Sweet Black Angel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Sweet Black Angel” | |||||
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| Song by The Rolling Stones | |||||
| Album | Exile on Main St. | ||||
| Released | 14 April 1972 | ||||
| Recorded | December 1971 - March, 1972 | ||||
| Genre | Rock, reggae | ||||
| Length | 2:58 | ||||
| Label | Rolling Stones/Virgin | ||||
| Writer | Jagger/Richards | ||||
| Producer | Jimmy Miller | ||||
| Exile on Main St. track listing | |||||
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"Sweet Black Angel" is a song by the Rolling Stones featured on their 1972 album Exile on Main St. Also released on single as the b-side to "Tumbling Dice" prior to the album.
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Sweet Black Angel" is one of the few outright political songs written by the Rolling Stones. A country-blues ballad, the song was written about civil rights activist Angela Davis, who was facing murder charges at the time.[1] Steve Kurutz says in his review, "Having never heard of Angela Davis, a listener could easily overlook the political lyrics and get lost in the circular acoustic plucking or the washboard rhythm that propels the song so well. Yet, by knowing the case history one realizes how deft and clever Mick's lyrics could be, even if he hides behind his best backwoods diction and garbled annunciation obscure the point."
| “ | Well de gal in danger, de gal in chains, but she keep on pushin', would you do the same? She countin' up de minutes, she countin' up de days. She's a sweet black angel, not a gun toting teacher, not a Red lovin' school mom; ain't someone gonna free her, free de sweet black slave, free de sweet black slave | ” |
Recording took place at Los Angeles' Sunset Sound Studios between the months of December, 1971, and March, 1972. With Jagger on lead vocals, Richards and Mick Taylor perform guitars, Bill Wyman the bass, and Charlie Watts on the drums. Richard "Didymus" Washington performs marimbas for the track while producer Jimmy Miller lends support percussion.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Kurutz, Steve. "Sweet Black Angel". allmusic. allmusic. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.
- ^ "Torn and Frayed". Keno's Rolling Stones Lyrics. 2007 (accessed 21 September 2007).
