#62 Sympathy for the Devil

#62 Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones

The more astute reader may have noticed that the image here is not from an album but from a film, (One plus one): Godard’s look at late-sixties “counter”-culture. It looks at various issues of the day, including Black rights, women’s rights, students rights (the French took to the barriers, the English made ‘If’), technology and the way it will help the media to invade and direct; the Stones all had a part in it (and in the film).

The song itself was inspired by the book “The Master and Margarita” lent to Jagger by Ms Faithfull (although as we may find out in due course, I sense a fairy hand under the counter – or under the skirt, Mars Bars being the fairy munchie of choice.)  Naturally, this song (I’m sure this is something the Stones – and management – had considered) generated  a lot of controversy (i.e. publicity) and got mixed in with the whole Alistair Crowley devil/bad-boy thing (also further accentuating the counter-point with the Beatles – although that was soon to change once the acid kicked in). Although they were actually playing “Under my Thumb” when the fatal stabbing occurred, Sympathy for the Devil got a lot of stick following the Altamont Speedway concert and the Stones did not play it live for the following 7 years.

As well as an excellent bass-line (pretty much everything about this song is excellent – best Stones track ever, if you ask me), I love the backing vocals. These were originally the idea of Anita Pallenberg (girlfriend of Keef), who sang along on the original recording with the rest of the band (Brian Jones on lead guitar at this point of course), Marianne Faithfull (the fairy mother) and Jimmy Miller (the record producer).

Lyrics

Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul and faith

And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain

I rode a tank
Held a general’s rank
When the Blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
(woo woo, woo woo)

I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
(woo woo, woo woo)

I shouted out,
“Who killed the Kennedys?”
When after all
It was you and me
(who who, who who)

Let me please introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
(woo woo, who who)

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
(who who)
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
(who who, who who)

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
(woo woo, who who)

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
(who who, who who)

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, have some taste
(woo woo)
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mmm yeah
(woo woo, woo woo)

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, mmm yeah
(who who)
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, mmm mean it, get down
(woo woo, woo woo)

Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!
(woo woo)

Tell me baby, what’s my name
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name
Tell me baby, what’s my name
I tell you one time, you’re to blame

Oh, who
woo, woo
Woo, who
Woo, woo
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Oh, yeah

What’s my name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name

Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Oh, yeah
Woo woo
Woo woo

Someone should’ve killed guns’n’roses before they got hold of it (and again afterwards) and Tom Cruise should be shot for using it in his movie (I don’t care whose fault it was).

Seriously, how is Axel Rose still alive?