Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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
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
Let It Bleed: Epic Classic or Just Another Good Album?
Awesome. Groovy. Chilling. Gut-wrenching. Spine-tingling. Mesmerizing.... While some may venture to say that no words could describe the genius that was "Let It Bleed", you can take your pick from the preceding superlatives and hopefully that will suffice. The fact is that "Let It Bleed" was awesome, groovy, chilling, gut-wrenching, spine-tingling, mesmerizing, and even to some extent indescribable. So the answer to the above question is that, no, "Let It Bleed" was not any old album... and not even any old good album. It was so much more than that.
Why?... What was it about "Let It Bleed" that made it so valuable musically, culturally, aesthetically, historically?...
It begins and ends with the effect the music had on people. It captivated its listeners, removing them from their own personal realities and placing them into the world of The Rolling Stones - a world which, in many ways, realized the darker aspects of humanity. Yes, it features an almost unprecedented level of creativity, collaboration and musicianship, but "Let It Bleed" transcended musical competence because of its ability to evoke, what many refer to as, the darker sides of their souls. Playing heavily on its blues roots, "Let It Bleed" lends an almost seductive aura to the dark and the twisted aspects of the human race. Prime example?... "Midnight Rambler", one of the darkest yet most bone-chilling and masterful songs on the album.
"Midnight Rambler" is, quite simply, about murder. It features a stunning partnership of Keith Richards on the slide guitar and Mick Jaggers on the harmonica. The lyrics literally describe the 'thrill' of breaking into people's houses and murdering them in their beds. Therefore, it's safe to say that the lyrics, by themselves, are nothing short of disturbing. However, listening to the song as a whole is a completely different experience. Instead of being horrified by the thought of mass murder, listeners are swept into the appeal, the intrigue, the drama that the Stones create. Between the whirling of the almost demonically teasing harmonica, the sudden, unpredictable and chilling halt, the throbbing bass and drum beats, the eerie and wicked cackle, and the hypnotizing, brutal and explosive conclusion, the song truly showcases the genius of both The Rolling Stones and their album "Let It Bleed". "Midnight Rambler" is undoubtedly savage, but there is something interesting if not remarkable about such savagery. It is enough to corrupt even the saintliest of listeners... such is the power of the Stones' persuasion.
And then... as if "Let It Bleed" couldn't get any more excruciatingly great... The Rolling Stones come up with "You Can't Always Get What You Want, which features not dark, almost sadistic lyrics and instruments but, instead, gospel choirs and a beautiful, uplifting message. Talk about range. Juxtaposing "Midnight Rambler" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want", which tells the tale of beaten, angry, battered souls who, despite it all, still manage to survive (what a metaphor for the youth of the sixties!), is nothing short of mind-blowing. The Stones' decision to end "Let It Bleed" really solidifies the Stones' ultimate message for the album and for the entire 60s in general: that, if we just accept ourselves and each other (weaknesses and inadequacies included), our daily struggles will seem considerably lighter and, furthermore, we might even catch a glimpse of a higher meaning.
And the list doesn't end there. "Gimme Shelter" and "Let It Bleed" and you have an awesome selection of songs. And an awesome range. The Rolling Stones' ability to take you into, what you could rightly call, the depths of evil and even insanity in "Midnight Rambler", the apocalyptic foreboding in "Gimme Shelter", the drug world of "Let It Bleed" and the ultimate source of hope in "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in one single album that, despite its tremendous diversity and variety, still manages to keep its believability and authenticity - it's tremendous. And it makes "Let It Bleed" sensational... valuable... epic even.
At the end of the day, "Let It Bleed" is an experience. It's a journey... it's a triumph... it's a classic; and its value musically, culturally, aesthetically, and historically is not to be under-appreciated. Instead, "Let It Bleed" screams importance and, as instructed on the album, "This record should be played loud"!
Sources:
http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/als_page2/Rolling_Stones_Let_it_Bleed.html
http://jalopnik.com/383931/what-are-your-ten-favorite-wrenching-albums
Why?... What was it about "Let It Bleed" that made it so valuable musically, culturally, aesthetically, historically?...
It begins and ends with the effect the music had on people. It captivated its listeners, removing them from their own personal realities and placing them into the world of The Rolling Stones - a world which, in many ways, realized the darker aspects of humanity. Yes, it features an almost unprecedented level of creativity, collaboration and musicianship, but "Let It Bleed" transcended musical competence because of its ability to evoke, what many refer to as, the darker sides of their souls. Playing heavily on its blues roots, "Let It Bleed" lends an almost seductive aura to the dark and the twisted aspects of the human race. Prime example?... "Midnight Rambler", one of the darkest yet most bone-chilling and masterful songs on the album.
"Midnight Rambler" is, quite simply, about murder. It features a stunning partnership of Keith Richards on the slide guitar and Mick Jaggers on the harmonica. The lyrics literally describe the 'thrill' of breaking into people's houses and murdering them in their beds. Therefore, it's safe to say that the lyrics, by themselves, are nothing short of disturbing. However, listening to the song as a whole is a completely different experience. Instead of being horrified by the thought of mass murder, listeners are swept into the appeal, the intrigue, the drama that the Stones create. Between the whirling of the almost demonically teasing harmonica, the sudden, unpredictable and chilling halt, the throbbing bass and drum beats, the eerie and wicked cackle, and the hypnotizing, brutal and explosive conclusion, the song truly showcases the genius of both The Rolling Stones and their album "Let It Bleed". "Midnight Rambler" is undoubtedly savage, but there is something interesting if not remarkable about such savagery. It is enough to corrupt even the saintliest of listeners... such is the power of the Stones' persuasion.
"I am a quiet man with an uneventful life, but the spirit of this song connects with something primal in me. Whatever that something is, it has sweltered under a blanket of repression and guilt; given the opportunity by this music, it dances for joy in the light of day. I am left feeling whole and exhilarated."- Reflects Rolling Stones fan Mark Harkin
And then... as if "Let It Bleed" couldn't get any more excruciatingly great... The Rolling Stones come up with "You Can't Always Get What You Want, which features not dark, almost sadistic lyrics and instruments but, instead, gospel choirs and a beautiful, uplifting message. Talk about range. Juxtaposing "Midnight Rambler" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want", which tells the tale of beaten, angry, battered souls who, despite it all, still manage to survive (what a metaphor for the youth of the sixties!), is nothing short of mind-blowing. The Stones' decision to end "Let It Bleed" really solidifies the Stones' ultimate message for the album and for the entire 60s in general: that, if we just accept ourselves and each other (weaknesses and inadequacies included), our daily struggles will seem considerably lighter and, furthermore, we might even catch a glimpse of a higher meaning.
And the list doesn't end there. "Gimme Shelter" and "Let It Bleed" and you have an awesome selection of songs. And an awesome range. The Rolling Stones' ability to take you into, what you could rightly call, the depths of evil and even insanity in "Midnight Rambler", the apocalyptic foreboding in "Gimme Shelter", the drug world of "Let It Bleed" and the ultimate source of hope in "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in one single album that, despite its tremendous diversity and variety, still manages to keep its believability and authenticity - it's tremendous. And it makes "Let It Bleed" sensational... valuable... epic even.
At the end of the day, "Let It Bleed" is an experience. It's a journey... it's a triumph... it's a classic; and its value musically, culturally, aesthetically, and historically is not to be under-appreciated. Instead, "Let It Bleed" screams importance and, as instructed on the album, "This record should be played loud"!
Sources:
http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/als_page2/Rolling_Stones_Let_it_Bleed.html
http://jalopnik.com/383931/what-are-your-ten-favorite-wrenching-albums
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Gimme Shelter: The Documentary
"Gimme Shelter" is a documentary directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin, following The Rolling Stones on their 1969 tour. Its main focus is the tragic Altamont concert.
(Image taken from http://www.imbd.com)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Altamont: the Decline of an Era
300,000 young, hip attendants... A mega-star lineup including Jefferson Airplanes and The Grateful Dead... Organized by one of the grooviest bands of the age - The Rolling Stones...
At a glance, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival had all the makings to be a smash. In fact, it was actually anticipated to be the "Woodstock of the West". Held on December 6, 1969 at the Altamont Speedway in northern California, it was planned and organized by The Rolling Stones, who wanted to cap off their American tour with a concert of such magnitude and such exuberance to rival Woodstock (which had occurred four months earlier in August, 1969).
In accordance with The Stones' vision for Altamont, no professional security was hired. Instead, upon the recommendation of The Grateful Dead, the Stones hired motorcycle gang Hells Angels to provide security for the band. Hells Angels had a reputation among the hippies as "noble savages" or "outlaw brothers of the counterculture" because of their relationship with Ken Kesey, who had Angels to participate in one of his Acid Tests. So, again, the Angles seemed to effortlessly fit into the Stones' vision for Altamont. Their price?... It's rumored that the Hells Angels were hired for $500 worth of beer.
While the Stones' intention for Altamont was peaceful enough, the concert went horrifically and even tragically wrong - despite all of its initial promise. By the end of the night, the mood of the concert turned increasingly violent, agitated and aggressive, fueled by the Hells Angels, who, by that time, were completely intoxicated. The crowd, most of which had been using LSD, were unpredictable and unruly, attacking one another and members of the Angels. Before the Stones even took the stage, fights erupted, with crowd member Denise Jewkes suffering a stress fracture and Marty Balin of the Jefferson Airplanes getting punched in the head by the Hells Angels. The Grateful Dead refused to even perform.
By the time The Rolling Stones took the stage, things had clearly gotten out of hand. The picture is almost too insane to even believe. Mick Jagger, within minutes, was punched in the face by a crowd member. Thousands attempted to swarm the stage, with Hells Angels members warding them off with pool sticks.
"Just be cool down in the front there, don't push around."- Mick Jagger
"I saw what he was looking at, that he was crazy, he was on drugs, and that he had murderous intent. There was no doubt in my mind that he intended to do terrible harm to Mick or somebody in the Rolling Stones, or somebody on that stage".- Hells Angel, Rock Scully [on Meredith Hunter]
During The Rolling Stones' performance of "Under My Thumb", fan Meredith Hunter (age 18), after attempting to climb onstage, was punched and chased away by Hells Angels members. Irate, and high to the point of near insanity, Hunter returned and attempted to pull a revolver out of his suit pocket. Hells Angel Paul Passaro stabbed Hunter, killing the eighteen year old (the incident was actually caught on film by Eric Saarrinen and later featured in the documentary "Gimme Shelter"). The footage shows Passaro stabbing Hunter five different times and, afterward, Hells Angels members stomping on Hunter's dead body.
Passaro was later arrested and tried for murder in 1971. He was found not guilty on the grounds of self-defense. Autopsies of Hunter's body showed that he was high on meth at the time of his death. The Stones have maintained that, while they were aware of the unruliness of the crowd, they had no idea of the stabbing.
In many ways, Altamont represented the decline of an era. It truly closed the door on the 1960s... perhaps burying forever the idea that drugs, chaos and total, unrestrained freedom could inspire total, unrestrained peace. Instead, Altamont revealed flaws and cracks within the hippies' ideology. It made it obvious that such events had a very dangerous potential because of their combination of drugs, no security, and masses of people. It seemed, after Altamont, that many (the Stones included) began to doubt that drugs could change the world, as included in the hippies' very romanticized principles.
Thus, Altamont represented a critical juncture in the Stones' career. It was one of their last gigs in the 60s, but, more than that, it was their last gig of the true hippie era. It demonstrated the disillusionment of the hippie dream, and The Rolling Stones emerged from Altamont a more mature and experienced band.
"Writers focus on Altamont not because it brought on the end of an era but because it provided such a complex metaphor for the way an era ended".- Robert Christgau, rock music critic
Certainly Altamont has been solidified as one of the most important and most infamous music festivals of all times. And, with it, history was made. Altamont, and ultimately the entire "Let It Bleed" album, truly did change history - it represented the death of Woodstock Nation, and, for that, its place in history is of indescribable magnitude.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
In the Eyes of the Critics
For many, "Let It Bleed" is a musical masterpiece, featuring some of The Rolling Stones' greatest creative visions and expressions. If "Beggar's Banquet" first placed the Stones onto a platform of musical competence, "Let It Bleed" propelled them even further on their climb to artistic genius. Perhaps for the first time, the Stones, in "Let It Bleed", truly offered a social commentary on the societal ongoings unfolding around them. Hit tracks included "Gimme Shelter", which was exhaulted for its dramatic lyrics and gourndbreaking guitar chords, and "You Can't Always Get What You Want", which was considered the "epic" and "stunning" climax of the album because of its tremendous chorus, lyrics, use of horns, and overall structure. The album was also praised for its inclusion of more blues-oriented tracks, like "You Got the Silver" and "Love in Vain", which truly embraced the Stones' blues roots.
Overall, "Let It Bleed", as critics noted, accurately reflected the general attitudes and emotions of the time. And it was subsequently praised for this achievement. It is widely considered one of the Stones' greatest albums of all time, and the charts certainly speak for themselves... #1 on the 1969 UK Album Charts and #3 on the 1969 Billboard Pop Albums.... not so shabby.
Sources:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/r16831
http://www.sixtiesmusic.org/rollingstones.html
http://starling.rinet.ru/music/stones.html
"Brilliant."- Times.com
"Dark, dreary, but oh so beautiful. Anthems, ballads, spooky celebrations of murder - all set to an unbelievably creative set of melodies... This album is bleeding so strong that it gets my vote for the best Stones album ever and one of the greatest rock albums ever made by mortal man."- Music reviewer, George Starostin
Overall, "Let It Bleed", as critics noted, accurately reflected the general attitudes and emotions of the time. And it was subsequently praised for this achievement. It is widely considered one of the Stones' greatest albums of all time, and the charts certainly speak for themselves... #1 on the 1969 UK Album Charts and #3 on the 1969 Billboard Pop Albums.... not so shabby.
Sources:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/r16831
http://www.sixtiesmusic.org/rollingstones.html
http://starling.rinet.ru/music/stones.html
Monday, May 2, 2011
Gimme Shelter... From Vietnam!
Gimme Shelter
Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'
My very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost its way
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
The floods is threat'ning
My very life today
Gimme, gimme shelter
Or I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
Kiss away, kiss away
Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'
My very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost its way
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
Rape, murder!
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
The floods is threat'ning
My very life today
Gimme, gimme shelter
Or I'm gonna fade away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
Kiss away, kiss away
So goes the celebrated song "Gimme Shelter" - the opening track of the Stones' 1969 album "Let It Bleed". Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song is mid-tempo, and features a rhythm guitar intro from Richards. It also involves one of the Stones' rare collaborations with a female artist, Merry Clayton, which, according to the Stones, was their producer Jimmy Miller's idea. Also on the track are pianist Nicky Hopkins, percussionist (and producer) Jimmy Miller, bass guitarist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts (band member Brian Jones was not featured on "Gimme Shelter"). On main vocals were Merry Clayton and Mick Jagger.
The song seems depressing to say the least. Using images of fire, floods, war and rape, "Gimme Shelter" tells the story of an individual seeking shelter from an approaching storm. It paints an apocalyptic portrait, depicting scenes of devastation, war, violence and evil.
And, in this way, "Gimme Shelter" is the perfect goodbye to the 60s. The Stones, through the song, are actually offering a social commentary on the tumultuous decade that was the 1960s. From the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Vietnam War, the 60s are presented, through the song "Gimme Shelter" as a sort of 'beginning of the end' - the end of the world that is. As Mick Jagger said in an interview in 1995 with Rolling Stone magazine,
"Well, it's a very rough, very violent era. The Vietnam War. Violence on the screens, pillage and burning. And Vietnam was not war as we knew it in the conventional sense... That's a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It's apocalypse; the whole record's like that."
The song definitely inspires a surge of emotions within listeners. The lyrics are dripping with the unfortunate societal realities, and blatantly point out how far society has diverged from peace and harmony. The world, according the the song, is on the brink of apocalypse, and, looking at the destruction that splattered across the decade, it's hard to say that the Rolling Stones didn't have a point. But the tone of the song is not necessarily angry. Reading the lyrics, without prior knowledge of the actual recorded version of the song, one might anticipate a song seething with bitterness. And the song certainly expresses a definite sense of frustration and discontentment. Yet, again, the tone isn't quite angry. It's more reflective.. somber.
And this only futher solidifies "Gimme Shelter"'s place as an important piece of protest music. It does not inspire or encourage further violence or resentment. Instead, its message is that all of this evil, all of the suffering and devastation can be quite easily cancelled out... yes, by love. After bringing listeners into this almost hopeless, dark and depressing place, it lifts them back up again, promising that shelter can indeed be found and, furthermore, 'it's just a kiss away'. The juxtaposition found in the last segment of the song is so simple yet so genius: "War, children, it's just a shot away". The Stones are speaking from a position of authority, addressing those who condone war and violence as 'children' as if they need to learn from the more experienced, the more mature and pacific individuals, with which the Stones personally identify. The Stones diminish those instigating the chaos of the 60s, again reducing them to being 'child-like'. And yet, in juxtaposition... "Love, sister, it's just a kiss away". Those who, like the Stones, call for love, for peace and for harmony are equals - sisters, even. They stand together, bonded by an almost familial tie, in a definite example of solidarity. And, truly, they stand for love. What a beautiful, uplifting and, perhaps most of all, hopefull way to conclude not only a song... but an era.
Sources:
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