"Monkey Man" is a song by English rock band

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 d ...

, featured as the eighth track on their 1969 album ''

Let It Bleed ''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released 28 November 1969 on London Records in the United States and shortly thereafter by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. ...

''.

Composition and recording

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 ...

and

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 ...

wrote "Monkey Man" as a tribute to Italian pop artist

Mario Schifano Mario Schifano (20 September 1934, Khoms, Libya – 26 January 1998, Rome, Italy) was an Italian painter and collagist of the Postmodern tradition. He also achieved some renown as a film-maker and rock musician. He is considered to be one of th ...

, whom they met on the set of his movie ''Umano Non Umano!'' (''Human, Not Human!''). Recorded in April 1969, the song's introduction features distinctive

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist, ...

, bass, guitar, and piano. Richards plays main riff and slide guitar solo, Jagger provides vocals, producer Jimmy Miller plays tambourine,

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 ...

plays piano,

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 ...

provides drums, while

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 membe ...

plays vibraphone and bass. Wyman's vibraphone is mixed onto the left channel together with Hopkins' piano.

Personnel

vocals *

guitars, backing vocals *

bass guitar, vibraphone *

drums *

piano * Jimmy Millertambourine

Live performances

The Rolling Stones performed "Monkey Man" often on their 1994–1995

Voodoo Lounge Tour The Voodoo Lounge Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Rolling Stones to promote their 1994 album '' Voodoo Lounge''. This was their first tour without bassist Bill Wyman, and their first with touring bassist Darryl Jones, as an additional ...

. A recording from their 2002/03 Licks Tour is included on '' Live Licks'' (2004).

Sampling

The distinctive piano progression in the introduction is used as the opening theme "Playing With Fire" on the

Stereo MCs Stereo MC's are an English hip hop/ electronic dance group which formed in Nottingham, England, in 1985. They had an international top 20 hit with their single " Connected". After releasing eight albums for Island Records, K7, Graffiti Recordin ...

' 1992 album ''

Connected Connected may refer to: Film and television * ''Connected'' (2008 film), a Hong Kong remake of the American movie ''Cellular'' * '' Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology'', a 2011 documentary film * ''Connected'' (2015 TV ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monkey Man (The Rolling Stones Song) The Rolling Stones songs 1969 songs Songs about drugs Songs written by Jagger–Richards Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller British hard rock songs Songs about primates