The Vocal on This 1969 Classic Was SO INTENSE—it CAUSED the Singer SERIOUS HARM! | Professor of Rock
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Published 2024-03-22
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“No rock record, before or since, has ever so completely captured the sense of palpable dread that hung over its era.” Those are the feelings of biographer Steven Davis expressed in his book Old Gods Almost Dead: The 40-Year Odyssey of The Rolling Stones. The record Davis was referring to is The Rolling Stones’s haunting 1969 masterpiece…. ”Gimme Shelter.”
I absolutely share Davis’s passion for this incredibly riveting docudrama of music theater. The “Gimme Shelter” experience begins with that soul-chilling Keith Richards guitar riff… Followed by a searing Merry Clayton howl echoing in the shadows…. a rattlesnake death scrape from a guiro played by producer Jimmy Miller.
The pulsation of Charlie Watts drums- gyrating with Bill Wyman’s bass line- that is joined by the subtle melancholy of a Nicky Hopkins piano. The scene has been set for the entrance of rock’s premier frontman… Mick Jagger… who swaggers in like an angry street-fighter to issue a warning for those who have the courage to heed: “Ooh, a storm is threatening my very life today….If I don’t get some shelter…I’m gonna fade away."
“Gimme Shelter” is about the children of a society writhe with war, murder, fear, and crimes against women. The creation of this epic track began with the uneasiness of a jealous lover….
Anita Pallenberg was a very incestuous figure within The Rolling Stones's menage. She was an actress & model, who was regarded as a style icon, and an “IT girl” of 60s and 70s fashion. Pallenberg was first romantically linked to Stones founder Brian Jones- who physically abused her.
After rescuing her from one of Jones’s assaults while vacationing in Morocco, Pellenberg turned her affection to her protector... Keith Richards. Richards & Pallenberg were a couple from 1967 to 1980, although they never married.
All Comments (21)
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Poll: What is your pick for the greatest GUEST VOCAL on a song EVER?
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I worked as the Exec Chef at a cafe in Park City for years. On the night that "20 Feet from Stardom" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, the film makers and some of the singers featured in the film, including Merry, came in for dinner. Later, Merry, all diva's out in white, almost floor length fur coat, approached me, and told me the salmon she had was some of the best she had ever eaten. When I then replied that she is the reason Gimme Shelter is the single greatest song the Stones had ever recorded, she told me to give her a hug. It was a very cool moment.
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The way her voice cracks is so moving. The emotion she throws into this song is beyond words. That voice crack hits your soul. There's no other way I can describe it.
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Im a child of the 60/ 70s and every time I hear it it sends me right back into the Vietnam era and all the fears of that time.
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"Gimme Shelter" is one of a bare handful of songs that could stake a claim as the Greatest Rock and Roll Song of all time. With thousands of great songs played all over the world around the clock, "Gimme Shelter" always stands out and commands attention whenever it's played. Literally everything about and within the song contributes to make it a soul moving, gut wrenching sonic experience. We shall not see its like again, I think.
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I’ve listened to that song hundreds of times. I’d never heard Jagger’s reaction before. I will never fail to hear it from now on. That’s been my favorite vocal of all time for over 50 years. And now, to find out after all this time that the effort resulted in Merry Clayton suffering a miscarriage… I have no words …
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So many bands have done covers of this song, yet nobody can do it justice. Long Live the Rolling Stones.
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This turned out to be a Merry Clayton tribute. She's the chef's kiss on this badass jam and other ones as well
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The story behind "Gimme Shelter" is one of the greatest stories of Rock 'n' Roll history.
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You are absolutely correct about 1969 being the end of the innocence. I graduated high school in 1965. In 1969, I was pregnant with my first child, temporarily living in California, and listening to rock and roll constantly--as were we all of my generation. The time from 1964 through the summer of love, 1967, and into 1969 was magical. We thought it was going to last forever. In August, the Manson murders occurred. What happened to Sharon Tate hit me especially hard as I was well into my pregnancy--and now I was living in California! On December 6th, the tragedy of Altamont hit. Our baby boy was born in January. When he was two months old, we packed up the car and returned to Montana. And then we were into the 70s and all that drama and great music. Love your station. Love it that you honor all those great old songs that still sound young.
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Nobody holds a match to Mary’s extraordinarily chilling voice. We all bow down and cry when we hear her.
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I’ve considered this the greatest rock song of all time. I never get tired of hearing it.
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It's Heartbreaking that Mary lost her baby. She gave her all for that epic performance. Amazing song!
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Rock songs do not get much better than this! Keith Richards will still be playing this riff in the centuries to come ;)
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I've always been a huge Stones fan, but Merry Clayton took them to a new level. Absolutely phenomenal.
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The song is great to start, but Clayton's vocals take it to another level. It would not be what it is without her. I can't even find the words to express how I feel about this one.
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WOW POR, great history on this song. Pregnancy, old guitar played to death, middle of the night recording, all for such a classic to come to life. With all that went into this song, thank goodness it became one of the greatest ever.
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All the love being sent to the incredible Merry Clayton in this video has my heart swelling. She’s such a legendary vocalist. She deserves so much praise ❤. Hearing her vocal on this song never ceases to bring me to tears.
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It's amazing that Keith Richards is still alive. This man cannot be killed by ordinary means.
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Merry Clayton doesn't get enough credit for what she has done for music. Let alone this Rock n Roll Classic!!!!!!!
