Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Stupid Girl
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

RCA Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 6 - 9, 1966

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals
Keith Richards - electric guitar, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass
Brian Jones - acoustic guitar
Ian Stewart - organ
Jack Nitzsche - electric piano

I'm not talking about the kind of clothes she wears, look at that stupid girl
I'm not talking about the way she combs her hair, look at that stupid girl
The way she powders her nose, her vanity shows and it shows
She's the worst thing in this world, well, look at that stupid girl

I'm not talking about the way she digs for gold, look at that stupid girl
Well, I'm talking about the way she grabs and holds, look at that stupid girl
The way she talks about someone else, that she don't even know herself
She's the sickest thing in this world, well, look at that stupid girl

Well, I'm sick and tired and I really have my doubts
I've tried and tried, but it never really works out

Like a lady in waiting to a virgin queen, look at that stupid girl
She bitches 'bout things that she's never seen, look at that stupid girl
It doesn't matter if she dyes her hair or the color of the shoes she wears
She's the worst thing in this world, well, look at that stupid girl

Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut-up, shut

Like a lady in waiting to a virgin queen, look at that stupid girl
She bitches 'bout things that she's never seen, look at that stupid girl
She purrs like a pussycat, then she turns 'round and hisses back
She's the sickest thing in this world, look at that stupid girl

Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Aftermath” LP
(Decca SKL 4786) UK, April 15, 1966

Always liked this one, although the mix is messy - to put it mildly.

Love those licks after "...look at that Stupid Giirl..."

Seems like a perfect example of the Stones trying to be the dirty Beatles. No doubt ALO had a big hand it this one. It fit his marketing plan perfectly.

The guitar solo is pretty damn cool for early 1966 and Stu's organ part deserves mention. But if it wasn't for Mick's vocals and lyrics, the music almost sounds bubblegum-ish to me.

Curious of the comments of people who actually heard it when it first came out, was this cutting edge rock at the time? peace

A Favorite!

2 1 2 0

Songs like Under My Thumb and Stupid Girl were all a spin-off from our environment... hotels, and too many dumb chicks. Not all dumb, not by any means, but that's how one got.

- Keith Richards, 1971

It's much nastier than Under My Thumb... Obviously, I was having a bit of trouble. I wasn't in a good relationship. Or I was in too many bad relationships. I had so many girlfriends at that point. None of them seemed to care they weren't pleasing me very much. I was obviously in with the wrong group.

- Mick Jagger, 1995

A great and very memorable track from the album where the Stones came into their own and ditched the relentless covers.

The first overtly misogynistic Stones' song in a long line that stretches from the mid-60s all the way to the last album. I always found that misogyny really odd - how the Stones could denigrate women so much in their lyrics and yet retain such a strong and loyal female base. Different times I guess as I couldn't see one of today's pop bands slagging off girls and getting away with it like the Stones did.

Music-wise it's a mid-60s garage rock masterclass, a template for any band that wants to replicate the authentic thin metallic sound that Dylan too went after on Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde.

They'd certainly be listening to a lot of Stax before writing this album and in Charlie and Bill's playing I can hear echoes of that great MG's rhythm section of Al Jackson and Donald 'Duck' Dunn. Stupid Girl has that great driving beat that informed so many of the wonderful Stax songs Jackson and Dunn played on.

And what about the amazing organ in there - or should I say two organs. I think Ian Stewart is probably playing the rhythmic organ parts and Jack Nitzsche the lead notes. I wonder what Ian Stewart thought abut bringing in another keyboard player!

Keith needs a notable mention too - that choppy rhythmic lead he's playing is nothing short of sublime. Again I'm hearing an MGs sound and some of those typical Steve Cropper licks in there but there are other little unique touches and flourishes of notes where Keith peels off some truly wonderful licks, very similar to how Robbie Robertson was filling in Dylan's sound at the time.
In fact at the 2.02 minute mark Keith breaks into a high pitched, caterwauling sound he used to such great effect on Gimme Shelter.

Check the Keith licks out at around the 1 minute mark and then again at 2.02. Wonderful stuff.





Elvis Costello has said that he and The Attractions listened to Aftermath so much as they were touring the UK in 1977 that he was inspired to right This Year's Girl as an answer to Stupid Girl. Check the middle 8 of Costello's song and he literally lifts the 'well I'm sick and tired and I really have my doubts' section wholesale.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-01 13:53 by Silver Dagger.

A delightful track. While the the lyrics may seem misogynistic, the music is so bouncy and infectious, and Jagger sings with such zest, that the words become funny and clever (unlike in the dreadful “Mean Disposition” years later). Given the legion female fans that they had accrued by this time, it’s notable that the Stones had the balls to release this. This one swings, baby.

Drew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-02-14 21:17 by drewmaster.

Great track from the 'pop' era. Fits in perfectly between Mothers Little Helper and Lady Jane on Aftermath.

The music sounds like baby barracudas cheerfully chomping their breakfast.
I've never heard this as "horribly mysoginistic" - it's about a certain type of person, not "women are all stupid".
When I was 10 it sounded like a guideline for how not to act, and it did a lot of people a world of good I'm sure!
I never have powdered my nose. :E

Brilliant posts by Naturalust and SilverDagger!

Naturalust's contribution echoes pretty much my feelings towards the track. There is that emphasizied 'anti-Beatles' feel in the song, basically just the lyrics making the difference into otherwise harmless pop song. Somehow the music and lyrics just don't quite match, or, I think it is better to say, the intended tension or coctail between those two just don't come out quite right, unlike in, say, masterful "Under My Thumb".

But SilverDagger's post opened my ears to notice there things that I hadn't been able to do before. For some reason "Stupid Girl" has been for me a filler cut in AFTERMATH, a little nasty, but throwaway and ordinary song between "Mother's Little Helper" and "Lady Jane", two experimental masterworks. But yeah, now listening it closely, keeping SD's words in mind, there is a lot of going on there. The reference to Stax is a spot on, even though I think it is just the reference that is interesting; unfortunately - to my ears - the result is a bit lame, not actually achieving the effortless, but capturing drive of the target. The same goes for that 'thin metallic sound', which in to my ears remains a bit too much in a safe poppish realm, without the edge and purpose, for example, Dylan's 'electric turn' albums are full of. Individually taken, the instrumental contributions by all members are nice, but it is the whole thing, and probably the whole song as a song, that doesn't quite bring it all back home. The whole thing, including the lyrics, is a bit too 'boyish', if not even 'childish', to be really convincing. Any kind of real threat or danger or even anger is totally absent. There is some sort of artificiality or thinness in it, the whole edifice built on not natural elements, even though its naivity - that vitality and dareness of youthness - has a charm of its own.

But it is a nice experiment, so 1966, and it is a good album track in the sense that it makes the A-side of AFTERMATH flow nicely. But I don't think it has not much significance outside of that context. But, for example, Elvis Costello seemed to think otherwise!

- Doxa



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-01 14:07 by Doxa.

Here's a couple of other great songs called Stupid Girl.

Quote
Silver Dagger
Here's a couple of other great songs called Stupid Girl.

No titles (Stupid Boy) to be discovered?

2 1 2 0

Quote
Silver Dagger

The first overtly misogynistic Stones' song in a long line that stretches from the mid-60s all the way to the last album. I always found that misogyny really odd - how the Stones could denigrate women so much in their lyrics and yet retain such a strong and loyal female base. Different times I guess as I couldn't see one of today's pop bands slagging off girls and getting away with it like the Stones did.

I recall reading Finnish feminist magazine - first of that kind of sort, heavy stuff back then (this was back in the 80's, and I was rather young) - in which there was a critical article discussing rock lyrics, that are, how can we put it nicely, rather 'male oriented' by nature. Anyway, what I find amusing in the article that the Stones got a free pass - songs like "Under My Thumb" and "Stupid Girl" were mentioned - because their 'misogony' was just so explicit that it turned against itself; it could not be taken literally. So the actual effect was more like a liberating one; it put into words - and loud - such things that worked for a feminist cause. Much more terrible from a feminist criticism was the implicit 'chauvenism' of typical or ordinary rock lyricism (hi John, Paul and Bobby!).

Jagger can get away with anything, you know... or he can charm anyone...

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-01 14:41 by Doxa.

Quote
Doxa

Naturalust's contribution echoes pretty much my feelings towards the track. There is that emphasizied 'anti-Beatles' feel in the song, basically just the lyrics making the difference into otherwise harmless pop song. Somehow the music and lyrics just don't quite match, or, I think it is better to say, the intended tension or coctail between those two just don't come out quite right, unlike in, say, masterful "Under My Thumb".

- Doxa

Completely anti-Beatles feel Doxa. The Beatles were more supportive of womankind and praising ladies to the max as on She's A Woman and Girl. It was very rare for them to let rip into women although when they did as on You Can't Do That or Another Girl they also delivered a mean punch. But there's no way The Beatles would ever have written a song as observationally mysoginistic
as Under My Thumb.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-01 14:38 by Silver Dagger.

Quote
Doxa

Quote
Silver Dagger

The first overtly misogynistic Stones' song in a long line that stretches from the mid-60s all the way to the last album. I always found that misogyny really odd - how the Stones could denigrate women so much in their lyrics and yet retain such a strong and loyal female base. Different times I guess as I couldn't see one of today's pop bands slagging off girls and getting away with it like the Stones did.

I recall reading Finnish feminist magazine - first of that kind of sort, heavy stuff back then (this was back in the 80's, and I was rather young) - in which there was a critical article discussing rock lyrics, that are, how can we put it nicely, rather 'male oriented' by nature. Anyway, what I find amusing in the article that the Stones got a free pass - songs like "Under My Thumb" and "Stupid Girl" were mentioned - because their 'misogony' was just so explicit that it turned against itself; it could not be taken literally. So the actual effect was more like a liberating one; it put into words - and loud - such things that worked for a feminist cause. Much more terrible from a feminist criticism was the implicit 'chauvenism' of typical or ordinary rock lyricism.

Jagger can get away with anything, you know... or he can charm anyone...

- Doxa

Interesting point Doxa and a suprising one. But quite possibly a reason why Ellen Foley, a singer coming out of the New Wave and who was dating The Clash's Mick Jones at the time should come with a version of Stupid Girl.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-01 14:43 by Silver Dagger.

The best part is the bridge:

Well, I'm sick and tired and I really have my doubts
I've tried and tried, but it never really works out

I always kinda thought that the scratching at the end of Keith's possibly double-tracked solo was the result of either running out of notes to play or frustration.

Quote
TooTough
The best part is the bridge:

Well, I'm sick and tired and I really have my doubts
I've tried and tried, but it never really works out

A classic Beatles-bridge

Quote
Silver Dagger

Quote
Doxa

Naturalust's contribution echoes pretty much my feelings towards the track. There is that emphasizied 'anti-Beatles' feel in the song, basically just the lyrics making the difference into otherwise harmless pop song. Somehow the music and lyrics just don't quite match, or, I think it is better to say, the intended tension or coctail between those two just don't come out quite right, unlike in, say, masterful "Under My Thumb".

- Doxa

Completely anti-Beatles feel Doxa. The Beatles were more supportive of womankind and praising ladies to the max as on She's A Woman and Girl. It was very rare for them to let rip into women although when they did as on You Can't Do That or Another Girl they also delivered a mean punch. But there's no way The Beatles would ever have written a song as observationally mysoginistic
as Under My Thumb.

There are a few other examples, although apart from the song 'Run For Your Life' from the Rubber Soul album they are mild compared to the blatant 'Stupid Girl.' For the most part, the Beatles did specialize in the love song (or those that revealed complicated relationships, like 'Norwegian Wood').

Interesting you cite 'Girl' as the lyrics in that song could be interpreted by some as being anti-feminist (the song lyrics are complex, is what I'm trying to say).

Quote
nightskyman

Quote
Silver Dagger

Quote
Doxa

Naturalust's contribution echoes pretty much my feelings towards the track. There is that emphasizied 'anti-Beatles' feel in the song, basically just the lyrics making the difference into otherwise harmless pop song. Somehow the music and lyrics just don't quite match, or, I think it is better to say, the intended tension or coctail between those two just don't come out quite right, unlike in, say, masterful "Under My Thumb".

- Doxa

Completely anti-Beatles feel Doxa. The Beatles were more supportive of womankind and praising ladies to the max as on She's A Woman and Girl. It was very rare for them to let rip into women although when they did as on You Can't Do That or Another Girl they also delivered a mean punch. But there's no way The Beatles would ever have written a song as observationally mysoginistic
as Under My Thumb.

There are a few other examples, although apart from the song 'Run For Your Life' from the Rubber Soul album they are mild compared to the blatant 'Stupid Girl.' For the most part, the Beatles did specialize in the love song (or those that revealed complicated relationships, like 'Norwegian Wood').

Interesting you cite 'Girl' as the lyrics in that song could be interpreted by some as being anti-feminist (the song lyrics are complex, is what I'm trying to say).

Yeah nightskyman, I suppose in Lennon's hands you gotta look at Girl as a double edged sword. Is it damning womanhood - girlhood? - with faint praise?

"When you say she's looking good she acts as though it's understood, she's cool" - that suggests a smugness and arrogance. But I think the song is generally empowering to women and shows the hold that women can have over men once they bewitch us. (Smokey Robinson wrote a good song on this subject, covered by The Beatles, but I digress)!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-01 18:38 by Silver Dagger.

it's the sickest thing in this world.

I always disliked this song. Aftermath is a beautiful and often forgotten album by the masses and this song contributes to that.. Under My Thumb is the only track that most people would really recognize at a concert, hence it stuck.

Stupid Girl is just MEAN. And not in a fun way. Lyrically it resembles Must Be Hell, except MBH would've been a great track if not for the lyrics. Stupid Girl is a musical desert. The bridge is simple and effective, but the song itself is a boring melody that sticks in your head... the worst kind of melody.

Unlike Some Girls, Stupid Girl is just plain mean. Some Girls is atleast funny, funky and sexy, while still being a mean and dirty song lyrically. Stupid Girl is just a spiteful song. Throwing daggers just doesn't do it for me emotionally.

I am sure they could rework it into a Chuck Berry version on the bstage and I'd change my tune really quick, but for now I will side in the minority of fans who DON'T like this song.

I would've been happy if they had removed Stupid Girl and High & Dry from Aftermath. Aside from those two tracks (UK or US release), the album was solid. So incredibly solid, especially the UK version..

I've always liked this pop song. Ellen Foley's version is awesome too - reminds me of the Stooges' Raw Power.

To me its Mick's singing that elevates the song. He's really "exploring the studio space" on this one.

Great track. I don't hera the mix being off at all; sounds great to me.
The drums by Charlie are so good. the fills com ing out of the bridge always e.g. @ 1:25. Those bridges also have Bill really picking it up on bass too.
Keith is so understated but so invaluable on guitar and BU vocals.
Someone mentioned two organs; I only hear one.

Great stuff ...Springs from the speakers...
no where near the stand over tactics of Under My Thumb or the
sheer brutality of Out Of Time but just a comical look at the gals inner character...Haaa



ROCKMAN

Great tune indeed as is the whole aftermath record.........

__________________________

But then again there are other times ya hear the tune rattle thru ya head ...Haaaaa






ROCKMAN

It's the worst thing in this world.

Quote
Rockman
But then again there are other times ya hear the tune rattle thru ya head ...Haaaaa

I'm not talking about the kind of clothes she wears