In February 1967, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones were arrested for drug possession. The bust happened at Redlands, Richards’ country house estate in West Sussex, England. They both felt that the police targeted them after being the subject of tabloid articles regarding the decadent lifestyles of rock stars. On June 29, 1967, the pair were sentenced to jail time and a monetary fine. They both posted bail and were released the following day. Guitarist Brian Jones was also arrested for drug possession.
Videos by American Songwriter
The Rolling Stones would face legal battles for the next decade. A few months before the Redlands bust, Jagger escaped a close call in the recording studio. This is the story behind “Let’s Spend the Night Together” by The Rolling Stones.
My, my, my, my
Don’t you worry ’bout what’s on your mind (oh my)
I’m in no hurry. I can take my time (oh my)
I’m going red, and my tongue’s getting tied (tongues’ getting tied)
I’m off my head, and my mouth’s getting dry
I’m high, but I try, try, try (oh my)
Let’s spend the night together
Now, I need you more than ever
Let’s spend the night together now
The Recording
The instrumental track was recorded in August 1966 at RCA Studios in Los Angeles during The Rolling Stones’ 1966 American Tour. The recording features Charlie Watts on drums, Jones on organ, Richards on guitar and bass, and arranger/songwriter Jack Nitzsche on piano. Regular bassist Bill Wyman did not appear on the track. Jagger would add the vocals at Olympic Studios in London several weeks later.
I feel so strong that I can’t disguise (oh my)
Let’s spend the night together
But I just can’t apologize (oh no)
Let’s spend the night together
Don’t hang me up, and don’t let me down (don’t let me down)
We could have fun just groovin’ around, around and around
Oh my, my
Let’s spend the night together
Now, I need you more than ever
Let’s spend the night together
The Overdubs
Studio engineer Glyn Johns set up a vocal booth in Olympic Studios to record Jagger’s lead vocals. The Rolling Stones had recently gotten into the routine of recording through the night, starting at 8 p.m. and continuing until sunrise. None of the other band members were present that day. Only Johns, his assistant, band manager Andrew Loog Oldham, and his driver Eddie were present when Jagger was recording. They had been working for about 20 minutes when two unexpected visitors arrived.
Johns wrote about the scene in his 2015 memoir, Sound Man: A Life Recording Hits with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, the Faces …, “[Jagger] had lit up a joint, so there was a haze of blue smoke hanging above him. We were in the middle of a take when, much to our surprise, the main door into the studio opened and two uniformed policemen gingerly entered. The studio was one floor above street level. The policemen had been on their rounds of the area on foot, had tried the front door of the building, and finding it unlocked, came in to check it out. There being no one on the ground floor, they came up the large stone stairs to check the rest of the building. … They could not see Mick, had no idea who they were intruding on, and could only hear him singing. Mick, in turn, could not see them and was oblivious to their presence.”
Let’s spend the night together
Now, I need you more than ever
Quick-Thinking Manager
Johns continued, “Andrew Oldham and I could see the boys in blue, and his reaction to the situation was remarkable, not only by the speed with which he reacted but by the extraordinary distraction he created to preserve Mick and himself from a certain bust. He asked me to stop the tape, with Mick in full voice. He told his ever-faithful driver, Eddie, to make a quick exit out of the back of the control room with his doctor’s bag full of illegal substances … then immediately put the talkback key down to the studio, politely asking if he could help the two bewildered coppers standing at the back of the room. This informed Mick that we had company, and it was not until he peered round the screens to see what the hell was going on that they realized who it was they had interrupted, and in turn, he realized the significance of who was standing there and that this could be quite a serious problem.”
You know I’m smiling, baby
You need some guiding, baby
I’m just deciding, baby, now
I need you more than ever
Let’s spend the night together
Let’s spend the night together now
Some Extra Percussion
After the policemen apologized for interrupting the session, Oldham asked if they had their nightsticks. When they produced them, the manager borrowed them and passed them to Mick, saying they needed percussion on the bridge.
Johns wrote, “The policemen stood to one side, I ran the tape, and Mick overdubbed their truncheons on the bridge. They seemed thrilled by the experience, and having a great story to tell their kids, they left the building happy. When they had gone, the front door was locked, Eddie was summoned, and we continued, finishing the song that evening. For some extraordinary reason, Andrew and Mick decided to keep the totally unnecessary sound of the truncheons being hit together in the mix. If you listen carefully, you can just hear them.”
This doesn’t happen to me every day (oh my)
Let’s spend the night together
No excuses offered anyway (oh my)
Let’s spend the night together
I’ll satisfy your every need (your every need)
And I now know you will satisfy me
Oh my, my, my, my, my
Let’s spend the night together
Now, I need you more than ever
Let’s spend the night together now (oh my my my my my my)
Let’s spend the night together
Now I need you, need you more than ever (oh my)
Let’s spend the night together
I satisfy your every need (whoa my)
Let’s spend the night together
Now I know, I know you satisfy me (whoa my).
Let’s spend the night together
I beg you, baby, (Let’s spend the night together)
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Larry Ellis/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
