Album: Between The Buttons (U.S.)
Year: 1967
. . .
It’s clear Ed Sullivan fucking hated the Rolling Stones. After their first appearance, he apologized for having them on and swore that he’d never have them on again. He probably thought he was making a good bet: that there was no way that these shaggy-ass scruffy fucks were going to any kind of career.
Instead, they were on several more times, the final one when they performed “Gimme Shelter” in 1969, the world having changed completely in the intervening five years.
Well, not completely changed, as in January, 1967, Sullivan insisted that Mick Jagger not sing the title of their latest single, the piano-driven fucksong “Let’s Spend The Night Together,” which was yet another departure in their sound, as the Stones were now in full experimentation mode.
And in fact, “Let’s Spend The Night Together” opened the U.S. version of Between The Buttons — the best album from the Stones’s experimental period — with a bang. Starting with hammering piano riffs from both Keith Richards and Jack Nitzche and the insta-hook “bah-da-dah-dup-bop-bop-bop-da-dah-dup” backing vocals, “Let’s Spend the Night Together” kicks into gear the moment Charlie Watts kicks into the double-time drums, alternating those with a straight beat and some brutal snare rolls. Meanwhile, Mick immediately gets to the point.
(Bah-da-dah-dup-bop-bop-bop-da-dah-dup)
(Bah-da-dah-dup-bop-bop-bop-da-dah-dup)
Don’t you worry about what’s on your mind, oh my
(Bah-da-dah-dup-bop-bop-bop-da-dah-dup)
I’m in no hurry, I can take my time, oh my
(Bah-da-dah-dup-bop-bop-bop-da-dah-dup)
I’m going red and my tongue’s getting tied (tongue’s getting tied)
I’m off my head and my mouth’s getting dry
I’m high, but I try, try, try, oh my
Obviously, this is dirty as all hell: especially if you — like I always have — heard “tongue’s getting tired” instead of “tongue’s getting tied.” But weirdly enough, the not so coded lyrics about foreplay and oral sex weren’t the problem, but rather the directness of the chorus.
Let’s spend the night together
Now I need you more than ever
Let’s spend the night together
It was all too much for Ed Sullivan, and he insisted that Mick change the lyrics to “let’s spend some time together,” which — complete with money shot of Mick rolling his eyes as he sang it — he did, I guess figuring that 1) the kids all knew the real lyrics and 2) we were a country where a quick fuck in an alley is called “sleeping together,” so maybe “let’s spend the night together” was actually offensive.
Unlike, I guess:
This doesn’t happen to me every day, oh my
(Let’s spend the night together)
No excuses offered anyway, oh my
(Let’s spend the night together)
I’ll satisfy your every need
(your every need)
And now I know you will satisfy me
Oh m-my-my-my-my-my
And because we were deep into their experimental period, there’s a nice breakdown — Brian Jones goosing it with a massive organ — where the Stones do a quick Beach Boys round seemingly for no other reason than they could, before Charlie resumes the piledriving beat.
Anyways, this was all way too horny not just for Ed Sullivan, but radio programmers in the United States, so despite the cool, keyboard-driven sound (you could only heard guitars in maybe a couple of spots) and fantastic harmonies, “Let’s Spend The Night Together” was a total stiff of a single, topping out at #55 on the Billboard charts, though it made #3 in the U.K.
However, it happened to be a double A-side, and the song it shared vinyl with was “Ruby Tuesday,” so they definitely got what they needed from this single, in case you were worried.
“Let’s Spend The Night Together”
“Let’s Spend The Night Together” performed on the Ed Sullivan show, 1967
“Let’s Spend The Night Together” performed on Top of The Pops, 1967
“Let’s Spend The Night Together” live in Tempe, 1981
“Let’s Spend The Night Together” live in 2006
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