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Good Time Women

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Good Time Women"
Song by the Rolling Stones
from the album Exile on Main St. (2010)
Released16 May 2010 (2010-05-16)
GenreBoogie-woogie
Length3:21
Songwriter(s)Jagger/Richards

"Good Time Women" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it is an upbeat[1] song with a blues boogie-woogie rhythm. "Good Time Women" formed the basis of the band's later song, "Tumbling Dice", which was released as a single in 1972.

Recorded at Stargroves using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio between March and May 1970, "Good Time Women" went unreleased until 2010, when it was included on the deluxe remastered release of the band's 1972 album, Exile on Main St.

Background and recording

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"Good Time Women" eventually transformed into "Tumbling Dice". "Good Time Women"[2] was recorded at Stargroves using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio sometime between March and May 1970 during the sessions for Sticky Fingers.[3][4][5]

Music and lyrics

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"Good Time Women" is a bluesy boogie-woogie,[6][7] with heavy emphasis on Ian Stewart's piano work.[7] Though the song has differing lyrics to "Tumbling Dice",[8] it contained a similar structure, chord progression, and melody. Mick Jagger sings the hook to the accompaniment of Mick Taylor's lone lead guitar.[9] However, "Good Time Women" lacked an opening riff, a background choir, and the beat which propels the groove of "Tumbling Dice".

The lyrics of "Good Time Women" are incomplete, consisting largely of gibberish,[10] mentions of cocaine and "dry white wine".[11] The lyrics also refer to "Red light women," or prostitutes, and can be heard as alluding to their then-recent single, "Honky Tonk Women," from 1969.

Release

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"Good Time Women" was not initially released, though its successor, "Tumbling Dice" was. An October 1970 recording of "Good Time Women" was included on the 16 May 2010[11] deluxe remastered issue of Exile on Main St (1972).[12]

Critical reception

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Upon its release in 2010, reactions were mixed. Writing for New York Daily News, critic Jim Farber considered "Good Time Women" to merely be "Tumbling Dice" "sped up".[13] However, The Oklahoman entertainment editor Gene Triplett lauded "Good Time Women" as a "stinging guitar rocker", noting how it "sounds like an early version of 'Tumbling Dice' but with a different title ... and different lyrics."[8]

References

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  1. ^ Janovitz, Bill (2014). Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 228. ISBN 978-1250049520.
  2. ^ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2016). Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780316317733. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017.
  3. ^ Margotin & Guesdon 2016, p. 376.
  4. ^ "Readers' Poll: The Rolling Stones' 10 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Tumbling Dice - The Rolling Stones | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  6. ^ "No. 21: 'Tumbling Dice' – Top 100 Rolling Stones Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  8. ^ a b Triplett, Gene (2010-05-28). "Rolling Stones add 10 rare tracks to 'Exile'". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 85. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  9. ^ "The Rolling Stones: Torn and Frayed in the South of France". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  10. ^ Voger, Mark (2010-05-15). "'Exile on Main St.': A new reflection on the classic Rolling Stones' disc". nj. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  11. ^ a b Gray, Tyler (2010-05-09). "The making of the Rolling Stones' 'Exile on Main Street'". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  12. ^ Greene, Andy (9 March 2010). "The Secrets Behind the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street" Reissue". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 December 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  13. ^ Farber, Jim (2010-05-18). "Digging up some new Stones". Daily News. p. 26. Retrieved 2021-09-05.