Sometime in the fall of 1981, well before my freshman year at Brown took its big nosedive, I finally had the opportunity to see Mean Streets, the movie that made Marty Scorsese’s rep in 1973. When, near the outset, Harvey Keitel enters a long dark bar where everything important seems to happen, the action suddenly morphs into the dreamiest slow-motion, and from an onscreen jukebox—though with more clarity and punch than any jukebox I’ve ever heard—comes the strains of this spooky, Spector-ish ballad, The Stones’ second US Top 40 hit.
Spare high drama pop yearning, seldom matched by anyone, veiled by threat, anchored by the beat of a struck tambourine (!), though with the effect of a huge snare drum crack. Unquestionably one of my five favorite Stones tracks, out of at least 50 special favorites, and said to be the FIRST song Mick & Keith ever wrote.
– Tom Kipp
This gem of musical sophistry is excerpted from Tom Kipp Weighs in re: Ten Songs …and cheats a little, as usual!, please check it out for the full story.
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