Jagger–Richards (spelled Jagger–Richard from 1963 to 1978) is the songwriting partnership between English musicians

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 ...

, of

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 dr ...

. They are one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in history. In addition to Jagger and Richards' songwriting partnership, they have also produced or co-produced numerous Rolling Stones albums under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

The Glimmer Twins. Similar to the contemporary songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, both Jagger and Richards write lyrics and music.

History

Jagger and Richards have different recollections about their first songwriting endeavours but both credit manager

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 ...

as the catalyst for their collaboration. Richards agrees that it was Oldham who pressed the pair to write songs after the duo had first emphasized other people's material; Oldham noted that there weren't that many obscure great songs out there for the band to cover. Richards recalled: Jagger remembered it differently: According to

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

, he and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

might have been instrumental in inspiring Jagger and Richards to start writing their own material. In 1963 Lennon and McCartney gave the Stones one of their compositions, " I Wanna Be Your Man." In a ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' interview in 1980, Lennon recalled: The first original Jagger/Richards song to be released as the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

of a Rolling Stones single was "

Tell Me (You're Coming Back) "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, featured on their 1964 self-titled album (subtitled and often called ''England's Newest Hit Makers'' in the US). It became the first A-side single written by ...

", from their debut album. Released as a single in the US only, it peaked at number 24 on the charts there. The earlier "Good Times, Bad Times" had been released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to their cover of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "

It's All Over Now "It's All Over Now" is a song written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos, featuring Bobby Womack, in 1964. The Rolling Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover versio ...

". The band's first UK single featuring an A-side Jagger/Richards original was " The Last Time"; released in February 1965, it went to number one in the UK and number nine in the US. Although most Jagger/Richards compositions have been collaborations, some of the songs credited to the famous partnership have been solo songwriting from either Jagger, whose examples include "

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. It is consi ...

" and "

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

", or Richards, whose examples include "

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sin ...

", " Ruby Tuesday", and "

Little T&A "Little T&A" is the fourth song on the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones' 1981 album ''Tattoo You''. The song is sung by guitarist Keith Richards. It was the B-Side of their single "Waiting on a Friend". Credited to usual Stones' ...

". This is comparable to the

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is the best-known and most successful musical collaboration ever by records sold, with the ...

partnership, who also adhered to a tradition of joint credits even on numbers that were written by just one of the pair. Mick Jagger stated in his comprehensive 1995 interview with

Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is a co-founder of the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'', and former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free Speech Movement while ...

of ''

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 "I think in the end it all balances out." On 26 June 2013, the duo's songwriting credits were handed over to BMG, marking the first time they would be managed by an outside company in over 40 years.

Co-credits

Jagger and Richards have shared credits with very few others. Among them are:

Jagger–Richards compositions released only by other artists

Jagger–Richards compositions that have been released only by artists other than

include: *"That Girl Belongs to Yesterday", a January 1964 single by

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...

*"Will You Be My Lover Tonight"/"It Should Be You", a January 1964 single by George Bean *"Each and Every Day", B-side of the February 1964 single "All I Want Is My Baby" by

Bobby Jameson Robert Parker Jameson (April 20, 1945 – May 12, 2015) was an American singer-songwriter who was briefly promoted as a major star in the early 1960s and later attracted a cult following with his 1965 album '' Songs of Protest and Anti-Protest'', ...

(

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

45–9730). The A-side was co-written by Richards and

. *"Shang a Doo Lang", a March 1964 single by Adrienne Posta *"So Much in Love", an August 1964 single by

the Mighty Avengers ''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of '' New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered ...

, also recorded by the Herd (with

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...

and Louis Cennamo) in 1966 and

the Lonely Boys ''The Lonely Boys'' ( sv, De ensamma pojkarna) is a fiction book by Swedish author Mats Olsson about a young rhythm 'n' pop band from the south of Sweden in 1965. Per Gessle (of Roxette fame) was asked by Mats Olsson to write a soundtrack to fo ...

for their self-titled 1996 album. *"Act Together", on

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

's September 1974 LP ''

I've Got My Own Album to Do ''I've Got My Own Album to Do'' is the first solo album by English rock musician Ronnie Wood, released in September 1974. An all-star project recorded outside of his activities with the Faces, it reached number 27 on the UK's '' NME'' chart. Th ...

'' and the associated July 1974 '' The First Barbarians: Live from Kilburn'' concert (released in October 2007) *"Sure the One You Need", on Wood's ''I've Got My Own Album to Do'' and ''The First Barbarians: Live from Kilburn''; and on

the New Barbarians ''The New Barbarians'' ( it, I nuovi barbari; also known as ''Warriors of the Wasteland'') is a 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic action film directed by Enzo G. Castellari, written by Castellari and Tito Carpi, and starring Giancarlo Prete and Geo ...

' May 1979 concert album '' Buried Alive: Live in Maryland'' (released in October 2006). *"Lonely at the Top", on Mick Jagger's February 1985 LP ''

She's the Boss ''She's the Boss'' is the debut solo album by English singer Mick Jagger, released in 1985. When Jagger's group The Rolling Stones signed with Columbia/CBS Records in 1983, one of the options available to them was for individual projects, a ...

.''

Production as the Glimmer Twins and origin of the name

Jagger and Richards adopted the nickname "The Glimmer Twins" after a vacation cruise they took to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in December 1968/January 1969 with their then-girlfriends,

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 ...

and Anita Pallenberg. An older English couple on the ship kept asking Richards and Jagger who they were. When they refused to reveal their identities, the woman reportedly kept asking, "just give us a glimmer" (as in "give us a hint about who you are"), which amused Jagger and Richards. Jagger and Richards began to produce the Stones' albums under the pseudonym "The Glimmer Twins" starting with ''

It's Only Rock 'n' Roll ''It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' is the 12th British and 14th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last Rolling Stones album to feature guitarist Mick Tay ...

'' (released in 1974). The Glimmer Twins were the sole credited producers for the band's studio and live albums from then, up to and including ''

Still Life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, bo ...

'' (released in 1982). Starting with ''

Undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an ind ...

'' (released in 1983), the Glimmer Twins have shared production credit for the Rolling Stones albums with other producers, most frequently

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced so ...

(five times) and

Chris Kimsey Christopher Kenneth Kimsey (born 3 December 1951 in Battersea, London, England) is an English record producer, mixer and musician most famous for having co-produced The Rolling Stones' ''Undercover'' and ''Steel Wheels'' albums. He was also an ...

(three times). Besides their production work for the Rolling Stones, Jagger and Richards also used the Glimmer Twins for their co-production credit on

Peter Tosh Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM (19 October 1944 – 11 September 1987), professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963 ...

's album '' Bush Doctor'', released in 1978. A rare exception to Jagger and Richards' use of the Glimmer Twins name for production credits appeared on John Phillips' '' Pay Pack & Follow'' album, recorded 1973–1979 and released in 2001, for which Jagger and Richards were credited as producers under their own names.

Legacy

The partnership of Jagger and Richards has been described by ''

'' as the sixth greatest songwriter of all time. ''Rolling Stone'' considers the duo to have "defined a rock song's essential components...and established a blueprint for future rockers to follow."

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Rolling Stones Discography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jagger Richards The Rolling Stones British songwriting teams English rock music duos Mick Jagger Keith Richards Male musical duos