Composers:
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording
date: October-December
1977 & March-April 1978
Recording location: Pathé
Marconi Studios, Paris, France & Atlantic Studios, New York, USA
Producers:
The
Glimmer Twins
Chief engineer:
Chris
Kimsey
Performed
onstage:
1978-79, 1995, 1997-99,
2003, 2006-07, 2012-14
Drums: Charlie
Watts
Bass: Bill Wyman
Electric guitars:
Mick
Jagger, Keith Richards (incl. 1st solo) & Ron Wood (2nd solo)
Vocals: Mick
Jagger
TrackTalk
(W)ith Respectable it was all there before we went in (the studio), because I like to write the songs that I write as complete as possible. I don't like leaving anything too open.
Well, I just thought it was funny. Respectable
really started off as a song in my head about how respectable
we
as a band were supposed to have become We're so respectable.
As
I went along with the singing, I just made things up and fit things in.
Now we're respected in society... I really meant US.
My wife's a
very honest person, and the songs's not about
her... (I)t's very
rock & roll. It's not like (Dylan's) Sara. Respectable
is very lighthearted when you hear it. That's why I don't like
divorcing
the lyrics from the music. 'Cause when you actually hear it sung, it's
not what it is, it's the way we do it... (I)t's not that serious: Get
out of my life, go take my wife - don't come back... it's not
supposed
to be taken seriously. If it were a ballad, if I sang it like: PLEEESE,
taaake my wiiiiife - you know what I mean? - well, it's not
that, it's
just a shit-kicking, rock & roll number.
It's important to be somewhat
influenced by
what's going on around you and on the Some Girls
album, I think
we definitely became more aggressive because of the punk thing. On this
track, I was banging out three chords incredibly loud on the electric
guitar,
wich isn't always a wonderful idea but was great fun here. This is a
punk
meets Chuck Berry number. The lyric carries no fantastically deep
message,
but I think it might have had something to do with Bianca.
Yeah, this is the kind of edgy punk
ethos.
Yeah, the groove of it - and on all those songs, the whole thing was to
play it all fast, fast, fast. I had a lot of problems with Keith about
it, but that was the deal at the time.
Not true at all. Completely the
reverse.
It probably WAS the other way
around, because
Mick can't even COUNT IN in time! Mick speeds up all the time. Luckily
you can't get any more solid than Charlie Watts and Keith Richards
playing
as a rhythm section.
Mick had this one already to go.
This was
one of the first times we allowed him to join in on guitar. He's a
really
good rhythm player, man; but then, he's had a good teacher.