The Rolling Stones’ 1981 album Tattoo You is an unlikely success.
It was more a product of commerce than art, cobbled together because the band needed a new album to promote on their upcoming tour. Tensions between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards resulted in little interest by either of them in collaborating on new songs, so producers mined the group’s voluminous archives for suitable material.
We have a first for Throwback Weekends — a week where almost the entire Hot 100 Top Ten has already been featured on the blog.
Here were the songs at #1 through #9 the week of September 28, 2013: Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball,’ Katy Perry’s ‘Roar,’ Lorde’s ‘Royals,’ Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines,’ Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up!,’ Jay Z’s ‘Holy Grail,’ Lady Gaga’s ‘Applause,’ Eminem’s ‘Berzerk,’ and Drake’s ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home.’ Whew!
Throwing back to the week of September 27, 2003, we find Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee hanging on to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Shake Ya Tailfeather,’ covered on the blog three weeks ago.
In second place is a song that was on its way to a nine-week run at #1 — Beyoncé’s ‘Baby Boy.’ This collaboration with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul was the second single from Bey’s debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. Her first solo single, ‘Crazy in Love,’ also made it to the top spot.
Two years after top-seller Some Girls, The Rolling Stones marked the beginning of a new decade with 1980’s Emotional Rescue.
The 70s had been a strong decade for the band, despite a slump in the middle years. They started with two of their best albums and finished it with another, their biggest hit. In between were a trio of lesser releases that still had their share of memorable songs.
How would they make the transition to the 80s, a decade that proved to be a landmine for many successful 70s acts?
Fourteen years and 14 albums into their career, The Rolling Stones released their best-selling album ever. Why 1978’s Some Girls earned that honor is a bit of a mystery. It did produce two top ten hits (‘Miss You,’ which hit #1, and ‘Beast of Burden’) but otherwise doesn’t feature any songs a casual fan would know.
The album also came in the midst of a critical slump for the band, following three straight albums that failed to live up to their great work from the late 60s and early 70s. Some Girls shifted that conversation, and was hailed by many as The Stones’ best work since Exile on Main St.
Meet Me In Montauk 