Yesterday's Papers

Album: Between The Buttons (1967)
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Songfacts®:

  • This was the first Stones song Mick Jagger wrote by himself. It's about Chrissie Shrimpton, his girlfriend from 1963-1966 (she was 17 when they started dating). Chrissie was the sister of Jean Shrimpton, who as a fashion icon in '60s London can make a claim to the title "world's first supermodel." With Chrissie by his side, Jagger found himself mingling with artists and fashionistas, where he fit in quite well. When Mick and Chrissie split up, he took up with the singer Marianne Faithfull.
  • This song is a great example of the Stones' growing interest in psychedelic rock, which would be charted in full bloom by the time of Their Satanic Majesties Request.
  • Not only is this song about Jagger's ex-girlfriend, but it has a strong misogynist tone as well. Other songs by The Rolling Stones with misogynist lyrics include:

    "Under My Thumb"
    "Stupid Girl"
    "Little T&A"
    "Dead Flowers"

    As for how Jagger treated his girlfriends in real life, Marianne Faithfull said that he was never domineering toward her, but that he did keep Chrissie Shrimpton "under his thumb."
  • The back of the album contains some cartoons drawn by The Stones drummer, Charlie Watts. Watts was quite the dapper fellow, elected to the "best-dressed list" in both The Telegraph and Vanity Fair. He was famously faithful to his wife in stark contrast to the typical rock star's prolific conquests. He turned down groupies for sex and at a party at the Playboy Mansion, he kept himself occupied in Hugh Hefner's game room rather than cavort with bunnies. This wasn't even apparently due to any religious influence; he's just that distinguished a guy with that high a standard.

    As for the front cover, that was a photo shot by Gered Mankowitz, who used special effects involving a distorted lens and Vaseline to give the smeared, dreamy look. Impressive what photographers came up with in the days before Gimp and Photoshop.

Comments: 4

  • Adam from West Palm Beach, Fl"It seems very hard to have just one girl/When there's a million in the world"
    (An ever-so-slight exaggeration, perhaps?) :)
  • Ashley from Quincy, IlI'm glade mick broke up with chrissie shrimpton she is so funny looking,not that I'm happy he left her for marianne faithfull but I heard mick and chrissie fought alot.
  • Mario from Zagreb, CroatiaThis song was inspired by just broken relationship between Jagger and Chrissie Shrimpton, the girl which he lived with. She had just survived a car crash with her famous boyfriend and she already could watch Mick's first appearance in public with a singer Marianne Faithfull on a party which launched the newspapers Internatiol Times. For Jagger the women were easy replaceable. "We were very in love but we fougt the whole time", explained Shrimpton, "As the time goes by, you start thinking different about life and the other person. There was no fight. We broke up with bothside agreement." When Shrimpton attempted suicide, Jagger refused to pay for her medical expenses.
  • Simon from Brno, Czech RepublicBrian Jones played the harpsichord, marimbas and bells.
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