The song ‘Gimme Shelter’ has become an all-time classic for the Rolling Stones, but it was the last-minute inclusion of Merry Clayton in a duet with Mick Jagger that turned a great song into an absolute classic.
1969 was a tough year for the Rolling Stones. For around three years, founding member Brian Jones had become increasingly addicted to drugs and alcohol. Also, at some stage around 1966 band members began to dabble in the occult. By June of 1969 Brian had become so unreliable in the recording studio that the band reluctantly had to replace him with Mick Taylor. Then on 3rd July, less than a month later, Brian was found dead in a swimming pool.
Let it Bleed
In the aftermath of this very personal tragedy, the band was struggling to get their latest album ‘Let it Bleed’ completed. Much of the album had been recorded at Olympic Studios in London, but the finishing work was undertaken at Elektra Sound Recorders Studios in Los Angeles. By the autumn of 1969 they were in Los Angeles trying to finish the album. Earlier albums would often be completed in a few weeks, but they had been working on this one for nearly a year. Mick Jagger’s lyrics reveal some of the turmoil and pessimism both in the world at the time and in their group.
Biographer Stephen Davis writes in his book ‘Old Gods Almost Dead: The 40-Year Odyssey of the Rolling Stones,’
“No rock record, before or since, has ever so completely captured the sense of palpable dread that hung over its era.”
Despite the troubles, the album turned out to be brilliant, and the dystopian track ‘Gimme Shelter’ has become an all-time classic rock song. Jagger’s lyrics speak of, “fire — sweeping our very street today,” like a “Mad bull lost his way… Rape, murder! It’s just a shot away, It’s just a shot away… ”
Speaking of how the song developed, Mick Jagger said,
“When we got to Los Angeles and we were mixing it, we thought, ‘Well, it’d be great to have a woman come and do the rape/murder verse… We randomly phoned up this poor lady in the middle of the night, and she arrived in her curlers and proceeded to do that in one or two takes, which is pretty amazing. She came in and knocked off this rather odd lyric. It’s not the sort of lyric you give anyone -–‘Rape, murder, It’s just a shot away’–- but she really got into it, as you can hear on the record.”
Merry cheers up the whole band
The lady chosen to sing the duet with Mick Jagger was Merry Clayton, the daughter of a Baptist minister. Merry grew up singing in her father’s church in New Orleans. Making her professional debut aged just 14, her first duet was with megastar Bobby Darin. Her awesome vocal talent soon saw her singing with The Supremes, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones and many others. She was featured in the documentary film ‘20 Feet From Stardom‘ as one of the musicians who sang and played alongside household names but didn’t get the recognition they deserved.
Alongside her great musical talent, Merry was a lifelong devout Christian. The lady with the golden voice and a kind, gracious character made an immediate impact on the rock group.
Looking back, Merry later spoke of the time she sang with Mick Jagger,
Well, I’m at home at about 11:30, almost 12 o’clock at night. And I’m hunkered down in my bed with my husband, very pregnant, and we got a call from a dear friend of mine and producer named Jack Nitzsche. Jack called and said you know, Merry, are you busy? I said No, I’m in bed. he says, well, you know, there are some guys in town from England. And they need someone to come and sing a duet with them, but I can’t get anybody to do it. Could you come? He said I really think this would be something good for you.
Merry’s husband took the phone and explained to Nitzsche that she was pregnant and didn’t really want to go into the studio at almost midnight. But when Jack explained the situation, he readily agreed that it was a great opportunity. Merry explains that he nudged her awake and said,
“Honey, you know, you really should go and do this date.”
She was not familiar with The Rolling Stones music, but she got up and went down to the studio. Merry continues,
“So they play the track and tell me that I’m going to sing –- this is what you’re going to sing: Oh, children, it’s just a shot away. It had the lyrics for me. I said, Well, that’s cool. So I did the first part, and we got down to the rape, murder part. And I said, Why am I singing rape, murder? …So they told me the gist of what the lyrics were, and I said Oh, okay, that’s cool. So then I had to sit on a stool because I was a little heavy in my belly. I mean, it was a sight to behold! And we got through it. And then we went in the booth to listen, and I saw them hooting and hollering while I was singing, but I didn’t know what they were hooting and hollering about. And when I got back in the booth and listened, I said, Ooh, that’s really nice. They said, well, You want to do another? I said, well, I’ll do one more, I said and then I’m going to have to say thank you and good night. I did one more, and then I did one more. So it was three times I did it, and then I was gone. The next thing I know, that’s history.”
Faith, Fame, and Personal Tragedy
That night, Merry gave what would become the most famous performance of her career. It also turned out to be a tragic night for the Claytons. Merry lost her baby in a miscarriage. The stress of her outstanding performance may or may not have been a factor, but for many years the timing of the two events meant that Merry found ‘Gimme Shelter’ painful to hear or to sing.
She told the Los Angeles Times in 1986, “It was a dark, dark period for me, but God gave me the strength to overcome it. I turned it around. I took it as life, love and energy and directed it in another direction, so it doesn’t really bother me to sing ‘Gimme Shelter’ now. Life is short as it is and I can’t live on yesterday.”
Merry brings Light and Joy to The Rolling Stones
From songs like ‘Paint it Black’ in 1966, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ in 1968, and even into the recording sessions for ‘Let it Bleed’ in 1969, a period of darkness and gloom seemed to hang over the band.
The encounter with the godly Merry Clayton was a catalyst that helped to draw a line under those oppressive years. Merry’s powerful and beautiful performance brought light back into the studio that evening. Their “hooting and hollering” was the expression of the joy they had been lacking as Merry Brought light into the recording sessions. She was just what they needed.
The Bible aptly says, “Weeping may last for a night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) Merry Clayton’s passion for life and for singing stemmed from her faith in Jesus Christ, and Mick Jagger in particular was impressed by that.
Gimme Shelter
The song ‘Gimme Shelter’ starts with a dystopian, almost apocalyptic theme, but it ends with a sense of real hope. Although disaster is “just a shot away”, there is also a plea for shelter and a recognition that “love… is just a kiss away.” The song begins with,
“Ooh, a storm is threatening my very life today
If I don’t get some shelter, oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away
War, children, it’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot away…
Then there is a change from despair to hope, followed by a change in the chorus from “war… is just a shot away” to “love… is just a kiss away.”
Watch ‘Gimme Shelter’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJouW1R6i_0
Psalm 46:1-7
The passionate plea for ‘shelter’ is echoed in the Bible in Psalm 46, written 2,700 years ago. The long time difference is all the more pertinent when we realise that those same old themes that troubled mankind in past millennia still trouble us today. Our pleas for ‘shelter’ and ‘hope’ in a storm-filled world continue, and God continues to be our “ever-present help in trouble.”
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Prayers set to Music
Mick Jagger’s good friend David Bowie said that many of his songs were really prayers. He believed a lot of singer/songwriters were prayerful people seeking to know God and trying to find their way.
If we look at some of Mick Jagger’s lyrics, he is also on a spiritual journey. He was brought up a Catholic and in ‘Saint of Me’ (1998) he argues for the virtue of the early Christian believers, identifying with their faith in Jesus and his miracles, but acknowledges that he would not want to face the same horrific persecution,
And could you stand the torture and could you stand the pain?
Could you put your faith in Jesus when you’re burning in the flames?
I said yes, and I do believe in miracles, and I wanna save my soul
And I know that I’m a sinner, I’m going to die here in the cold
John the Baptist was a martyr, but he stirred up Herod’s hate
And Salome got her wish to have him served up on a plate
[Chorus]
I said yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, you’ll never make a saint of me.
Joy in Everything
The 2001 song ‘Joy’, also reveals something more of this faith journey,
And I look up to the heavens and a light is on my face
I never never never thought I’d find a state of grace
(Chorus)
Hey joy, love you bring
Oh joy, make my heart sing
Oh joy, joy in everything
I was drowning in the darkness as I drove down to the sea
And I looked up to the mountain and the light burst over me
(Chorus)
Sweet Sounds Of Heaven
More recently, the Stones’ 2023 album ‘Hackney Diamonds’ contains the powerful gospel track “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven.” An emotional gospel song with themes of heaven and hell, light and darkness, bread and wine, it reveals a considerably different spiritual direction from their late 60’s occult influenced lyrics,
I hear the sweet, sweet sounds of Heaven, fallin’ down, fallin’ down to this earth
I hear the sweet, sweetest sounds of Heaven, driftin’ down, driftin’ down to this earth
Bless the Father, bless the Son, hear the sound of the drums
As it echoes through the valley and it bursts, yeah
Let no woman or child go hungry tonight
Please protect us from the pain and the hurt, yeah
I smell the sweet scents, sweet sweet scents of Heaven, Heaven
Tumblin’ down, tumblin’ down, tumblin’ down to the earth (oh)
I hear the sweet sounds, sweet sounds the sweet sounds, ooh, the sweet sounds of children
And they’re praisin’, praisin’ the land of their birth
No, I’m not, not goin’ to Hell in some dusty motel
And I’m not, not goin’ down in the dirt (yes, yes, yes)
I’m gonna laugh, I’m gonna laugh, I’m gonna cry, I’m gonna cry
Eat the bread, drink the wine ’cause I’m finally, finally quenchin’ my thirst, yeah
You can’t have a light without a little shadow, yeah
Always need a target for your bow and arrow
I want to be drenched in the rain of your heavenly love, oh, yeah, c’mon (oh)
Let the music, let the music play loud, play loud
Let it burst, let it burst through the clouds, through the clouds
And we all feel the heat of the sun, yeah
Yeah, let us sing, let us shout, let us shout let us all stand up proud
Let the old still believe that they’re young, yeah
Sweet, sweet sound, sounds so sweet, oh, so sweet
Sounds so sweet, so sweet heaven, heaven down fallin’ down, fallin’ down to this earth
Only God knows what is really going on inside every human heart. But, as David Bowie revealed, musicians and songwriters are deep thinking, searching individuals, often with a hunger for spirituality. With The Rolling Stones, Merry Clayton turned up at just the right time to show them a direction they hadn’t experienced. The peace and joy she brought into the studio in a dark time had a positive effect on the band, and especially on Mick Jagger. His songs appear to show that the lifelong rocker has felt the need to re-examine the Christian foundations of his childhood.
Watch ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’ http://Sweet Sounds of Heaven
Story by Ralph Burden
Photos:
‘The Rolling Stones in Concert’ by Miss-Sophie. ‘Merry Clayton’ by Angela George.
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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