"Ruby Tuesday" is a song recorded by

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

in 1966, released in January 1967. The song became the band's fourth number-one hit in the United States and reached number three in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with "

Let's Spend the Night Together "Let's Spend the Night Together" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and originally released by the Rolling Stones as a double A-sided single together with " Ruby Tuesday" in January 1967. It also appears as the opening track ...

". The song was included in the American version of ''

Between the Buttons ''Between the Buttons'' is the fifth British and seventh American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 20 January 1967 in the UK and on 11 February in the US as the follow-up to '' Aftermath''. It reflected the S ...

'' (in the UK, singles were often excluded from studio albums). ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine ranked the song number 310 on their list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Composition and recording

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

recorded "Ruby Tuesday" around November 1966 at Olympic Studios, during the sessions for their album ''

''. The song was produced by

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

plays a countermelody on an

alto recorder The alto recorder in F, also known as a treble (and, historically, as consort flute and common flute) is a member of the recorder family. Up until the 17th century the alto instrument was normally in G4 instead of F4. The alto is between the s ...

, while the

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

was played jointly by bassist Bill Wyman and guitarist

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 ...

; Wyman did the fingerings while Richards bowed the instrument. Richards explained that the lyrics are about

Linda Keith Linda Keith (born 1946) is a former British fashion model, best known for her work for ''Vogue'' magazine during the 1960s as well as her involvement in the rock music scene. Biography Linda Keith was born to Pearl Rebuck and Alan Keith, a Britis ...

, his girlfriend in the mid-1960s: "That's a wonderful song,"

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 ...

told Jann Wenner in 1995. "It's just a nice melody, really. And a lovely lyric. Neither of which I wrote, but I always enjoy singing it." Wyman states in ''Rolling with the Stones'' that the lyrics were completely written by Richards with help from Jones on the musical composition. However,

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

recalls it differently; according to her, Jones presented an early version of this melody to the rest of the Rolling Stones. According to

Victor Bockris Victor Bockris (born 1949) is an English-born, U.S.-based author, primarily biographies of artists, writers, and musicians. He has written about Lou Reed (and The Velvet Underground), Andy Warhol, Keith Richards, William S. Burroughs, Terry Sou ...

, Richards came up with the basic track and the words and finished the song with Jones in the studio. '' Cash Box'' described the single as a "smooth ballad a la baroque."

Release

"Ruby Tuesday" was released as the B-side to "Let's Spend the Night Together" in January 1967. Due to the controversial nature of the A-side's lyrics, "Ruby Tuesday" earned more airplay and ended up charting higher in the US. The song topped the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, while reaching number three in the UK's Record Retailer chart, which listed "Let's Spend The Night Together"/"Ruby Tuesday" as a double A-side. "Ruby Tuesday" was included on the US version of the 1967 album ''

'', while being left out of the British edition, as was common practice with singles in the UK at that time. That summer, the song appeared on the US compilation album ''

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

''. Due to its success, the song became a staple of the band's compilations, being included on '' Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)'' (1969), ''

Hot Rocks 1964–1971 ''Hot Rocks 1964–1971'' is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released by London Records in December 1971. It became the Rolling Stones' best-selling release of their career and an enduring and popular retrospective. The album includes ...

'' (1971), ''

Rolled Gold Gold-filled jewelry is jewelry composed of a solid layer of gold (typically constituting at least 5% of the item's total weight) mechanically bonded to a base of either sterling silver or some base metal. The related terms "rolled gold plate" an ...

'' (1975), and ''30 Greatest Hits'' (1977), and, in mono, on '' Singles Collection: The London Years'' (1989).

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, except where noted: The Rolling Stones *

vocals, tambourine *

acoustic guitar,

(

bowing Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many European c ...

) *

, backing vocals, piano * Bill Wyman double bass ( fingering), bass guitar * Charlie Watts drums Additional musician *

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spec ...

piano

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Live version

"Ruby Tuesday" was first played live on Brian Jones' last concert tour

The Rolling Stones European Tour 1967 The Rolling Stones' 1967 European Tour was a concert tour by the band to promote their new album ''Between the Buttons'' and new singles "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday". History The tour commenced on 25 March and conclud ...

. The next time was on the

Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album '' Steel Wheels''; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg ...

in 1989/1990. A concert rendition from this tour was featured on the band's 1991 live album '' Flashpoint'' and released as a single. This live version was recorded in Japan in 1990 and can be seen on the video release ''

Live at the Tokyo Dome ''Live at the Tokyo Dome'' is a live album by the Rolling Stones, released in 2012. It was recorded at the Tokyo Dome in Japan in 1990. The album was released exclusively as a Online distribution, digital download through Google Music on 10 July ...

''. The B-side was " Play with Fire (live)" recorded in 1989 but not included on the ''Flashpoint'' album. A July 2013 live performance is featured on ''Sweet Summer Sun:

Hyde Park Live ''Hyde Park Live'' is a live album by the Rolling Stones, released in 2013. It was recorded at Hyde Park, London on 6 and 13 July 2013 during the band's 50 and Counting Tour. The album was released exclusively as a digital download through ...

''.

Melanie version

American folk and pop singer

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Candles in the Rain''. Her version was released as a single in the UK, where it became a Top Ten hit that year. It also reached number seven in New Zealand. She recorded a second cover version for her 1978 album '' Ballroom Streets''.

Other cover versions

*1968:

Rotary Connection Rotary Connection was an American psychedelic soul band, formed in Chicago in 1966. In addition to their own recordings, including their 1967 debut album '' Rotary Connection'', the band is notable as the backing band for Muddy Waters on his 196 ...

released a cover of the song on their debut album ''

''. *1969: Oliver released a version of the song on his album '' Good Morning Starshine''. *1989:

Julian Lennon Julian Charles John Lennon (born John Charles Julian Lennon; 8 April 1963) is an English musician. He is the son of Beatles member John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, and he is named after his paternal grandmother, Julia Lennon. Julian i ...

released a version of the song on the compilation album entitled '' The Wonder Years: Music from the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era'', a soundtrack for ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...

'' TV series. *1993: Rod Stewart recorded a version for his 1993 compilation album, '' Lead Vocalist'', and released it as a single through

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

on 8 February 1993. His cover reached number 11 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Across the rest of Europe, the song entered the top 40 in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Restaurant chain

Samuel E. Beall III used the title of the song when he started his restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday. The name was suggested by one of several fraternity brothers who were co-investors.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby Tuesday 1960s ballads 1967 singles Baroque pop songs Songs written by Jagger–Richards Song recordings produced by Andrew Loog Oldham The Rolling Stones songs Buddah Records singles Decca Records singles London Records singles Oliver (singer) songs Melanie (singer) songs Scorpions (band) songs Julian Lennon songs Rod Stewart songs Marianne Faithfull songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Germany 1967 songs Pop ballads Soul ballads Psychedelic soul songs British soul songs