Dancing with Mr. D.
"Dancing with Mr. D." | |
---|---|
Song by the Rolling Stones | |
from the album Goats Head Soup | |
A-side | "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" |
Released | 31 August 1973 |
Recorded | November - December, 1972 |
Genre |
|
Length | 4:53 |
Label | Rolling Stones/Virgin |
Songwriter(s) | Jagger–Richards |
Producer(s) | Jimmy Miller |
Goats Head Soup track listing | |
10 tracks
|
"Dancing with Mr. D." is the opening track of the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones' 1973 album Goats Head Soup.
Background
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Dancing with Mr. D." is a brooding rocker in line with much of the Stones' funk inspired recordings from the Goats Head Soup era. The song opens with a riff by Richards prominently repeated throughout the song.[1] Jagger's lyrics allude to either dalliance with a succubus or Death;
Down in the graveyard where we have our tryst,
The air smells sweet, the air smells sick;
He never smiles, his mouth merely twists,
The breath in my lungs feels clinging and thick;
But I know his name, he's called Mr. D,
And one of these days, he's going to set you free
Jagger's lyrics are somewhat more self reflective than the devil imagery he adopted since "Sympathy for the Devil". The chorus contrasts with the lyrics with backing vocals by the group and its steady rhythm.[1]
The song would best serve as an introduction to the Stones' studio-based sound of the mid-1970s after the sprawling epic Exile on Main St. Recording began at Dynamic Sounds studio in Kingston, Jamaica, and would continue at Village Recorders in Los Angeles and Island Recording Studios in London. Billy Preston, who had contributed on a few songs with the Stones in the past, would become a heavy collaborator over the next few albums and here performs clavinet. Nicky Hopkins highlights with pianos throughout while Rebop Kwaku Baah and Pascal perform percussion. Mick Taylor performs electric slide guitar as well as bass while Charlie Watts performs drums.
Critical reception
Tom Maginnis of Allmusic said of the song that it "can only be viewed as mediocre by the Stones' impossibly high standards by this point."[1] Bud Scoppa of Rolling Stone was more critical, calling the song "hopelessly silly" as well as "the weakest opener ever so positioned on one of their albums, and they’ve never performed with less conviction."[2]
Live performances
"Dancing with Mr. D." has been performed by the Stones on their 1973 tour of Europe and on five shows of their 2017 No Filter Tour. It served as the B-side to album mate "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)". A live version is available on the bonus disc of the "HONK" album. This version was recorded at the GelreDome in Arnhem on October 15, 2017.
Personnel
The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals
- Keith Richards – backing vocals, electric guitar
- Mick Taylor – backing vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar
- Charlie Watts – drums
Additional personnel
- Nicky Hopkins – piano
- Anthony Kwaku Baah – percussion
- Nicholas Pascal Raicevic – percussion
References
External links
- Complete Official Lyrics
- v
- t
- e
London (US)
singles
- "Come On"
- "I Wanna Be Your Man" / "Stoned"
- "Not Fade Away" / "Little by Little"
- "It's All Over Now"
- "Tell Me" / "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
- "Time Is on My Side"
- "Little Red Rooster"
- "Heart of Stone"
- "The Last Time" / "Play with Fire"
- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" / "The Spider and the Fly"
- "Get Off of My Cloud" / "I'm Free"
- "As Tears Go By"
- "19th Nervous Breakdown" / "As Tears Go By"
- "Paint It Black" / "Stupid Girl"
- "Mother's Little Helper" / "Lady Jane"
- "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?"
- "Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday"
- "We Love You" / "Dandelion"
- "In Another Land" / "The Lantern"
- "She's a Rainbow" / "2000 Light Years from Home"
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
- "Street Fighting Man" / "No Expectations"
- "Honky Tonk Women" / "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Records/Atlantic
singles
- "Brown Sugar" / "Bitch" / "Let It Rock"
- "Wild Horses" / "Sway"
- "Tumbling Dice" / "Sweet Black Angel"
- "Happy" / "All Down the Line"
- "Angie" / "Silver Train"
- "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" / "Dancing with Mr. D."
- "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)"
- "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" / "Dance Little Sister"
- "Fool to Cry"
- "Hot Stuff"
Records singles
- "Miss You" / "Far Away Eyes"
- "Beast of Burden" / "When the Whip Comes Down"
- "Respectable" / "When the Whip Comes Down"
- "Shattered"
- "Emotional Rescue"
- "She's So Cold" / "Send It to Me"
- "Start Me Up"
- "Waiting on a Friend" / "Little T&A"
- "Hang Fire" / "Neighbours"
- "Going to a Go-Go" (live) / "Beast of Burden" (live)
- "Time Is on My Side" (live) / "Twenty Flight Rock" (live)
- "Undercover of the Night"
- "She Was Hot"
- "Too Much Blood"
- "Harlem Shuffle"
- "One Hit (To the Body)"
- "Mixed Emotions"
- "Rock and a Hard Place"
- "Almost Hear You Sigh"
- "Highwire" / "2000 Light Years from Home" (live)
- "Ruby Tuesday" (live) / "Play with Fire" (live)
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (live) / "Tumbling Dice" (live)
- "Love Is Strong"
- "You Got Me Rocking"
- "Out of Tears"
- "I Go Wild"
- "Like a Rolling Stone" (live) / "Black Limousine" / "All Down the Line"
- "Wild Horses" (live) / "Live with Me" (live) / "Tumbling Dice" (live)
- "Anybody Seen My Baby?"
- "Saint of Me" / "Gimme Shelter" (live)
- "Out of Control"
- "Don't Stop" / "Miss You" (remix)
- "Streets of Love" / "Rough Justice"
- "Rain Fall Down"
- "Biggest Mistake" / "Before They Make Me Run" (live)
- "Laugh, I Nearly Died"
- "Plundered My Soul" / "All Down the Line"
- "No Spare Parts" / "Before They Make Me Run"
- "Doom and Gloom"
- "One More Shot"
- "Just Your Fool"
- "Living in a Ghost Town"
- "Scarlet"
- "I Don't Know Why" / "Try a Little Harder"
- "Out of Time" / "Jiving Sister Fanny"
- "Let It Bleed" / "You Got the Silver" (Japan)
- "Rocks Off" / "Sweet Virginia" (Japan)
- "Star Star" / "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" (France, Germany)
- "Angry"
- "Sweet Sounds of Heaven"