Let's Spend the Night Together

"Let's Spend the Night Together" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and originally released by the Rolling Stones as a double A-sided single together with "Ruby Tuesday" in January 1967. It also appears as the opening track on the American version of their album Between the Buttons. The song has been covered by various artists, including David Bowie in 1973.[1]

For the 1982 Rolling Stones concert film, see Let's Spend the Night Together (film).

"Let's Spend the Night Together"
German single picture sleeve
Single by the Rolling Stones
A-side"Ruby Tuesday" (double A-side)
Released13 January 1967
RecordedDecember 1966
StudioRCA, Hollywood, California
GenreRock And Roll
Length3:29
Label
Songwriter(s)Jagger/Richards
Producer(s)Andrew Loog Oldham
The Rolling Stones singles chronology
"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?"
(1966)		 "Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday"
(1967)		 "We Love You"
(1967)
Audio
"Let's Spend the Night Together" on YouTube
Alternative cover
French single picture sleeve

Recording

The song was recorded in December 1966 at the RCA Records studio in Hollywood, California, where the group recorded most of their 1965–1966 hits.[2] Recording engineer Glyn Johns recounts that while mixing "Let's Spend the Night Together", Oldham was trying to get a certain sound by clicking his fingers.[3] Two policemen showed up, stating that the front door was open and that they were checking to see if everything was all right. At first, Oldham asked them to hold his earphones while he snapped his fingers but then Johns said they needed a more wooden sound. The policemen suggested their truncheons and Mick Jagger took the truncheons into the studio to record the claves-like sound that can be heard during the quiet break at one minute 40 seconds into the song.

Original release

Released in the United Kingdom as a single on 13 January 1967, "Let's Spend the Night Together" reached number three on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side with "Ruby Tuesday". In the United States, the single was released in January[2] and became the opening track of the American edition of the Stones' album Between the Buttons. Both songs entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on 21 January.[4] However, by 4 March, "Ruby Tuesday" reached number one, while "Let's Spend the Night Together" stalled at number 55.[5] Due to the sexually charged nature of the lyrics, "Let's Spend the Night Together" received less airplay in the US.[1] In the Cash Box chart, which was based on sales only, the song reached number 28.[6] In other countries worldwide, both sides of the single charted separately. In Ireland for example, "Ruby Tuesday" peaked at number six, while "Let's Spend The Night Together" charted separately at number 14, as Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, considered "Ruby Tuesday" to be more suitable for radio airplay.

The song features piano by Rolling Stones contributor Jack Nitzsche,[2] organ by Brian Jones, drums by Charlie Watts, piano, electric guitar and bass by Richards, lead vocals by Jagger and backing vocals from both Jagger and Richards. Usual bassist Bill Wyman does not appear on the recording.

On The Ed Sullivan Show, the band was initially refused permission to perform the number. Sullivan himself even told Jagger, "Either the song goes or you go".[7] A compromise was reached to substitute the words "let's spend some time together" in place of "let's spend the night together"; Jagger agreed to change the lyrics but ostentatiously rolled his eyes at the TV camera while singing them, as did Bill Wyman. As a result of this incident, Sullivan announced that the Rolling Stones would be banned from performing on his show again.[8] However, the Stones did appear on the show again and performed three songs on 23 November 1969.[9]

In April 2006, for their first-ever performance in China, authorities prohibited the group from performing the song due to its "suggestive lyrics".[10]

Charts
Chart (1967) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 14
Norway (VG-lista)[15] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 55
US Cash Box Top 100[18] 28

Other releases

"Let's Spend the Night Together" was released on the US edition of the Stones' 1967 studio album Between the Buttons and on the following compilation albums:

David Bowie version
"Let's Spend the Night Together"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Aladdin Sane
B-side"Lady Grinning Soul"
ReleasedJuly 1973 (1973-07)
RecordedDecember 1972 or January 1973
StudioRCA, New York City, or Trident, London
GenreGlam rock[19]
Length3:03
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Jagger/Richards
Producer(s)
David Bowie singles chronology
"Time"
(1973)		 "Let's Spend the Night Together"
(1973)		 "Life on Mars?"
(1973)

David Bowie recorded a glam rock version of "Let's Spend the Night Together" for his Aladdin Sane album, released in April 1973. It was also issued as a single by RCA Records in the US, Japan, Brazil, New Zealand and Europe including the Netherlands, Italy, France, Greece and Sweden.[20] It was a Dutch Top 40 hit, peaking at number 19[21]

Bowie's rendition featured pulsating synthesiser effects. The singer added his own words as part of the finale:

They said we were too young
Our kind of love was no fun
But our love comes from above
Let's make ... love

Author Nicholas Pegg describes the recording as "faster and raunchier" than the Stones' performance with "a fresh, futuristic sheen",[22] while NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray considered Bowie to have performed "the unprecedented feat of beating the Stones on one of their own songs", remarking on the track's "polymorphous perversity" and "furious, coked-up drive".[23] However, Rolling Stone's contemporary review found the Bowie version "campy, butch, brittle and unsatisfying".[24]

Other releases

In addition to its appearance on Aladdin Sane, Bowie's version of "Let's Spend the Night Together" was included on the following compilations:

See also

References
  1. Let's Spend the Night Together at AllMusic
  2. Eder, Bruce (1989). Singles Collection: The London Years (Boxed set booklet). The Rolling Stones. New York City: ABKCO Records. p. 71. 1218-2.
  3. Wilmer, Valerie (December 1968). "Recording the Stones". Hit Parader. Magna Publishing Group: 9–11. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  4. Billboard (21 January 1967). "Hot 100". Billboard. 79 (3): 25. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. Billboard (4 March 1967). "Hot 100". Billboard. 79 (9): 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
  7. Christopher Sandford (1993, 1999). Mick Jagger: Primitive Cool: p.97
  8. Dick Clark's 25 Years of Rock and Roll. 1981.
  9. "6 Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Rolling Stones". Amazon.com. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  10. "Stones tracks censored in China". BBC News. 7 April 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
  11. "Austriancharts.at – The Rolling Stones – Let's Spend the Night Together" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  12. "Ultratop.be – The Rolling Stones – Let's Spend the Night Together" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – Let's Spend the Night Together". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Let's Spend the Night Together". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  15. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Let's Spend the Night Together". VG-lista. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  16. "Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  17. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  18. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 18, 1967". Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  19. Thompson, Dave (2010). Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth of David Bowie. ECW Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-55490-271-2.
  20. http://www.bowie-singles.com/Holland/Lets_Spend_The_Night_Together.html
  21. Dutchcharts
  22. Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: pp.124-125
  23. Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.55
  24. Gerson, Ben (19 July 1973). "Aladdin Sane". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 January 2008.
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