Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the Rolling Stones started out playing covers and were at the forefront of the British Invasion in 1964, becoming identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They then found greater success with their own material, as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965), "Get Off of My Cloud" (1965), and "Paint It Black" (1966) became international number-one hits. Aftermath (1966) – their first entirely original album – is considered by The Daily Telegraph to be the most important of their formative records. In 1967, they had the double-sided hit "Ruby Tuesday"/"Let's Spend the Night Together" and experimented with psychedelic rock on Their Satanic Majesties Request. They returned to their rhythm and blues roots with hit songs such as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968) and "Honky Tonk Women" (1969), and albums such as Beggars Banquet (1968), featuring "Sympathy for the Devil", and Let It Bleed (1969), featuring "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Gimme Shelter". Let It Bleed was the first of five consecutive number-one albums in the UK.
Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor. That year they were first introduced on stage as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World". Sticky Fingers (1971), which yielded "Brown Sugar" and included the first usage of their tongue and lips logo, was their first of eight consecutive number-one studio albums in the US. Exile on Main St. (1972), featuring "Tumbling Dice", and Goats Head Soup (1973), yielding the hit ballad "Angie", were also best sellers. Taylor was replaced by Ron Wood in 1974. The band continued to release successful albums, including their two largest sellers: Some Girls (1978), featuring "Miss You", and Tattoo You (1981), featuring "Start Me Up". Steel Wheels (1989) was widely considered a comeback album and was followed by Voodoo Lounge (1994), a worldwide number-one album. Both releases were promoted by large stadium and arena tours, as the Stones continued to be a huge concert attraction; by 2007 they had recorded the all-time highest-grossing concert tour three times, and as recently as 2021 they were the highest-earning live act of the year. From Wyman's departure in 1993 to Watts' death in 2021, the band continued as a four-piece core, with Darryl Jones playing bass on tour and on most studio recordings, while Steve Jordan became their touring drummer following Watts' death. Their 2016 album, Blue & Lonesome, became their twelfth UK number-one album.
The Rolling Stones' estimated record sales of 200 million make them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The band has won three Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Billboard magazine and Rolling Stone have ranked the band as one of the greatest of all time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones
Studio albums
The Rolling Stones / England's Newest Hit Makers (1964)
12 X 5 (1964)
The Rolling Stones No. 2 / The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
Out of Our Heads (1965)
December's Children (And Everybody's) (1965)
Aftermath (1966)
Between the Buttons (1967)
Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
Beggars Banquet (1968)
Let It Bleed (1969)
Sticky Fingers (1971)
Exile on Main St. (1972)
Goats Head Soup (1973)
It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974)
Black and Blue (1976)
Some Girls (1978)
Emotional Rescue (1980)
Tattoo You (1981)
Undercover (1983)
Dirty Work (1986)
Steel Wheels (1989)
Voodoo Lounge (1994)
Bridges to Babylon (1997)
A Bigger Bang (2005)
Blue & Lonesome (2016)
Hackney Diamonds (2023)
Bright Lights
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gone to my baby's head
Bright lights, big city
Gone to my baby's head
I'd tried to tell the woman
But she doesn't believe a word I said
Go light pretty baby
It's all right pretty baby
Gonna need my help some day
You're gonna wish you listened
To some of those things I said
Go ahead pretty baby
Oh, honey knock yourself out
Go ahead pretty baby
Oh honey knock yourself out
I still love you baby
Cause you don't know what it's all about
Bright lights, big city
Gone to my baby's head
Bright lights, big city
Gone to my baby's head
The Rolling Stones’ “Bright Lights, Big City” is a bluesy rock tune that explores the effects of city life on a woman. The bright lights represent the glamour and excitement of city life, but for the singer’s girlfriend, they have gone to her head. He warns her that one day she will need his help, but she ignores his words. The singer still loves her, even though she doesn’t understand the consequences of living in the big city.
The lyrics suggest that the urban environment can be both thrilling and dangerous, especially for someone who is easily influenced. The woman in the song is living in the fast lane, not taking time to listen to the singer's warnings about the potential dangers of city life. She thinks she can handle it all on her own, but the singer knows that she will eventually hit a wall and need help. Despite her disregard of his advice, he still loves her because he understands that she is a victim to the allure of the city.
The Rolling Stones’ “Bright Lights, Big City” is an exploration of the city’s excitement and the dangerous ways it can affect people. It’s a cautionary tale that warns about the perils of living life in the fast lane. The song echoes the sentiments of many blues tunes, with its ominous warning about the risks and dangers of the big city.
Line by Line Meaning
Bright lights, big city
The exciting atmosphere of the city has captured the attention of the singer.
Gone to my baby's head
The city has affected the mindset of the singer's partner in a negative way.
I'd tried to tell the woman
The singer attempted to warn his partner about the potential dangers of the city.
But she doesn't believe a word I said
His partner disregarded the singer's advice.
Go light pretty baby
The singer is urging his partner to be careful in the city.
Gonna need my help some day
The singer is implying that his partner will eventually need his support.
It's all right pretty baby
The singer reassures his partner that he will be there for her.
You're gonna wish you listened
The singer warns his partner that not heeding his advice will have consequences.
Oh, honey knock yourself out
The singer is giving his partner permission to enjoy herself in the city.
I still love you baby
The singer affirms his affection for his partner despite their differences.
Cause you don't know what it's all about
The singer believes his partner does not fully understand the potential consequences of her actions in the city.
Bright lights, big city
Reinforcement of the initial description of the city's atmosphere.
Gone to my baby's head
Reinforcement of how the city has affected the mindset of the singer's partner.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jimmy Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BootlegVinyl
It's hard to find these recordins in good quality; however, it's still priceless history to me. Glad you like it. I am working on uploading more!
@jackmeyer4280
My favorite Stones album. Bought this bootleg 40 years ago!
@Paul-uo9kg
I too in '76 or so and always a top album for me - it deserves more definitive reviews -
@jackmeyer4280
@Paul Ian Stewart’s piano playing is what makes this album boogie!
@Paul-uo9kg
@Jack Meyer yes- you're right!
@mikebarooshian7255
@Paul this stones bootleg sounds amazing I wish the stones officially released all those songs it sounds way better then anything the stones did in a very very long time
@ThomasDeLello
I'd like to have a copy of this on CD. I Love the cover art too... I hear a lot of Brian Jones influence in this.
@richmerowitz5610
Hard to say what it would have done to their career trajectory, but some of these cuts should have been put out in the US about the time of Out of Our Heads or even earlier. They were without doubt the pre-eminent blues cover band of the early sixties.
@burningrabbitacres8330
11 March 1963, with Glyn Johns, IBC. Recording days after blowin minds with one hundred fans. Hamish said about this Stones band..."they're barbaric. They love the music they play and don't let anything come in the way."
So deep. These were well-formed men already, full-grown, considerably stoned, so loud, so poised, so sharp. Boom, baby, give me dome room. That's them. Glimmers. Cut throat, gun tote...playing for children, blowin minds, getting girls wet, twitching, reacting to it the most primal...wow.
@BootlegVinyl
Yes! This is a William Stout cover. He did several for the Stones and many more for the early editions of Trade Mark of Quality Records back in the 70's. He lives in SC now and still actively visits record shows.