolling Stones from their 1978 album Some Girls. The song is seen as a reflection of American lifestyles and life in 1970s-era New York City, but also influences from the English punk rock movement can be heard. It also foreshadowed the upcoming rap movement as Mick...
" and "Far Away Eyes
Far Away Eyes
"Far Away Eyes" is the sixth track from rock and roll band The Rolling Stones's 1978 album Some Girls.Mick Jagger and Keith Richards collaborated extensively on writing the song, which was recorded in late 1977. A bootleg version with Richards singing exists. The Stones, longtime country music...
". 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...
performs bass while 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:...
plays the song's distinctive, driving 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.
"When the Whip Comes Down" is seen by some Rolling Stones fans as the closest the Stones came to outright punk music on the album that many 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
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
on 6 July 1978, was released on the 1981 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Sucking in the Seventies
Sucking in the Seventies
Sucking in the Seventies is the fourth official compilation album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1981. As the successor to 1975's Made in the Shade, it covers material from 1974's It's Only Rock 'n' Roll to 1980's Emotional Rescue....
, 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
Licks Tour
The Licks Tour was a lengthy, worldwide concert tour held during 2002 and 2003 by The Rolling Stones. Its start was somewhat concurrent with the compilation album Forty Licks, which was released on October 1, 2002....
was captured and released on the 2004 live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
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...
.
When the Whip Comes Down is also the name of a 16-track Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
bootleg album taken from their performance at the Woodstock '94 music festival.