"Let It Bleed" is a song by the 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 ...

. It was written by

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 ...

and is featured on the 1969 album of the same name, the first example of a Rolling Stones title track. It was released as a single in Japan in February 1970.

Composition

The song opens with a slide piece and quickly moves into a solo

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

capo on the 3rd fret strumming the chords of A, D and E before bass, drums and piano join in, respectively. Wyman's autoharp can be heard somewhat faintly during the first verse with noticeable 'ping' sounds coming from it around the 0:40-0:50 mark but it is mostly inaudible throughout the track after the 0:55 ('she said my breasts') minute mark.

Reception

The lyrics include a number of drug and sexual references, including an invitation for " coke and sympathy," a reference to a "junkie nurse" and Jagger's suggestions that we all need someone to "bleed on," "cream on" and "cum on" them. However, to

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

, the song is mainly about "emotional dependency," with Jagger willing to accept a partner who wants to lean "on him for emotional support." Unterberger also asserts that "Let It Bleed" may be "the best illustration" of the way the Rolling Stones make "a slightly sloppy approach work for them rather than against them." He also praises Jagger's vocals, stating the song represents "one of his best vocals, with a supremely lazy approach that seems to be both affectionate and mocking at the same time."

Live performances

The song was played for the first time live at the Sir Morgan's Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts on 14 September 1981, before being performed at every show on the 1981 U.S. Tour and the 1982 Tour of Europe. Ever since the song has been performed from time to time in concert. It appears in the Hal Ashby-directed concert film 'Let's Spend the Night Together' and on the live albums 'From The Vault: Hampton Coliseum (Live In 1981) ecember 18, 1981 and 'Let It Bleed (Live At Wembley ‘82) une 25. 1982.

Personnel

Ian Stewart plays piano on this track (his only appearance on the album) 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 member ...

plays autoharp. *

vocals *

guitar, slide guitar *

bass guitar,

autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...

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 i ...

drums * Ian Stewartpiano

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Let It Bleed (Song) The Rolling Stones songs 1969 songs Songs written by Jagger–Richards Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller 1970 singles London Records singles Songs about drugs