"Loving Cup" is a song by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

, which appears on their 1972 album '' Exile on Main St.'' An early version of "Loving Cup", with a completely different piano intro, was recorded between April and July 1969 at

Olympic Sound Studios Olympic Studios was a renowned British independent commercial recording studio based in Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st century, including Jimi Hendr ...

in London, during the '' Let It Bleed'' sessions. (This version of the song—or at least part of it, spliced with another outtake—was released in 2010 on the deluxe remastered release of ''Exile on Main St''.)

Background

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

performs lead and backing vocals with

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

. Richards and Mick Taylor perform the song's guitars. Bass and drums are provided by

Bill Wyman William George Wyman (né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who achieved international fame as the bassist for the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member ...

and

Charlie Watts Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an i ...

, respectively. Piano is provided by Stones' recording veteran

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

. Saxophone is by Bobby Keys and both trumpet and trombone are by Jim Price. The album's producer,

Jimmy Miller James Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of ...

, provides the maracas. It is not known who plays the steel drum.

Legal problems

After the release of ''Exile on Main St.'', Allen Klein sued the Rolling Stones for breach of settlement because "Loving Cup" and four other songs on the album were composed while Jagger and Richards were under contract with his company, ABKCO. ABKCO acquired publishing rights to the songs, giving it a share of the royalties from ''Exile on Main St.'', and was able to publish another album of previously released Rolling Stones songs, '' More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)''.

Live performances

"Loving Cup" has been performed sporadically by the Stones since its introduction to their catalogue. It was performed at the Stones' concert in Hyde Park on 5 July 1969. Mick Jagger introduced it as "Gimme a Little Drink" at the concert. The song was heard during early shows of the 1972 tour of America, and was re-introduced to set lists during the 2002-2003

Licks Tour The Licks Tour was a worldwide concert tour undertaken by the Rolling Stones during 2002 and 2003, in support of their 40th anniversary compilation album '' Forty Licks''. The tour grossed over $300 million, becoming the second highest gross ...

. It was also performed with Jack White during the 2006 leg of the

A Bigger Bang Tour A Bigger Bang was a worldwide concert tour by the Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album ''A Bigger Bang''. At the time, it was the highest grossing tour of all time, earning $558,255,524 ...

, and this version was featured in the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

2008 documentary film '' Shine a Light'' and on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

Reception

Jonathan Zwickel of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' considers it "some of the Rolling Stones' most enduring and soulful work."

Personnel

Credits per Margotin and Guesdon. The Rolling Stones *

lead vocals, backing vocals *

electric guitar, backing vocals * Mick Tayloracoustic guitar *

bass *

drums Additional musicians and production *

piano * Bobby Keyssaxophone * Jim Pricetrumpet, trombone *

maracas

Cover versions

The band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike G ...

frequently covers "Loving Cup" during live performances. Their cover appears on several of their live albums, including ''

At the Roxy ''At the Roxy'' is an 8-disc box set from the rock band Phish recorded live over the course of their three-show run at the Roxy Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, from February 19 to February 21, 1993. Track listing Disc one (February 19, 1993) # "L ...

'' (2007, recorded 1993), ''

Hampton/Winston-Salem '97 Hampton/Winston-Salem '97 is a 7-CD live box set album from the American jam band Phish, recorded live at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA on November 21–22, 1997 and Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC on November ...

'' (2011, recorded 1997) and ''

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

'' (2015, recorded 1997).

References

{{authority control The Rolling Stones songs 1972 songs Songs written by Jagger–Richards Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller