The 1966 album Aftermath is a turning point in The Rolling Stones‘ career. When they started as a rhythm and blues combo, the band performed the music of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Chuck Berry. Their repertoire expanded to include material by Marvin Gaye, Don Covay, and Sam Cooke. Aftermath marked the first album containing all original songs by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Let’s take a look at the story behind one of those songs, “Under My Thumb” by The Rolling Stones.
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Under my thumb
The girl who once had me down
Under my thumb
The girl who once pushed me around
Aftermath
The original working title for the album was Could You Walk on the Water? but for fear of offending American Christians, it was changed. The band agreed to call it Aftermath. The British version of the album was 52 minutes long, the longest for a popular album up to that time. The U.S. version was considerably shorter, substituting “Paint It Black” for four other songs.
It’s down to me
The difference in the clothes she wears
Down to me, the change has come
She’s under my thumb
And ain’t it the truth, babe?
Marimba
Bandleader Brian Jones mainly played guitar early on, but he was adept at many instruments, including harmonica, keyboards, sitar, dulcimer, saxophone, marimba, recorder, and autoharp. When the band wrote “Under My Thumb,” it was a simple three-chord tune. Jones began experimenting with a Mexican marimba left behind in the recording studio from a previous session. He came up with the musical figure that transformed the song. As the band continued to evolve, Richards began to become frustrated with Jones, who had lost interest in the guitar. Richards considered the core of The Rolling Stones’ sound to be two guitars. With Jones playing guitar less and less, Richards often had to overdub parts in the studio. Jones’ growing drug use also contributed to his unreliability, eventually leading to his dismissal from the group.
Under my thumb
It’s a squirmin’ dog who’s just had her day
Under my thumb
A girl who has just changed her ways
Piano
Ian Stewart was a founding member of The Rolling Stones and played piano on many of their recordings. He drove the group to gigs, set up equipment, and loaded gear. Stewart later recorded with Led Zeppelin on “Rock and Roll” and “Boogie with Stu,” as well as George Thorogood and The Destroyers on Bad to the Bone. In 2011, Jagger told The Independent, “He really helped this band swing on numbers like ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and loads of others. Stu was the one guy we tried to please. We wanted his approval when we were writing or rehearsing a song. We’d want him to like it.”
It’s down to me
Yes it is
The way she does just what she’s told down to me
The change has come
She’s under my thumb
Ah, ah, say it’s alright
Reception
“Under My Thumb” caused an uproar among feminists when The Rolling Stones included it on their album. In 1995, Jagger told Rolling Stone magazine, “It’s a bit of a jokey number, really. It’s not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others. … It’s a caricature, and it’s in reply to a girl who was a very pushy woman.”
Under my thumb
It’s a Siamese cat of a girl
Under my thumb
She’s the sweetest, hmmm, pet in the world
“The Whole Idea Is Absurd”
Aftermath had other songs dealing with similar subject matter. “Stupid Girl,” “High and Dry,” “Out of Time,” and “Think” all deal with relationships and views from a male perspective. Jagger said in 1984, “The whole idea was that I was under her. She was kicking me around. So, the whole idea is absurd. All I did was turn the tables around. So, women took that to be against femininity, where in reality, it was trying to ‘get back’ against being a repressed male.”
It’s down to me
The way she talks when she’s spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She’s under my thumb
Ah, take it easy, babe
Yeah
Altamont
In 1969, when the band performed at The Altamont Speedway Free Festival outside of Tracy, California, approximately 300,000 people showed up. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were providing security for the event, and as the band played “Under My Thumb,” 18-year-old Meredith Hunter approached the stage with a .22 caliber revolver. Hells Angel Alan Passaro pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed Hunter two times, killing him. A jury later found Passaro not guilty of murder.
It’s down to me, oh yeah
The way she talks when she’s spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She’s under my thumb
Yeah, it feels alright
Cover Versions
Through the years, many artists have recorded “Under My Thumb.” Del Shannon and Wayne Gibson both released versions in 1966. The Who recorded the song after The Rolling Stones’ Redlands drug bust. In 1975, Tina Turner included it on her album Acid Queen. The Hounds and Streetheart covered the song in 1979. Social Distortion and comedian Sam Kinison also recorded versions, and Kim Carnes performed the song live on the TV show Fridays.
Under my thumb
Her eyes are just kept to herself
Under my thumb, well, I
I can still look at someone else
Album Cover
Guy Webster took the photo of the band and manager Andrew Loog Oldham designed the front cover design for the UK release. Jerry Schatzberg took photos included on the back cover. Just after the release of Aftermath, Brian Jones told Melody Maker magazine of his dislike of the artwork. When asked about Oldham, he said, “Fantastic creative guy; I admire him for that. I don’t like the new LP cover he did, but I don’t think it was really his fault.”
It’s down to me, oh that’s what I said
The way she talks when she’s spoken to
Down to me, the change has come
She’s under my thumb
Say, it’s alright
Say it’s all
Say it’s all
Take it easy, babe
Take it easy, babe
Feels alright
Take it, take it easy, babe
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
