Random Obscurities: How The Rolling Stones Learned to Write A Decent Tune

This month, 18th of September, sees the release of Crossed Eyed Heart, the third solo album by rollin’ stoner, Keith Richards. It will be Richards’ first studio album in 23 years, since 1992’s Main Offender.

We look back on a day, some 47 years ago, before the man behind some of the most famous songs in the history of pop music, knew how to squeeze out a proper tune.

We travel back to a pre-swinging London on a foggy day in September 1963, and take a peak into De Lane Lea Studio, where a young cover-band is getting a hard time by their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who is frustrated that the boys in the band, can’t write a decent tune themselves. The band is question is a bunch of shaggy rock n’ rollers who live and breathe by the name, The Rolling Stones – a name they’ve taken from a Muddy Waters song, and who’d recently had a hit single, with a cover of Chuck Berry’s ‘Come On’.

At one point Oldham leaves the rehearsal space to get some fresh air and clear his mind.

He walks down Leicester Square, when suddenly a cab pulls up next to him and two familiar voices call out his name. “Hi, Andrew! What’s up? How are the boys doing?”

Paul McCartney and John Lennon had been out to meetings and had a few drinks.

Oldham explains his distress, whereafter Lennon says, “Well, we might have something you can use.”

Oldham invites them back to the studio where the Stones struggle on with rehearsals and the art of songwriting, and right then and there, the two Beatles finish off what had been a McCartney sketch of an idea, handing it the Stones for their single.”

‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ was released by the Stones on October 1st, 1963. The Beatles own version came out later the same month, on October 22nd.

Keith Richards, would later credit being able to watch Lennon and McCartney that day with giving them a greater understanding of how to write a song. Which came in handy later, when Oldham famously locked them in the kitchen until they composed something. The result? ‘As Tears Goes By‘ was first made famous by Jagger’s soon to be girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull.

Marianne Faithfull will embark on her 50th Anniversary World Tour this October 2015.

October
03 – Théâtre de l’Octogone, Pully, Switzerland
05 – Festhalle Zweibrücken, Zweibrücken, Germany
07 – Le Trianon, Paris, France,
08 – Maison De La Culture, Amiens, France
10 – La Mals, Sochaux, Sochaux, France
13 – CRR Concert Hall, İstanbul, TurkeyTues 8 PM · 570 guests
18 – Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany
19 – Admiralspalast, Berlin, Germany
21 – Rudolf-Oetker-Halle, Bielefeld, Germany
22 – Kurhaus, Wiesbaden, Germany
25 – Stary Maneż, Gdańsk, Poland
26 – Teatr Rozrywki, Chorzów, Poland
31 – Capital Theatre, Düsseldorf, Germany

November
01 – Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven, Netherlands
08 – Koncerthuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
10 – Lorensbergsteatern, Gothenburg, Sweden
11 – Oslo Konserthus, Oslo, Norway

Photo: Terry O’Neil

Marriane Faithfull | Keith Richards | The Rolling Stones | The Beatles