(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please refer down below)
The Rolling Stones - "Ruby Tuesday"
Hit Number 1: March 4, 1967
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
"Ruby Tuesday" sticks out like a sore thumb as far as Rolling Stones' records go. I was always used to fun rock and roll bangers when listening to Rolling Stones' songs, but "Ruby Tuesday" is not among those. Instead, it's pretty slow and calm, and has primary use of a recorder played by member Brian Jones. It doesn't seem like anything the group would have recorded, and I have to think that it probably put Mick Jagger out of his comfort zone, but apparently from what I've seen, the group loved "Ruby Tuesday". Sometimes when I've done research on the #1 hits, the artists didn't like a certain song, but recorded it anyway just to have one of their most successful songs ever. "Ruby Tuesday" was obviously very successful, but the group has nothing but good things to say about it. To be honest, that kind of surprises me a bit.
Even though the song is credited as being written by the Jagger/Keith Richards partnership, the song's lyrics were all written by Richards alone, with some help from Jones on the musical composition. It was written as an ode to Richards' girlfriend at the time, Linda Keith. As far as I can tell, Jagger didn't make any contributions to the writing of the song, but he would go on to call it a "wonderful song" and that he "enjoys singing it" in an interview in 1995. I will say this, there is some great talent and craft being displayed on the track, and the piano and recorder, both of which aren't usually seen in Stones' songs, are cool unique touches to it.
However, it's hard for me to get too excited over "Ruby Tuesday". If I'm going to listen to a Rolling Stones' song, I don't want to hear something so mellow like "Ruby Tuesday". This is a band that can rock out with the best of them, and hearing Jagger's trademark gritty howl of a voice is what helps give the Stones their identity. You just don't get that with "Ruby Tuesday". On the other hand, I really do respect the song, and I understand that it's a personal favorite among many Stones' fans, and the Stones themselves. I'm just more partial to their rocking bangers. So for me, "Ruby Tuesday" is a quality song, but one that I'm bound to forget overtime.
GRADE: 5/10
MY INSPIRATION / MORE INFORMATION:
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