Sympathy for the Devil

"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by The Rolling Stones which first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet.

Inspiration

"Sympathy for the Devil" was written by singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, though the song was largely a Jagger composition.^[1] In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger said, "I think that was taken from an old idea of Baudelaire's, I think, but I could be wrong. Sometimes when I look at my Baudelaire books, I can't see it in there. But it was an idea I got from French writing. And I just took a couple of lines and expanded on it. I wrote it as sort of like a Bob Dylan song." ^[1] In actuality at certain points the lyrics bear a striking resemblance to Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita (see below).^[2] It was Richards who suggested changing the tempo and using additional percussion, turning the folk song into a samba.^[2][3]

The working title of the song was "The Devil Is My Name", and it is sung by Jagger as a first-person narrative from the point of view of Lucifer:^[4]

These opening lines reflect Jagger's direct inspiration by The Master and Margarita, with the book opening with the similar "'Please excuse me,' he said, speaking correctly, but with a foreign accent, 'for presuming to speak to you without an introduction.'"

Backed by an intensifying rock arrangement, the narrator, with chilling narcissistic relish, recounts his exploits over the course of human history and warns the listener: "If you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste; use all your well-learned politesse, or I'll lay your soul to waste." Jagger stated in the Rolling Stone interview: "...it's a very long historical figure -- the figures of evil and figures of good -- so it is a tremendously long trail he's made as personified in this piece."^[1]

At the time of the release of Beggars Banquet the Rolling Stones had already raised some hackles for sexually forward lyrics such as "Let's Spend the Night Together" ^[5] and for allegedly dabbling in Satanism ^[2] (their previous album, while containing no direct Satanic references, had been titled Their Satanic Majesties Request), and "Sympathy" brought these concerns to the fore, provoking media rumours and fears among some religious groups that The Rolling Stones were devil-worshippers and a corrupting influence on youth.^[2] The lyrics' focus, however, is on atrocities in the history of mankind, including wars of religion ("I watched with glee while your kings and queens fought for ten decades for the Gods they made"), the violence of the Russian Revolution of 1917 ("I stuck around St. Petersburg when I saw it was a time for a change, killed the Tsar and his ministers - Anastasia screamed in vain") and World War II ("I rode a tank, held a general's rank when the Blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank").^[6] The lyrics also refer to the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy. The recording sessions for the track were in progress when the latter was killed, and the words were changed from "Who killed Kennedy?" to "who killed the Kennedys?"

The song may have been spared further controversy when the first single from the album, "Street Fighting Man", became even more controversial in view of the race riots and student protests occurring in many cities in the U.S.^[7]

Recording

The recording of "Sympathy for the Devil" began at London's Olympic Sound Studios on 4 June 1968 and continued into the next day; overdubs were done on 8, 9 and 10 June.^[8] Personnel included on the recording include Nicky Hopkins on piano; Rocky Dijon on congas; Bill Wyman on maracas. Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, producer Jimmy Miller, Wyman and Richards can be seen performing backup vocals in the film Sympathy for the Devil (see below) by Jean-Luc Godard, but this scene was staged specially for the cameras; the actual backing vocals were overdubbed by Jagger, Richards and Miller. Richards plays bass on the original recording, and also the song's electric-guitar solo.

In the 2003 book According to the Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts said: "'Sympathy' was one of those sort of songs where we tried everything. The first time I ever heard the song was when Mick was playing it at the front door of a house I lived in in Sussex... He played it entirely on his own... and it was fantastic. We had a go at loads of different ways of playing it; in the end I just played a jazz Latin feel in the style of Kenny Clarke would have played on 'A Night in Tunisia' - not the actual rhythm he played, but the same styling."^[3]

On the overall power of the song, Jagger continued in Rolling Stone: "It has a very hypnotic groove, a samba, which has a tremendous hypnotic power, rather like good dance music. It doesn't speed up or slow down. It keeps this constant groove. Plus, the actual samba rhythm is a great one to sing on, but it is also got some other suggestions in it, an undercurrent of being primitive -- because it is a primitive African, South American, Afro-whatever-you-call-that rhythm (candomble). So to white people, it has a very sinister thing about it. But forgetting the cultural colors, it is a very good vehicle for producing a powerful piece. It becomes less pretentious because it is a very unpretentious groove. If it had been done as a ballad, it wouldn't have been as good."^[1]

Musical equipment for the solo

Film clips from the recording of the song reveal that Richards used his 1957 three pick-up Gibson Les Paul Custom solely, and the sound of the solo as released matches that of a Les Paul Custom. In the clips various amps are seen, with a Vox AC-30 and a solid state Vox Supreme (the top-of-the-line guitar amp of the solid-state Vox line, which included the Supreme, Defiant and Conqueror) as the main guitar amps.

Aftermath

In an interview with Creem, Jagger said, “[When people started taking us as devil worshippers], I thought it was a really odd thing, because it was only one song, after all. It wasn't like it was a whole album, with lots of occult signs on the back. People seemed to embrace the image so readily, [and] it has carried all the way over into heavy metal bands today.” ^[2]

Of the change in public perception the band experienced after the song's release, Richards said in a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone, "Before, we were just innocent kids out for a good time, they're saying, 'They're evil, they're evil.' Oh, I'm evil, really? So that makes you start thinking about evil... What is evil? Half of it, I don't know how much people think of Mick as the devil or as just a good rock performer or what? There are black magicians who think we are acting as unknown agents of Lucifer and others who think we are Lucifer. Everybody's Lucifer."^[9]

Contrary to a widespread misconception, it was "Under My Thumb" and not "Sympathy for the Devil" that the Rolling Stones were performing when Meredith Hunter was killed at the Altamont Free Concert.^[2] Rolling Stone magazine's early articles on the incident misreported that the killing took place during "Sympathy for the Devil",^[10] but The Rolling Stones in fact played "Sympathy for the Devil" earlier in the concert; it was interrupted by a fight and re-started, and several other songs were performed before Hunter was killed.^[8]

After being omitted on their 1972-73 tours, "Sympathy for the Devil" was reinstated in the band's set lists in 1975 and has been performed regularly by the band on all of their tours since 1989. Concert renditions have been released on the albums The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, Love You Live, Flashpoint and Shine a Light.

The studio version has been featured on the Rolling Stones compilation albums Hot Rocks and Forty Licks.

In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine placed the song at #32 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Film

cover art for DVD release

Sympathy for the Devil is also the title of a producer's edit of a 1968 film by Jean-Luc Godard whose own original version is called One Plus One. The film, a depiction of the late 1960s American counterculture, also featured the Rolling Stones in the process of recording the song in the studio. On the filming, Jagger said in Rolling Stone: "... [it was] very fortuitous, because Godard wanted to do a film of us in the studio. I mean, it would never happen now, to get someone as interesting as Godard. And stuffy. We just happened to be recording that song. We could have been recording 'My Obsession.' But it was 'Sympathy for the Devil,' and it became the track that we used."^[1]

Covers

The song has been widely covered since its release, including: September 1973 Bryan Ferry's solo effort departure from Roxy Music in These Foolish Things (album), a notable version by Jane's Addiction that was included on their 1987 self-titled live album, a much darker and complex version by jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, called "Symphony For the Devil", from the group's Third Album, Inkubus Sukkubus on the album Science and Nature in 2007, Electric Hellfire Club for their 2000 album Empathy for the Devil, Tiamat on their 1999 album, Skeleton Skeletron, Sandie Shaw for her album Reviewing the Situation. In 1991, industrial metal band Skrew included a drastically rearranged cover of the song on their debut album, Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame. In 2005, Ozzy Osbourne released a cover on his box set Prince of Darkness and the related Under Cover release. The Residents perform the two quodlibet as the finale to their album The Third Reich 'n' Roll.

American hard rock group Guns N' Roses recorded a cover in 1994 which featured in the closing credits of Neil Jordan's film adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and was a bonus track on their Greatest Hits album. This cover is notable for causing an incident within the group that was partially responsible for guitarist Slash departing from the band in 1996. The incident was when Paul Tobias, a friend of Axl Rose, recorded a guitar over Slash's guitar without his consent. Slash later stated that this was one incident that prompted him to leave the band. He has described the Guns N' Roses version of the song as 'the sound of a band breaking up'.^[11] Their cover reached #55 on The Billboard Hot 100

In 1996, Natalie Merchant released a live cover of the song. Pearl Jam's "The Water Pouring Song (live)" included an instrumental section of "Sympathy for the Devil". Bon Jovi often covers it during the piano instrumental break in their life performances of Keep the Faith. A snippet of the song is often sung by Bono along with "Ruby Tuesday" during performances of "Bad" at U2 concerts, most notably performed at Live Aid in London as well as on the concert film Rattle and Hum.

In 1989, the Slovenian band Laibach released an EP of seven different versions of the song, interpreted as everything from a Wagnerian symphony to a light techno number. A October 31, 1987 version of the song also appears on Widespread Panic's album of live cover songs, Jackassolantern, released in 2004.

In 2006, another cover was made in an Uruguayan rhythm 'murga' by Argentinian Diego Capusotto for his sketch comedy 'Peter Capusotto y sus videos'. In 2008, Wandering Gauchos of Senegal recorded the song for their debut album 'Que Pasa, Diablo?'. This album was released in benefit of fellow refugee Senegalese in Australia. This song was recorded by an assortment of musicians from all over the world including Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, and Australia.

Remixes

In September 2003, ABKCO Records released a remix single of the original song featuring radio and remix versions by The Neptunes, Fatboy Slim, and Full Phatt.

In popular culture

Places "Sympathy for the Devil" is either included or referenced:

• In Alan Moore's comic book V for Vendetta, the main character quotes the first two lines of the song at one point.
• The first two lines also quoted in TISM's song Leo's Toltoy.
• The song is featured during a Midnight Mass during the film C.R.A.Z.Y..
• It is played in the pole-dancing scene in the movie "Alien Nation".
• The song is featured in the 1978 film Coming Home, which highlights the horrors of the Vietnam War and its physical and psychological aftereffects on those who fought in it.
• The phrase "Sympathy for the devil, and the Rolling Stones" is used by the Bellamy Brothers in their song "Kids of the Baby Boom".
• In Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Thompson plays the song constantly to "maintain our rhythm on the road" and as a "kind of demented counterpoint to the radio." It was also to be featured in the film adaptation, but director Terry Gilliam was unable to secure the rights--however, there is a spoken reference in the movie, when Raoul Duke (played by Johnny Depp) mutters, "No sympathy for the devil."
• In Julian De Backer's comic book Ye Intruders Beware, the main character, taxi driver Morgan McFly, quotes the first line of the song as he introduces himself. The author gave credit to Jagger/Richards on the last page of the album, citing their "neverending influence and inspiration".
• In the game Sam & Max: What's New, Beelzebub?, the protagonists go to Hell. When Sam & Max finally gets to speak to Satan, he introduces himself by saying "Pleased to meet you. I hope you guessed my name".
• Session #6 of the anime Cowboy Bebop was named "Sympathy for the Devil".
• In the NBC comedy Will and Grace Karen wanted to walk down the aisle to the song.
• In Stephen King's novel The Stand, Randall Flagg introduces himself to Lloyd Henreid by saying "Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name."
• In a Season 2 episode of The Simpsons entitled "Bart Gets Hit by a Car", Bart goes to hell and meets the devil. The first thing that Satan says is, "Please allow me to introduce myself."
• In an episode of The Sopranos entitled "Whoever Did This", Ralph Cifaretto uses the lines "pleased to meet you" and "please allow me to introduce myself." Father Phil Intintola asks Ralph if "you were there when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain?" (another line from the song).
• The indie record label Sympathy for the Record Industry takes its name from "Sympathy for the Devil," and not-so-subtly implies that the record industry is the Devil.
• In the movie The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, the opening lyrics are quoted by the devil character.
• In the game Ecstatica, a demon quotes the beginning of the song.
• In the Discworld novel Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, the character Lu-Tze says to Ronnie, the 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse: "Pleased to meet you, [...] Let me guess your name."
• OK Go's song "A Good Idea at the Time" is a direct line-by-line response to "Sympathy for the Devil".
• Sympathy for the Devil is also the title of a Vietnam War novel wrote by Kent Anderson, a veteran of the 5th special forces group.
• "Sympathy for the Devil" is played during the end credits of the 1998 film Fallen.
• In the Stephen King novel Dreamcatcher, "Sympathy for the Devil" is the "anthem" played for Kurtz's soldiers before they attack the aliens.
• In the final scene of the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Lestat tunes the radio and the Guns N' Roses cover version of "Sympathy for the Devil" comes on. It continues to play through the end credits of the film.
• It appears at the end of Episode 20 of Entourage, entitled "Good Morning Saigon", after Eric fools Ari and convinces him to drive to Napa Valley.
• The musical theme is used almost verbatim in the made-for-tv film The Jericho Mile (1979), directed by Michael Mann.
• The remix by The Neptunes, is featured in a trailer for the 2008 movie Righteous Kill.
• In 2006 National Review magazine listed it as #3 on their list of the top 50 conservative rock songs.^[12]
• A musical quote appears in World Party's song "Way Down Now", which features similar "woo-woo" backing vocals. Another musical quote appears in Chuck Prophet's song "Elouise" on his album No Other Love: the percussion intro is replicated faithfully.
• The 23rd episode of the anime series Witch Hunter Robin is entitled "Sympathy for the Devil".
• The song is featured in the soundtrack of the video game, "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground", as well as the music video upon completing the game.
• It was also featured, though not as audibly, during the pilot episode of the TV series Reaper while the Devil (Ray Wise) is congratulating Sam (Bret Harrison) on a job well done capturing his first soul.
• In the movie Tropic Thunder, as Ben Stiller's character runs off into the jungle alone, the song plays in the background before night falls.
• The song is featured in the opening sequences of The Windsurfing Movie, directed by Johnny DeCesare.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Wenner, Jann (14 December 1995). "Jagger Remembers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5} Cruickshank, Douglas. "Sympathy for the Devil". Salon.com. Salon. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Jagger, Mick; Richards, Keith; Watts, Charlie; Wood, Ronnie (2003). According to the Rolling Stones. Chronicle Books. pp. pg. 119. ISBN 0-8118-4060-3. 
4. ↑ McPherson, Ian. "Track Talk: Sympathy for the Devil". Retrieved on 2008-10-28.
5. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Let's Spend the Night Together". allmusic. 2007 (accessed 26 June 2007).
6. ↑ Jagger/Richards (20 June 2004). "Sympathy for the Devil". RollingStones.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
7. ↑ Wyman, Bill (2002). Rolling With the Stones. DK Publishing. pp. pg. 309. ISBN 0-7894-9998-3. 
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Zentgraf, Nico. "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962-2008". Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
9. ↑ Greenfield, Robert (19 August 1971), "The Rolling Stone Interview: Keith Richards", Rolling Stone 
10. ↑ Burks, John (7 February 1970). "Rock & Roll's Worst Day". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-09-13.
11. ↑ Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York.
12. ↑ "Rockin' the Right". National Review Online. 26 May 2006 (accessed 24 June 2007).

External links

• Lyrics at the official Rolling Stones site
• "Reason to Rock" review