The 1983 Rolling Stones release Undercover found Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in the middle of an ugly spat that kept getting uglier. Returning to the studio after the patchwork construction of Tattoo You, they found themselves trying to pull the band in different directions.
Richards favored the R&B and blues sound of the band’s heyday, while Jagger wanted to experiment with the burgeoning musical styles and production techniques of the new decade. The resulting album was a Frankenstein monster combining both of those dueling approaches.
That turmoil shows up in the lyrics as well. Even the song titles allude to the violence and tension in this material: ‘Tie You Up (The Pain of Love),’ ‘Too Much Blood,’ ‘Pretty Beat Up,’ ‘Too Tough,’ ‘It Must Be Hell.’
Production-wise, this album definitely has hallmarks of the early 80s, even with Richards doing what he can to pull things back toward his comfort zone.
This dark, muddled, and inconsistent album was the first Stones release in over a decade to not reach #1 in the U.S. It topped out at #4 in the States and #3 in the band’s native UK. The only single to make a (minor) splash was the politically charged ‘Undercover of the Night.’
I was twenty one, naive
Not cynical, I try to please
Her wit, her speech, her repartee
Impressed me almost instantly
[Chorus]
She went all the way
All the way down
She went all the way, all the way
[Verse 2]
She showed me love a hundred ways
How she pimped and how she paid
All the daughters, all the sons
All were welcome, all would come
[Chorus]
We went all the way
All the way down
We went all the way, all the way
[Verse 3]
I was King, Mr. Cool
Just a snobby little fool
(Like kids are now)
I dreamed of reaching greater heights
I raved about it every night
Talk is cheap
[Chorus]
She went all the way, all the way
All the way down, yeah
Yeah, she went all the way
All the way all the way
All the way down
[Bridge]
She’s there when I close my eyes
There when I close my eyes
She’s there when I close my eyes
There when I close my eyes
[Verse 4]
How the years rush on by
Birthdays, kids and suicides
Still I play the fool and strut
Still you’re a slut
[Chorus]
Hey girl, she went all the way
All the way, all the way
All the way down
She went all the way
All the way, all the way
All the way down
She went all the way
All the way, all the way
All the way down
[Verse 5]
You give me back that time right now
I can see it if I close my eyes
Was every minute just a waste?
Was every hour a foolish chase?
No, I don’t believe it
[Outro]
She went all the way
All the way down
She went all the way
All the way down
Meet Me In Montauk 
Well now you’ve got me curious as to if or when Mick and Keith patched things up. Guess I will have to stay tuned….