Album: Some Girls
Year: 1978
. . .
You come at the Temptations, you best not miss.
The Stones had covered the Temptations twice before: doing a too-slavish version of “My Girl” in the mid-1960s that ended up on Flowers, and a pretty good cover of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” on It’s Only Rock And Roll.. Neither was even remotely a patch on the original though, and theoretically doing “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” had the highest degree of difficulty of all.
A beyond gorgeous slice of melancholy harmony that the Temptations took to #1 in 1971 — in between future Certain Songs “Ball of Confusion” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” just to remind folks of how amazing the Temptations truly were — “Just Imagination (Running Away With Me)” made it to #1 on the strength of Eddie Kendricks’ wispy falsetto, the harmonies (always the harmonies), and the soaring string arrangement, as played by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
I’ll have more to say about “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” when I get to the Temptations, let’s say next year. But you’ll agree that it’s a pretty tough not to crack. And not only did the Stones crack it, they utterly crushed it: “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” is the greatest of all of their covers. Which, of course, makes it one of the greatest cover versions by anybody ever, right up there with Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower,” The English Beat’s “Tears of a Clown,” and Hüsker Dü’s “Eight Miles High.”
In each of those cases, a great artist took a great song by another great artist and changed its idiom without losing one iota of what made the song great in the first place. Same here.
But it takes a bit. At first, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” kinda meanders, the liquid effects on Keith’s guitar the only distinguishing factor as Mick sings the first verse:
I look out my window watch her as she passes by
I say to myself I’m such a lucky guy
To have a girl like her is a dream come true
And of all the girls in New York she loves me true
Now, of course, Mick changes the last line of that verse from the original “all the girls in the world” to “all the girls in New York” which somehow makes it bigger. I mean, when Eddie Kendricks is comparing her to the rest of the girls in the world, it’s clearly hyperbole, but there was a possibility that Mick Jagger had actually met all the girls in New York. And obviously, given that it’s the third song in a row on Some Girls to be set in New York City, it’s given rise to the truism that Some Girls is the Stones’ “New York album.” Which maybe, but I’m also pretty sure that New York doesn’t come up again until the last song on the album, “Shattered,” meaning that only the 40% of the songs are about New York.
And so I sent a text to the spirit of Lou Reed, who occasionally haunts my house, to ask if an album can be a “New York album” if only 40% of the songs are about New York — and it was recorded in France — and I got no response. Though I did think I heard derisive laughter coming from somewhere in the background for a couple of days.
In any event, “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me”) truly takes off on its first chorus, Bill Wyman’s bass line leading the charge.
It was just my imagination
Once again
Running away with me
It was just my imagination
Running away with me
As I’ve mentioned about a thousand times already, it’s always been great for the Rolling Stones to have Keith Richards as a background vocalist, as his rasp always adds instant authenticity, but now the Stones had two Keiths, as Ron Wood joins in as well, and it’s amazing, with their husky “imaginaaaaaaaa-SHUN” and “maaaaeeeeeeeee” roughly gorgeous. Also pretty incredible is Mick’s phrasing on “once again” perfectly splitting the difference between first two lines. Of course, it’s not nearly as pretty as the Temptations, but it’s got its own tough beauty.
Meanwhile, Mick continues with his reverie in the second verse.
Soon we’ll be married and raise a family
Two boys for you, what about two girls for me
I tell you I am just a fellow with a one track mind
Whatever it is I want, baby, I seek and I shall find
I’ll tell you
I just want to point out that his is the only context in the history of the Rolling Stones when Mick Jagger could sing “what about two girls for me” and have it not be about a threesome. That how sincere he’s coming across.
After the second chorus, during which the guitars have already started to comment, Charlie Watts switches up to a double-time on his snare, as Keith takes the first solo, slipping and sliding around Mick and Ron’s guitars all of which is to set up the final verse, in which — SPOILER ALERT! — there’s a twist.
Every night I hope and pray
Dear Lord, hear my plea
Don’t ever let another take her love from me
Or I will surely dieHer love is ecstasy
When her arms enfold me
I hear her tender rhapsody
But in reality, she doesn’t even know…
And at that point Keith and Ronnie come in with a slightly sadder “Just my imaginaaaaaaa-SHUN” as the guitars explode around Mick’s sad “me”. And with Keith and/or Ronnie’s guitars now crying real tears, they do chorus after chorus, in the middle of which Charlie — once again — doubles up on his snare and Bill’s bass is driving. And just as you think it can’t get any more sublime, Mick starts ad-libbing over what now sounds like about a million guitars:
Run away, run away, run away, run away, run, run, run, run, run
Run away, run away, run away, run away, run, run, run, run, run, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run, run, run, run, run
Run away, run away, run away, run away, run, run, run, run, run, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run, run, run, run, run
Run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run, run, run, run, run
I’m not going to lie, the last half of “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” as completely blown me away for decades now. And it just now struck me if the equally amazing ending of The English Beat’s “Save It For Later” where Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling sing “runaway runaway runaway runaway and let me down” is a bit of an homage to this.
“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” wasn’t a single, and they’ve hardly played it since 1982, but as I said up top, I consider it the greatest of all of their covers, and the centerpiece of what might be their greatest single album side, to boot. Oh, and check out the fantastic 1978 live version below.
“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)”
“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” Live in Texas, 1978
“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” Live in Hampton, 1981
“Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” Live in New York, 2006
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