Start Me Up
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Start Me Up" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Rolling Stones | ||
| from the album Tattoo You | ||
| Released | 1981 | |
| Format | CD, 7" | |
| Recorded | 1977, re-recorded 1981 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 3 min 33 s | |
| Label | Rolling Stones/Virgin | |
| Producer(s) | The Glimmer Twins | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Rolling Stones singles chronology | ||
| "She's So Cold" (1981) |
"Start Me Up" (1981) |
"Waiting on a Friend" (1981) |
"Start Me Up" is a song by The Rolling Stones which was featured on the 1981 album Tattoo You.
The song was first recorded in Paris during the 1977 Some Girls sessions under the working titles "Never Stop" and "Start it Up". The song was originally recorded as a reggae track, but after dozens of takes the band decided to abort it. After Chris Kimsey proposed to Jagger to search the archive for a new album, Kimsey found two takes of the song with a more Rock vibe. Overdubs were done on the track in early 1981. The infectious "thump" to the song was achieved using mixer Bob Clearmountain's famed "bathroom reverb", a process involving the recording of some of the song's vocal and drum tracks with a miked speaker in the bathroom of the Power Station recording studio in New York City. It was there where final touches were added to the song, including Mick Jagger's switch of the main lyrics from "start it up" to "start me up."
The song reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Charts in August 1981 (and No. 2 in the US). It remains a significant single as the Stones have not been back into the UK Top 10 since. The B-Side was a slow blues number called "No Use In Crying" which also featured on the Tattoo You album. A popular music video was produced for the single, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
A cover by Salt-N-Pepa reached the lower position of 39 in October 1992.
"Start Me Up" is often used to open the Stones' live shows and has been featured on the live albums Still Life, Flashpoint, and Live Licks.
The song was one of three played by the Rolling Stones at half time during the Super Bowl XL in 2006. Along with "Rough Justice" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," Mick Jagger allegedly omitted ostensibly objectionable words from the song. It was later revealed that the volume on Jagger's mic had not been turned down at points, without the singer's prior permission, but instead Jagger had agreed to leave out lines that were found offensive. [1]
Microsoft Corporation used this song in the Windows 95 marketing campaign, although paying significantly less than the $14 million rumored. [2]
