On this day (May 22) in 1971, The Rolling Stones started a four-week run atop the Billboard 200 albums chart with Sticky Fingers. The album went on to top charts in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom. It was their first album to go to No. 1 in both countries. The record would also introduce several classic tracks, including “Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” and “Dead Flowers.”
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Sticky Fingers was, in a way, a return to form for The Rolling Stones. After several albums of experimental instrumentation, this release took them back to the basics. The album was also the first studio album to feature new guitarist Mick Taylor after he made his debut on their live album Get Yer Ya-Ya-Ya’s Out. While he was only with the band for a few years, his style left an indelible mark on the band’s output in the early 1970s.
[RELATED: Behind the NSFW Zippable Album Cover ‘Sticky Fingers’ by the Rolling Stones]
The album was more than a hit, it was a milestone in The Rolling Stones’ long legacy. It featured a few songs–“Brown Sugar,” “Wild Horses,” and “Dead Flowers” among them–that would go down as classics. Its controversial lyrics led “Brown Sugar” to be one of the band’s most talked-about songs. However, the album introduced more than iconic songs. It was also the first release to feature the band’s signature lips and tongue design. More than five decades later, the image is synonymous with the band.
The Rolling Stones’ Hit Album Featured Unforgettable Artwork
More than being the first album to feature what would become The Rolling Stones’ logo, Sticky Fingers also had an unforgettable cover. Created by Andy Warhol and Craig Braun, the cover featured the crotch of a man wearing tight jeans. On the original pressing of the album, the jeans featured a working zipper with white cotton fabric behind it to simulate underwear. The covers were expensive to produce and damaged the vinyl inside. As a result, future pressings just featured the photo.
Many fans believed they were looking at a close-up shot of Mick Jagger’s crotch when they picked up Sticky Fingers, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, it was actor, model, and member of Warhol’s Factory collective, Joe Dallesandro.
Interestingly, Dallesandro also shows up in another rock and roll classic. Lou Reed mentions him in the iconic track “Walk on the Wild Side.” However, Reed used his nickname, Little Joe.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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