Waiting On a Friend by The Rolling Stones Song Info
"Waiting on a Friend" is a song by rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from their 1981 release Tattoo You. It was first played as early as 1970, when Mick Taylor first joined the group and was recording with Jagger in London. Recording on "Waiting on a Friend" began in late 1972 through early 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, during the Goats Head Soup sessions when the band still had Mick Taylor as a member. His guitar piece made it to the overdubbing sessions in April of 1981 when the song was selected by Tattoo You producer Chris Kimsey as one the band could re-work for the album. In the liner notes to 1993's compilation album Jump Back, Jagger had this to say: "We all liked it at the time but it didn't have any lyrics, so there we were... The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band." Jagger also had stated that the 1981 lyrics were contemplated for a future possible video, making the song the first Stones single to be packaged as a possible video for the emergingly important MTV channel. The video, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg (who also directed their 1968 special Rock and Roll Circus), became very popular on MTV and featured reggae artist Peter Tosh sitting on a stoop with Jagger who is seen waiting on Richards. The building is found at 96-98 St. Mark's Place in Manhattan, which is the same building featured on the album cover of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. The video also features Ronnie Wood playing Mick Taylor's part (similar to the videos for "Hot Stuff" and "Worried About You," in which Wood is imitating the guitar playing of Harvey Mandel and Wayne Perkins respectively). In 1981, Sonny Rollins was asked to play on tracks by The Rolling Stones for their album Tattoo You, including the single, "Waiting on a Friend."[8]
