Gimme shelter casino

song by The Rolling Stones

This article is about the song by the Rolling Stones. For other uses, see Gimme Shelter (disambiguation).

"Gimme Shelter" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Jagger–Richards, it is the opening track of the band's album Let It Bleed.^[5][6] The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and fear.^[7][6] It features prominent guest vocals by American singer Merry Clayton.

American author, music journalist and cultural critic Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of its release, praised the song, stating that the band has "never done anything better".^[3] "Gimme Shelter" has placed in various positions on many "best of" and "greatest" lists including that of Rolling Stone magazine.^[8] In "Gimme Shelter" was ranked at number 13 on Rolling Stone's list of the " Greatest Songs of All Time".^[9]

Inspiration and recording[edit]

"Gimme Shelter" was written by the Rolling Stones' lead vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, the band's primary songwriting team.^{[note 1]} Richards began working on the song's signature opening riff in London while Jagger was away filming Performance with Richards' then-girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg. In his autobiography Life, Richards revealed that the tension of the song was inspired by his jealousy at seeing the relationship between Pallenberg and Jagger, and his suspicions of an affair between them.^[10]

As released, the song begins with Richards performing a guitar intro, soon joined by Jagger's lead vocal. Of Let It Bleed's bleak world view, Jagger said in a interview with Rolling Stone magazine:

Well, it's a very rough, very violent era. The Vietnam War. Violence on the screens, pillage and burning. And Vietnam was not war as we knew it in the conventional sense. The thing about Vietnam was that it wasn't like World War II, and it wasn't like Korea, and it wasn't like the Gulf War. It was a real nasty war, and people didn't like it. People objected, and people didn't want to fight it&#; That's a kind of end-of-the-world song, really. It's apocalypse; the whole record's like that.^[11]

Similarly, on NPR in

It was a very moody piece about the world closing in on you a bit&#; When it was recorded, early '69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that's reflected in this tune. It's still wheeled out when big storms happen, as they did the other week [during Hurricane Sandy]. It's been used a lot to evoke natural disaster.^[12]

The song's inspiration was not initially Vietnam or social unrest, however, but Richards seeing people scurrying for shelter from a sudden rain storm. According to him:

I had been sitting by the window of my friend Robert Fraser's apartment on Mount Street in London with an acoustic guitar when suddenly the sky went completely black and an incredible monsoon came down. It was just people running about looking for shelter – that was the germ of the idea. We went further into it until it became, you know, rape and murder are 'just a shot away'.^[13]

The recording features guest vocals by Merry Clayton, recorded at a last-minute late-night recording session in Los Angeles during the mixing phase, arranged by her friend and record producer Jack Nitzsche.^[14] After the first verse is sung by Jagger, Clayton enters and they share the next three verses. A harmonica solo by Jagger and guitar solo by Richards follow. Then, with great energy, Clayton repeatedly sings "Rape, murder! It's just a shot away! It's just a shot away!", almost screaming the final stanza. She and Jagger then repeat the line "It's just a shot away" and finish with repeats of "It's just a kiss away". When speaking of her inclusion in the recording, Jagger stated in the book According to the Rolling Stones that the Rolling Stones' producer Jimmy Miller thought of having a female singer on the track and told fellow producer Nitzsche to contact one: "The use of the female voice was the producer's idea. It would be one of those moments along the lines of 'I hear a girl on this track – get one on the phone.'"^[14][15] Summoned from bed around midnight by Nitzsche, Clayton – about four months pregnant – made her recording with just a few takes and then returned home to bed.^[14] It remained the most prominent contribution to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist for 54&#;years,^[16] until the October release of "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" on their album, Hackney Diamonds, featuring Lady Gaga, whom producer Andrew Watt described as "almost embodying Merry Clayton" on the track.^[17]

At about into the song, Clayton's voice cracks under the strain; once during the second refrain on the word "shot", then on the word "murder" during the third refrain, after which Jagger is faintly heard exclaiming "Woo!" in response to Clayton's powerful delivery.^[18] Upon returning home, Clayton suffered a miscarriage, attributed by some sources to her exertions during the recording.^[19][20]

Merry Clayton's name was erroneously written on the original release, appearing as "Mary". (Her given name is "Merry" due to her being born on Christmas Day.) Her name is also listed as "Mary" on the Let It Bleed remastered CD.^[21]

The song was recorded in London at Olympic Studios in February and March ; the vocals were recorded in Los Angeles at Sunset Sound Recorders and Elektra Studios in October and November that same year.^[22]Nicky Hopkins played piano, Jimmy Miller played percussion, Charlie Watts played drums, Bill Wyman played bass, Jagger played harmonica and sang backup vocals with Richards and Clayton. Guitarist Brian Jones was present during the early sessions but did not contribute,^{[citation needed]} Richards being credited with both rhythm and lead guitars on the album sleeve. For the recording, Richards used an Australian-made Maton SE, a large single-cutaway hollowbody guitar, which he had previously used on "Midnight Rambler". The guitar barely survived the recording before literally falling apart. "[O]n the very last note of 'Gimme Shelter,'" Richards told Guitar World in , "the whole neck fell off. You can hear it on the original take."^[23]

Releases on compilation albums and live recordings[edit]

"Gimme Shelter" quickly became a staple of the Rolling Stones' live shows. It was first performed sporadically during their American Tour and became a regular addition to their setlist during the American Tour. For these live renditions, all vocals were handled by Mick Jagger. These performances are now famous instead for the finely crafted solos by lead guitarist Mick Taylor who however did not play on the studio recording of the song. Other concert versions appear on the Stones' albums No Security (recorded , released ),^[24]Live Licks (recorded , released ),^[25]Brussels Affair (recorded , released ),^[26][27] and Hyde Park Live ().^[28] A May performance recorded at Paradiso (Amsterdam) was released on the "Wild Horses" (live) single, on the "Saint of Me" single (included in the CD box set The Singles –), and again on Totally Stripped in

The song appeared in Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, a film of the Stones' North American Tour, as well as on its official DVD release.^[29] It is also featured on the concert DVD/Blu-ray sets Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98 (), Four Flicks (), The Biggest Bang (), Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live (), Totally Stripped (), and Havana Moon ().^[30]

The female contributor to the live version of the song was Lisa Fischer from to ,^[31][32] and has been Sasha Allen since

In their 50th anniversary tour, the Rolling Stones sang this song with Mary J. Blige,^[33]Florence Welch,^[33] and Lady Gaga.^[34][33]

"Gimme Shelter" was never released as a single. Nevertheless, it has been included on many compilation releases, including Gimme Shelter,^[35]Hot Rocks –,^[36]Forty Licks,^[37] and GRRR!^[38] In , a version of the song, featuring Lady Gaga, was also included on their 50th-anniversary live tour album, GRRR Live! – Live at Newark.^[39]

Personnel[edit]

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:

The Rolling Stones

Additional personnel

Accolades[edit]

Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of the "Gimme Shelter"'s release, stated that "[t]he Stones have never done anything better".^[42]Pitchfork placed it at number 12 on its list of "The Greatest Songs of the s".^[43] Ultimate Classic Rock put the song at number one on their Top Rolling Stones songs^[44] and number three on their Top Classic Rock Songs.^[45]

It is ranked number 13 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs of All Time list.^[9] It is also ranked number 1 on the magazine's list of the band's best songs.^[46]

In popular culture[edit]

"Gimme Shelter" has been featured in a variety of films, television shows, and commercials. The documentary film Gimme Shelter, directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin,^[47] chronicling the last weeks of the Stones' US tour and culminating in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert, took its name from the song.^[48][49][50] A live version of the song played over the documentary's credits.^[51] The song has appeared in the Martin Scorsese films Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed.

• French filmmaker Michel Gondry directed a video using the song as musical backing, which was released in The video features a sixteen-year old Brad Renfro, playing a young man escaping with his brother from a dysfunctional home and the abuse they suffered at the hands of their abusive alcoholic father, and then from society as a whole.^[52]

Certifications[edit]

Notable cover versions[edit]

"Putting Our House in Order" project[edit]

In , a Food Records project collected various versions of the track by the following bands and collaborations, the proceeds of which went to the Shelter charity's "Putting Our House in Order" homeless initiative. The versions were issued across various formats, featuring on some also a live version of the song by the Rolling Stones.

"Gimme Shelter" (pop version – CD and cassette single)

"Gimme Shelter" (alternative version – CD single)

"Gimme Shelter" (rock version – CD single)

"Gimme Shelter" (dance version – 12" single)

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

Informational notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links[edit]