Rocks Off

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""Rocks Off""

Song by The Rolling Stones
from the album Exile on Main St.
Released	May 12, 1972
Recorded	December 1971 - March, 1972
Genre	Rock
Length	4m:32s
Label	Rolling Stones/Virgin
Writer(s)	Jagger-Richards
Producer(s)	Jimmy Miller
Exile on Main St. track listing
	""Rocks Off"" (1)	"Rip This Joint" (2)

"Rocks Off" is a Rolling Stones song from the 1972 double album "Exile On Main St.".

Recorded between December, 1971 and March of 1972, "Rocks Off" is one of the many songs on the album that was recorded at Villa Nellcote, a house Keith Richards rented in the south of France. The harsh lyrics are thought to refer to erectile dysfunction, with Mick Jagger singing at one point:

What's the matter with the boy? He don't come around no more. Is he checking out for sure? Is he gonna close the door on me?

The mixing of the song is notoriously haphazard, as many instruments, and even the lead vocals, fade in and out of prominence. The villa's basement, where many of the songs were recorded, was extremely hot and many of the guitars could not stay in tune due to this. Jimmy Miller produced the track, and it features session men Nicky Hopkins on piano, Jim Price and Bobby Keys on brass, as well as regular band members Jagger (lead vocals), Richards (backing vocals, guitar), Charlie Watts (drums), Mick Taylor (guitar), and Bill Wyman (bass).

Contrary to popular belief, the intro guitar is not in open G tuning, but standard tuning.

This song should not be confused with the Def Leppard song of the same name.