She's So Cold

Album: Willie Nile (1980)
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Songfacts®:

  • Not be confused with the Rolling Stones song of the same name, this Chuck Berry-influenced tune about an ice queen who freezes out Willie Nile appeared on his self-titled debut album in 1980.
  • Nile was on tour with The Who when he learned the Stones came out with a song that sounded a lot like his on their Emotional Rescue album. When asked about the similarity in a 1983 interview with The Face, Mick Jagger denied any hints of plagiarism. "I know Willie Nile, he's a right little stirrer," he claimed. "He's a sort of Latin kind of singer - no it's not true, he'd be suing me if it was."

    According to Nile, a lot of folks who were interested in being his manager did want him to go after the Stones, but he refused. "Sue the Stones! l play their songs back to back," he said in a 2021 Songfacts interview. "I love the Stones. No way am I going to be in that category of suing the Stones. Forget it! I loved the Stones. If it influenced their song, fine."

    But Nile has a cheeky sense of humor, which was on full display at a Stones show where they performed "She's So Cold." He recalled: "When the Stones played Buffalo Stadium, in front of 80,000 people or something, I took a bow [in the stands] after they played it. 'Thank you very much!' Literally I did."
  • The album was produced by Roy Halee, who frequently worked with Simon & Garfunkel. He also helmed Journey's debut album in 1975.
  • Jay Dee Daugherty, a former member of Patti Smith's band, played drums on the album.

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