"Hot Stuff" is a song by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

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 ...

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, for their

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

album '' Black and Blue''.

Background

"Hot Stuff" was recorded in March, October and December 1975 during the ''Black and Blue'' sessions, and is heavily influenced by the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

sounds of the day, with

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 ...

laying down a heavy drum pattern accompanied by

Ollie E. Brown Ollie E. Brown (sometimes credited as simply Ollie Brown) (born April 20, 1953) is an American drummer, percussionist, record producer, and high-school basketball coach. A prolific session musician, Brown has performed on over a hundred albums in ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

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 ...

adding a funky bassline, and extensive use of the Wah-wah pedal by guest guitarist Harvey Mandel, formerly of Canned Heat. Mandel plays the lead guitar parts on the song and was one of the guitarists in consideration for replacing the departed

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

's slot as the Stones' lead guitarist, a position eventually filled by Ron Wood.

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

plays piano on the recording and contributes backing vocals along with Richards and Wood. The video, however, features Wood on guitar playing Mandel's part.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it "is a hot disco tune, with driving, fleshed-out R&B overtones." The opening of " Cheap Sunglasses", a 1979 song by ZZ Top, somewhat resembles the opening of "Hot Stuff".

Chart performance

The song was released as a US promo single from ''Black and Blue'' (following the worldwide top 10 hit "

Fool to Cry "Fool to Cry" is a ballad by English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1976 album ''Black and Blue''. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Mick Taylor had just left the band and the Stones were left without a lead guitar ...

"). "Hot Stuff" was not as successful as its predecessor, reaching in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Despite the relative failure of the single, the band continued to explore the disco/funk sounds heard on the recording with later albums and singles—their next single, the disco-infused " Miss You", reached the top position in the US two years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hot Stuff (The Rolling Stones Song) The Rolling Stones songs 1976 songs Songs written by Jagger–Richards Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Song recordings produced by Jagger–Richards Music videos directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg