16 August 1969
Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see the Stones’ most debauchery-drenched single at number one in ’60s Ireland – not because of prudishness or religiosity of the time and place, but because the last two years of Irish chart-toppers have been mostly twee bubblegum schmaltz. Could the same individuals who enjoyed ‘Lily The Pink’ and ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)’ really also have bought ‘Honky Tonk Women’? Maybe I’ve misjudged ’60s Ireland.
Anyway, ‘Honky Tonk Women’ is a hoot. Its fabulous intro—cowbell, drumming, riff, opening lyric—is worth the vinyl/streaming price alone. Granted, I’m slightly reticent about how, despite being slung over the shoulder of dominant females, Mick is nonetheless singing this from a position of privilege towards women characterised as dissolute. Still, the whole thing is so sleazy, evocative and funny that I can’t help but enjoy its tight, raucous groove and vivid scene-setting. Also, that unexpectedly tender moment of “Cos I just can’t seem to drink you off my mind” is typical of how masterpiece-era Stones had the swagger but also the depth of feeling: Keith’s plaintive riffs; the fiery backing vocals of Merry Clayton or Madeline Bell; an occasional reflective or vulnerable line from Mick. In one sense ‘Honky Tonk Women’ is a throwaway lark, but it’s also the sound of the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world at the absolute top of their game.
