Continental Drift

Composers: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording date: March-June 1989
Recording locations: Air Studios, Montserrat, Virgin Islands; Palace of Ben Abbou, Tangiers,
Morocco; & Olympic Studios, London, England
Producers: Chris Kimsey & The Glimmer Twins        Chief engineer: Christopher Marc Potter
Mixers: Chris Kimsey & Christopher Marc Potter        Never performed onstage

Probable line-up:

Drums: Charlie Watts
Acoustic bass: Ron Wood
Acoustic guitar: Keith Richards
Electric guitars: Keith Richards & Ron Wood
Lead vocals: Mick Jagger
Background vocals: Lisa Fischer, Sarah Dash, Bernard Fowler, Tessa Niles & Sonia Morgan
Keyboards: Mick Jagger
African-Moroccan instruments: The Master Musicians of Jajouka & Bachir Attar Farafina
Percussion programming: Matt Clifford
Tambourine: Luis Jardim
Bongos: Luis Jardim
Knife & bicycle (percussion): Keith Richards
 

Love comes at the speed of light
Love comes at the speed of light
Love comes in a strange disguise   (love comes)

Open the door and let the light pour over
Open the door and don't you keep me out
Open the door and let the light pour over
Hear me shout

(Open the door and let the light pour over)
(Open the door and don't you keep me out)
(Open the door and let the light pour over)
Hear me shout

Love comes at the speed of light   (love comes)

It's as pure as silver
It's as pure as gold
It's a rushing river - let it run all over me

(It's as pure as silver)
(It's as pure as gold)
Let it run all over me

(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
It's as pure as silver   (cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
It's as pure as gold    (cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha-cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha-cha)  (ha)
(Cha, cha, cha-cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha, cha, cha)  (ha, ha)
(Cha, cha)  (ha)

(Ha)

Love comes
Love comes at the speed of light
Love comes at the speed of light

 
 

TrackTalk

I woke up one morning to find Mick playing this thing on the keyboard (hums the song's riff). And I thought, Ah, that's nice, that reminds me of Morocco.

- Keith Richards, 1989


I was writing this song and remembering (the Master Musicians of Jajouka's) harmonics and thinking wouldn't it be great to have them on the track and this letter arrived (from Bachir Attar). Amazing, eh?

- Mick Jagger, 1989


I remember Brian playing (his Moroccan) tapes (in the '60s). We had this engineer we were working with, George Chkiantz, and George was one of the first people to be heavily into phasing, which was like the scratching of the middle '60s. So Brian took all of the Jajouka tapes and put them through phasing, which was really quite before its time. I always felt the Stones were quite adventurous that way.

- Mick Jagger, 1989


I made that metallic noise at the beginning of the song with a knife against a bicycle wheel. I supposed you could do it with a spoon. But it wouldn't sound as good as it does with the knife. Kids, don't try this in your own homes; these men are trained professionals.

- Keith Richards, 1989

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