"Monkey Man" is a song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

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

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

Let It Bleed ''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 28 November 1969 by London Records in the United States and on 5 December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. Released during the ba ...

''.

Composition and recording

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

and

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...

wrote "Monkey Man" as a tribute to Italian pop artist Mario Schifano, 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 (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

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

Jimmy Miller Jimmy 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 known primarily for his work with several key musical acts of the 1960s ...

plays tambourine,

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

plays piano,

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

provides drums, while

Bill Wyman William George Wyman ( né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who was the bass guitarist with the rock band the Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993. Wyman was part of the band's first stable lineup and performed on their first 19 ...

plays vibraphone and bass. Wyman's vibraphone is mixed onto the left channel together with Hopkins' piano. ''Classic Rock History'' critic Matthew Pollard rated "Monkey Man" as the Rolling Stones' 9th best deep cut, particularly praising the "vibraphone chimes at the beginning

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

give the song its espionage-esque vibes, and Richards' awesome slide solo.

Personnel

vocals *

electric and slide guitars, backing vocals *

bass guitar, vibraphone *

drums *

piano *

tambourine

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' 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