"Moonlight Mile" is a song recorded by

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

. 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 ...

, it appears as the closing track on their 1971 album ''

Sticky Fingers ''Sticky Fingers'' is the 9th British and 11th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The Stones released it on 23 April 1971 on their new, and own label Rolling Stones Records. They had been contracted by Decc ...

''. The song features multiple musicians playing alternate instruments due to the frequent absence of Richards during recording sessions of the period. "Moonlight Mile" has been largely considered an under-appreciated work of the band, with music critics

Bill Janovitz Bill Janovitz (born June 3, 1966) is an American musician and writer. He is the singer, guitarist, and songwriter of alternative rock band Buffalo Tom, and has also released three solo albums. Janovitz has written extensively for Allmusic, author ...

and Robert Christgau praising the track's composition.

Recording and composition

"Moonlight Mile" was the last song recorded for ''Sticky Fingers''. Recording took place during the end of October 1970 at

Stargroves Stargroves (also known as Stargrove House) is a manor house and associated estate at East Woodhay in the English county of Hampshire. The house belonged to Mick Jagger during the 1970s and was a recording venue for the Rolling Stones and variou ...

. The song was the product of an all-night session between Jagger and guitarist

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...

. Taylor had taken a short guitar piece recorded by Jagger (entitled "Japanese Thing") and reworked it for the session. Jagger performs the song's prominent acoustic guitar riff. Jagger felt it easier to extemporize with Taylor, as Richards was not present. It was Taylor's idea to add a string arrangement by Paul Buckmaster to the song. Jim Pricethe Rolling Stones' usual trumpeterplays piano. Taylor claims he was promised some songwriting credit, but found himself surprised that he did not when the song was released on ''Sticky Fingers''. Richards and Jagger took credit for the song. The lyrics are elliptical and mysterious, but touch on the alienation of life on the road:

Reception

Many consider "Moonlight Mile" one of the Rolling Stones' most under-appreciated

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

. In a review of the song,

says, "Though the song still referenced drugs and the road life of a pop-music celebrity, it really is a rare example of Jagger letting go of his public persona, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the weariness that accompanies the pressures of keeping up appearances as a sex-drugs-and-rock & roll star." Rock critic Robert Christgau said the song, "re-created all the paradoxical distances inherent in erotic love with a power worthy of

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, yet could also be interpreted as a

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

song." This is a reference to the first stanza, which includes, "When the wind blows and the rain feels cold, With a head full of snow". It was meant to be about coming down from a cocaine high. However, Mick Jagger later dismissed any suggestions of the song being an allegory for drug use, and stated "The feeling I had at that moment was how difficult it was to be touring and how I wasn’t looking forward to going out and doing it again. It’s a very lonely thing, and my lyrics reflected that". Writing for '' Slate'', pop critic Jack Hamilton praised the track, referring to it as ''Sticky Fingers "strangest and most unique recording" that is "an intoxicating mix of exotic and intimate".

Personnel

vocals, acoustic guitar *

lead guitar * Bill Wymanbass guitar * Charlie Wattsdrums * Jim Pricepiano * Paul Buckmasterstring arrangement

References

{{authority control The Rolling Stones songs 1971 songs Songs written by Jagger–Richards Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller Rock ballads Songs about drugs