You Can't Always Get What You Want

You Can't Always Get What You Want

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was footloose man

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you might find
You get what you need

I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You get what you need

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You get what you need

You get what you need--yeah, oh baby

I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need 

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is the last song on the historic album. The sixties hit was listed as the one hundredth best song of all time in 2004 by Rolling Stone magazine. Although “You Cant Always Get What You Want” is one of the most well known songs on the album, it was not released as a single. Instead, it was released as the B-Side of “Honkey Tonk Women.”

The song has quite the unusual opening- the London Bach Choir, a children’s singing group. The song is often compared to “Hey Jude” by the Beatles. Besides the similar choir aspects, Jagger remarked in 1969 that: 

"I liked the way the Beatles did that with 'Hey Jude'. The orchestra was not just to cover everything up - it was something extra. We may do something like that on the next album."

The hit song, however, did not feature all of the classic members of the Rolling Stones. Other musicians were brought in to play the music for the track. The Stones had Al Kooper play the organ and French Horn, which would typically be played by Brian Jones. At the time, Jones was suffering from severe drug problems and could not record the song. Charlie Watts also did not play the drums part in the song. Apparently, Watts was unable to nail down the rhythm, leading him to furiously storm out of the studio. Stone’s producer Jimmy Miller took up the part as drummer for the song.

Reflecting back in 2003, Jagger said,

"'You Can't Always Get What You Want' was something I just played on the acoustic guitar - one of those bedroom songs. It proved to be quite difficult to record because Charlie couldn't play the groove and so Jimmy Miller had to play the drums. I also had this idea of having a choir, probably a gospel choir, on the track, but there wasn't one around at that point. Jack Nitzsche, or somebody, said that we could get the London Bach Choir and we said 'That will be a laugh'".

Jimmy’s role in the famous song could be even more prevalent than his role as a musician. It is widely speculated that the Mr. Jimmy referred to the song is actually Jimmy Miller. However, another theory involves Mick Jagger’s experience at a drug store in Excelsior, Minnesota. According to the story, Jagger was standing in line at the Exelsior Drug store in 1964 after playing in the Danceland ballroom the night before. A local resident, Jimmy Heutmaker, started talking to Jagger about how he loved his cherry coke (which at the time had actual cherries in it!) That morning, however, Heutmaker was given a different flavor of coke. To this, he responded, “You know, Mr. Jagger, you cant always get what you want.” The credibility of this story is highly doubted, and was even referred to as an “urban legend” by Webster’s Dictionary. Jagger has never acknowledged this conversation with Heutmaker, or attributed the inspiration to the song to him. The five-year gap between the alleged meeting and the recording of the song also adds to suspicion of its truthfulness.

"It's a good song, even if I say so myself. It's got a very sing-along chorus, and people can identify with it: No one gets what they always want. It's got a very good melody. It's got very good orchestral touches that Jack Nitzsche helped with. So it's got all the ingredients".

                                          - Mick Jagger 

The song as a whole speaks to the many ways people were disappointed and dissatisfied with their lives. The lyrics address the main themes of the 1960s: love, drugs, and politics. The verses seem to depict the optimism that was first present in the 1960s, followed by disappointment, punctuated with the practicality of the chorus.

“I knew she was gonna meet her connection

At her feet was her footloose man”

The woman in this lyric turns to drugs to cope with her disappointment, caused by her “footloose man,” or unfaithful husband.

, "We're gonna vent our frustration

If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"

….yet another method of releasing frustration.

Richie Unterberger, an American journalist, said, 

"Much has been made of the lyrics reflecting the end of the overlong party that was the 1960s, as a snapshot of Swinging London burning out. That's a valid interpretation, but it should also be pointed out that there's also an uplifting and reassuring quality to the melody and performance. This is particularly true of the key lyrical hook, when we are reminded that we can't always get what we want, but we'll get what we need."

The positive message of this song cannot be denied, as the Stones continually assure that “If you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” The chorus has one simple message: that you can make it through. The ultimately motivating tone of this song ends the groundbreaking album on a high note as a testament to the strength of individuals.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Can't_Always_Get_What_You_Want

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=527