{{short description|1966 song by The Rolling Stones}} {{Use British English|date=June 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox song | name = Under My Thumb | cover = Under My Thumb cover.jpg | caption = Japanese single picture sleeve | artist = the Rolling Stones | album = Aftermath | released= {{Start date|1966|04|15|df=y}} | recorded = 6–9 March 1966 | genre = * Rock{{sfn|Perone|2012|loc=chap. 15}} * soul<ref name="Segretto 2022">{{cite book|title=33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute – A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999|first=Mike|last=Segretto|date=2022|chapter= 1966|pages= 104–105|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=9781493064601|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ}}</ref> | length = 3:41 | writer = Jagger/Richards | label = Decca | producer = Andrew Loog Oldham | tracks = {{Aftermath tracks}} }}
"'''Under My Thumb'''" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Under My Thumb" features a marimba played by Brian Jones.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mejia|first=Brittny|date=2021-06-25|title=After COVID silenced marimbas in California, an instrument sings again|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-25/post-covid-la-craftsman-repairs-guatemalas-marimbas|access-date=2021-07-11|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Although it was never released as a single in English-speaking countries, it is one of the band's more popular songs from the mid-1960s and appears on several best-of compilations, such as ''Hot Rocks 1964–1971''. It was included as the fourth track on both the American and United Kingdom versions of the band's 1966 studio album ''Aftermath''.
The group frequently performed "Under My Thumb" on their American Tour 1981 and European Tour 1982 as the opening number at each concert. It was the song being performed by the group at the Altamont Free Concert in December 1969 during which the killing of Meredith Hunter took place.
==Lyrics and music== Like many of the songs from the ''Aftermath'' period, "Under My Thumb" uses more novel instrumentation than that featured on previous Stones records. Fuzz bass lines were added by Bill Wyman. Marimba riffs, played by Brian Jones, provide the song's most prominent hook.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Wawzenek|first1=Bryan|date=26 March 2013|title=Top 10 Brian Jones Rolling Stones Multi-Instrumentalist Songs|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-jones-multi-instrumentalist-songs/|access-date=2021-06-02|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|language=en|archive-date=10 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710161316/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-jones-multi-instrumentalist-songs/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The song is said to be an examination of a sexual power struggle, in which Jagger's lyrics celebrate the success of finally having controlled and gained leverage over a previously pushy, dominating woman. Savouring the successful "taming of the shrew" and comparing the woman in question to a "pet", a "Siamese cat" and a "squirming dog", the lyrics provoked some negative reactions, especially amongst feminists, who objected to what they took as the suppressive sexual politics of the male narrator. American humanities professor Camille Paglia, for example, reported that her admiration and defence of "Under My Thumb" marked the beginning of a rift between her and the radical feminists of the late 1960s.<ref>Paglia, Camille. (1992) ''Sex, Art and American Culture: New Essays'', New York, Vintage, 1992, {{ISBN|978-0-679-74101-5}}</ref><ref name=reason>Reason, [https://reason.com/archives/2015/03/19/everythings-amazing-and-camille-paglia-i/print Everything's Awesome and Camille Paglia Is Unhappy!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628091152/https://reason.com/archives/2015/03/19/everythings-amazing-and-camille-paglia-i/print |date=28 June 2016 }}, 19 March 2015</ref> Jagger later reflected on the track in a 1995 interview with ''Rolling Stone'': "It's a bit of a jokey number, really. It's not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others{{nbsp}}... Yes, it's a caricature, and it's in reply to a girl who was a very pushy woman".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/mickjagger/articles/story/5938394/the_rolling_stone_interview |title=The Rolling Stone Interview: Mick Jagger : Rolling Stone |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=2007-04-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225731/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/mickjagger/articles/story/5938394/the_rolling_stone_interview |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> Starting with the 1969 tour, Jagger changed the references of "girl" in the lyric to "woman".
In 2021, ''Like a Rolling Stone Revisited: Une relecture de Dylan'' [A Re-reading of Dylan] by Jean-Michel Buizard—a book devoted to Bob Dylan—takes a diversion through "Under My Thumb" and offers a new interpretation of the song, departing from a first-degree reading of it. Buizard describes that in the blues tradition, of which the Stones are the heirs, the guitar is the eternal companion of the bluesman, sometimes even personified, such as Lucille, B. B. King's guitar, to which he dedicated a song (''Lucille'', 1968). He argues that "Under My Thumb" extends this tradition: "It's never about a real woman, but simply about this instrument that the guitarist has to tame, which probably gets him into trouble at first, but which he finally manages to dominate with his fingertips—under his thumb!"{{sfn|Buizard|2021|p=54}}
The Boomtown Rats released a version of this Jagger/Richards song with new lyrics by Bob Geldof, mildly retitled "Under Their Thumb".
== Commercial performance == According to the Associated Press and United Press International, "Under My Thumb" was among the most popular songs that the Stones performed during their 1969 appearances at Madison Square Garden and The Forum.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1969-11-10|title=Rolling Stones Score In California Concert|page=32|work=The Tampa Tribune|agency=United Press International|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81250073/rolling-stones-score-in-california/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711204651/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81250073/rolling-stones-score-in-california/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1969-11-28|title=Rolling Stones gather no moss in wild Yankee tour|pages=12|work=Longview Daily News|agency=The Associated Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81250220/rolling-stones-gather-no-moss-in-wild/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711204651/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81250220/rolling-stones-gather-no-moss-in-wild/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Critical reception == Writing for the ''Port Angeles Evening News'' in 1971, critic Randy Peters considered "Under My Thumb" to be a "Stone's classic".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Peters|first=Randy|date=1971-06-15|title=Sticky Fingers record review Port Angeles Evening News|pages=21|work=Port Angeles Evening News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81253851/sticky-fingers-record-review-port/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711213632/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81253851/sticky-fingers-record-review-port/|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 1978 retrospective review, music critic John Andrew Prime noted "Under My Thumb" for having "certain twists and turns" which rescued it from "the doldrums".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Prime|first=John Andrew|date=1978-06-19|title=New Stones album has 'decent' music|pages=19|work=The Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81251813/new-stones-album-has-decent-music/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711211940/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81251813/new-stones-album-has-decent-music/|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, staff writer Terry Orme wrote for ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' that the song reflected the Stones "at their offensive best", stating that the Stones had made important commentary "on the mentality of a culture".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Orme|first=Terry|date=1978-07-23|title=Rolling Stones Still searching for some satisfaction|pages=113|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81252017/rolling-stones-still-searching-for-some/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711211936/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81252017/rolling-stones-still-searching-for-some/|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing for ''The Boston Globe'' in 1969, contributing critic William Alford referred to the song as being about "joyously insecure revenge".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Alford|first=William|date=1969-11-28|title=Records|pages=43|work=The Boston Globe|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81249564/boston-globe-records-section-aftermath/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711204651/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81249564/boston-globe-records-section-aftermath/|url-status=live}}</ref>
An article in the ''Courier-Journal'' in 1971 considered the song among the "worst picture[s] of women ... where sexual exploitation reaches unique heights."<ref>{{Cite news|last=Meade|first=Marion|date=1971-04-18|title=Rock Vs. Women|pages=233|work=The Courier-Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81254219/rock-vs-women/|access-date=2021-07-11}}</ref> Writing for the ''Lincoln Gazette'' in 1972, musician Dave Downing noted the concerns raised but considered stereotyping and oversimplification to be "very difficult to avoid" in rock music, calling "Under My Thumb" a "piece of art, not a political doctrine".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Downing|first=Dave|date=1972-09-26|title=A Reply to Cock Rock|pages=11|work=Lincoln Gazette|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81254416/a-reply-to-cock-rock/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711214140/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81254416/a-reply-to-cock-rock/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Personnel== According to authors Philippe Margotin & Jean-Michel Guesdon:{{sfn|Margotin|Guesdon|2016|p=148}}
'''The Rolling Stones''' * Mick Jagger{{spaced ndash}}vocals * Keith Richards{{spaced ndash}}acoustic guitar, lead guitar, fuzz bass * Brian Jones{{spaced ndash}}marimba * Bill Wyman{{spaced ndash}}bass * Charlie Watts{{spaced ndash}}drums
'''Additional musicians''' * Ian Stewart{{spaced ndash}}piano * Unidentified musician(s){{spaced ndash}}finger snaps, hand claps
==Altamont incident== {{Main|Altamont Free Concert|Killing of Meredith Hunter}} The song was being played during the killing of Meredith Hunter at the infamous Altamont Free Concert in 1969. Visibly rattled by the violence in front of the stage, Jagger can be heard to sing, "I pray that it's all right", instead of the usual "It feels all right." The Stones were just finishing up the song when a fight broke out between Hells Angels on the security detail and concert-goers, ultimately culminating in the stabbing of Hunter by Hells Angel<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kilgore|first=Michael|date=1978-06-09|title=Through The Past Darkly|pages=74|work=The Tampa Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81252698/through-the-past-darkly/|access-date=2021-07-11}}</ref> Alan Passaro after Hunter pulled out a revolver.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Brink|first=Susan|date=1971-01-19|title='Gimme Shelter'--a beautiful, honest film|pages=17|work=The Miami News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81253502/gimme-shelter-a-beautiful-honest/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711212940/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81253502/gimme-shelter-a-beautiful-honest/|url-status=live}}</ref>
It is a common misconception that Hunter was stabbed while the band was playing "Sympathy for the Devil", which was actually performed earlier in the set.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Burks |first=John |title=Rock & Roll's Worst Day |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=7 February 1970 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934386/rock__rolls_worst_day |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423155255/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934386/rock__rolls_worst_day/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2006 |access-date=13 September 2008}}</ref> The events appear in the documentary film ''Gimme Shelter'' (1970).<ref>{{cite news|author=Caspar Llewellyn Smith |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/sep/06/gimme-shelter-rolling-stones-dvd |title=Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones|newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Vernon L.|date=1971-06-24|title='Gimme Shelter' Ruins Stones' Tough Image|pages=11|work=Prospector|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33949259/prospector/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711211938/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33949259/prospector/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Cover versions == "Under My Thumb" has been the subject of multiple cover versions, some of which have charted in the US and UK. The song was subject to covers by Del Shannon and Wayne Gibson in 1966. Shannon's version reached number 129 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.<ref name="auto">Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959–2004</ref> Gibson's version failed to chart in 1966, but later charted at number 17 in the UK in 1974 after gaining popularity in the Northern Soul scene.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11298/wayne-gibson/|title=WAYNE GIBSON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com|access-date=7 June 2021}}</ref>
In response to the Rolling Stones' Redlands bust in 1967, The Who recorded a cover version of "Under My Thumb".<ref>{{Cite news|date=1967-07-07|title=The Who Records Stones' Songs|pages=40|work=Detroit Free Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54450536/detroit-free-press/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711210115/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54450536/detroit-free-press/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Doom metal pioneers Pentagram released a cover as a single in 1974. American singer and actress Tina Turner covered "Under My Thumb" for her album ''Acid Queen'' (1975).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mills|first=Josh|date=1975-09-21|title=The J. Geils Band & How It Played On|pages=9|work=Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81253208/the-j-geils-band-how-it-played-on/|access-date=2021-07-11|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711212543/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81253208/the-j-geils-band-how-it-played-on/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was released on United Artists Records as the fourth and last single in Australia to promote her Australian tour in 1977. Produced by Danny Diante and Spencer Proffer, the single reached No. 80 on the Kent Music Report.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kent|first=David|title=Australian chart book 1970-1992|publisher=Australian Chart Book|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|pages=314|oclc=38338297}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=August 30, 1975|title=Billboard's Top Album Picks|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1975/Billboard%201975-08-30.pdf|magazine=Billboard|pages=52}}</ref> "Under My Thumb" was also covered by The Hounds in 1979, with their rendition reaching number 110 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under 100 chart.<ref name="auto" /> That same year, the Canadian band Streetheart released a disco-hybrid cover version from the album ''Under Heaven, Over Hell''; it peaked at number 20 in 1980 on the ''RPM'' singles chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.9477a.pdf |title= RPM 100 Singles: February 02, 1980 |magazine= RPM |access-date= September 26, 2024 |archive-date= 8 December 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20241208101506/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.9477a.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref>
==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Under My Thumb"}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Rolling Stones|title=Under My Thumb|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2025|id=21481-44-1|access-date=4 October 2025}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
===Sources=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|language=fr|first=Jean-Michel|last=Buizard|title=Like a Rolling Stone Revisited : Une relecture de Dylan | publisher=Camion Blanc|year=2021}} * {{cite book |last1=Margotin |first1=Philippe |last2=Guesdon |first2=Jean-Michel |title=The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track |date=2016 |publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers |location=New York |isbn=978-0-316-31774-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g5eTCwAAQBAJ |archive-date=4 October 2024 |access-date=17 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004020346/https://books.google.com/books?id=g5eTCwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }} * {{cite book|last=Perone|first=James E.|title=The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential and Important Creations|year=2012|publisher=Praeger|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn=978-0-313-37906-2}} {{refend}}
{{The Rolling Stones}} {{The Rolling Stones singles}}{{Tina Turner}} {{Authority control}}
Category:1966 songs Category:1968 singles Category:1974 singles Category:1977 singles Category:The Rolling Stones songs Category:The Who songs Category:Del Shannon songs Category:Tina Turner songs Category:Songs written by Jagger–Richards Category:Song recordings produced by Andrew Loog Oldham Category:British pop rock songs Category:Obscenity controversies in music Category:Decca Records singles Category:United Artists Records singles Category:Songs about revenge Category:British soul songs