[28], Greil Marcus, writing for Rolling Stone magazine at the time of the "Gimme Shelter"'s release stated that "[t]he Stones have never done anything better". [citation needed], "Gimme Shelter" (pop version – cassette single), "Gimme Shelter" (alternative version – CD single), "Gimme Shelter" (rock version – CD single), "Gimme Shelter" (dance version – 12" single), This article is about the song by the Rolling Stones. ‘Gimme Shelter’ Singer Merry Clayton: Just a Shot Away “It is with deep regret, but also deep gratitude, that we announce the following about our beloved Merry Clayton,” the statement read. A version recorded in Oakland, CA is on the bootleg Live'r Than You'll Ever Be. [33] It is also ranked number 1 on the magazine's list of the band's best songs. [6] After the first verse is sung by Jagger, Merry Clayton enters and they share the next three verses. When it was recorded, early '69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that's reflected in this tune. 3: Rolling Stones, 'Gimme Shelter' – Top 100 Classic Rock Songs", "Gimme Shelter ranked #38 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List", "Gimme Shelter ranked #1 on 100 Best Rolling Stones Songs List", "Just a Shot Away: The Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter", "Gimme Shelter [Video] - The Rolling Stones | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic", "Vanessa Hudgens: 'I had to work on loving myself again, "Clip joint: the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter", "Quit Using "Gimme Shelter" In Every Damn Movie", "Michael Phelps and Danny McBride Go to Outer Space for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare", "The Simpsons: Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays", "Music on Nip/Tuck: The best money can buy", "The Canadian Maple Syrup Syndicate-The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Video Clip | Comedy Central", "Video: Hockey Night In Canada's Closing Montage", "The Gambler Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange Movie HD", "Monday Mornings Soundtrack - S1E1: Pilot", "Italian single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter", "British single certifications – Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter", "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame captivates the senses with debut of Connor Theater (video)", "The 20 amazing Paolo Nutini facts you can share with your mates at the Hydro", "Gimme Shelter – Voice of the Beehive and Jimmy, a playlist by Wade W Wellard on Spotify", "Gimme Shelter - Tom Jones & New Model Army Song - BBC Music", Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones Live At The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981, 25×5: the Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones, Olé Olé Olé! [6] It remains the most prominent contribution to a Rolling Stones track by a female vocalist. [30] Ultimate Classic Rock put the song at number one on their Top 100 Rolling Stones songs [31] and number three on their Top 100 Classic Rock Songs. It's just a shot away! CD. Guitarist Brian Jones was present during the early sessions but did not contribute[citation needed], Richards being credited with both rhythm and lead guitars on the album sleeve. "Gimme Shelter" was written by the Rolling Stones' lead vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, the band's primary songwriting team. The 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter, directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin,[36] chronicling the last weeks of the Stones' 1969 US tour and culminating in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert, took its name from the song. [a] Richards began working on the song's signature opening riff in London whilst Jagger was away filming Performance with Richards' then-girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg. It was just people running about looking for shelter – that was the germ of the idea. And Vietnam was not war as we knew it in the conventional sense. [21], In their 2012 50th anniversary tour, the Rolling Stones sang this song with Mary J. Blige,[22] Florence Welch,[22] and Lady Gaga. : A Trip Across Latin America, The Rolling Stones: An Illustrated Record, Stone Country: Country Artists Perform the Songs of the Rolling Stones. [12] Nicky Hopkins played piano, Jimmy Miller played percussion, Charlie Watts played drums, Bill Wyman played bass, Jagger played harmonica and sang backup vocals with Richards and Clayton. It is on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and is also the 33rd best ranked song on critics' all-time lists according to Acclaimed Music. Clayton is featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about background singers and their contributions to the music industry. Gimme Shelter had crude lyrics, in some ways desperate, that spoke about the ugliness of the world and the need for a shelter in which to hide when you can’t take it anymore. [34] According to Acclaimed Music, it is the 33rd most celebrated song in popular music history.[35]. In 2013, she released The Best of Merry Clayton, a compilation of her favorite songs. Jagger, M., Richards, K., "Let It Bleed." When speaking of her inclusion in the recording, Jagger stated in the 2003 book According to the Rolling Stones that the Rolling Stones' producer Jimmy Miller thought of having a female singer on the track and told fellow producer Jack Nitzsche to contact one: "The use of the female voice was the producer's idea. "Gimme Shelter" is the opening track to the 1969 album Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones. For the recording, Richards used an Australian-made Maton SE777, a large single-cutaway hollowbody guitar, which he had previously used on "Midnight Rambler". Violence on the screens, pillage and burning. The Vietnam War. According to him: I had been sitting by the window of my friend Robert Fraser's apartment on Mount Street in London with an acoustic guitar when suddenly the sky went completely black and an incredible monsoon came down. It's just a shot away! It was a real nasty war, and people didn't like it. "Gimme Shelter" has been played in a variety of movies and television shows/commercials. The thing about Vietnam was that it wasn't like World War II, and it wasn't like Korea, and it wasn't like the Gulf War. [23][22], "Gimme Shelter" was never released as a single. For other uses, see, Releases on compilation albums and live recordings, The Mick Jagger and Keith Richards writing team is commonly referred to as the "Glimmer Twins" and has occasionally been credited as such on releases, see, CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (.