Ruby Tuesday

"Ruby Tuesday" is a song recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1966, written by Brian Jones with some bits by Keith Richards concerning lyrics and texture, but credited to Jagger and Richards instead.

The song was a number-one hit in the U.S. and a number three in the UK, and remains a favorite of both fans and casual Rolling Stones listeners.

"That's a wonderful song," Mick Jagger told Jann Wenner in 1995. "It's just a nice melody, really. And a lovely lyric. Neither of which I wrote, but I always enjoy singing it." Guitarist Jones plays both recorder and piano on this song, with cello by bassist Bill Wyman. The song's lyrics concern an apparently free-spirited woman, with Jagger singing, "Who could hang a name on you?/When you change with every new day/Still I'm gonna miss you."

The song began as an instrumental collaboration between Jones and Richards, making "Ruby Tuesday" one song that apparently deserved a co-writing credit for Brian Jones - a first. "He was a gas," Richards said of Jones. "He was a cat who could play any instrument." Yet when the single was released in January 1967, it was credited to Jagger/Richards.

It is sometimes claimed that Jones's vocal contributions to the Stones ended by 1965 - while this is mostly true, there are some exceptions. Jones can be seen and heard singing the backing vocals to Ruby Tuesday during the 1967 Ed Sullivan Show performance, and may have sang on the studio version.

All post-2002 reissues of "Ruby Tuesday" on CD (comprising all versions on the ABKCO remastered CDs) are missing a vocal overdub in the chorus. The reason for this change has never been officially addressed.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #303 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song title was the source of the restaurant chain of the same name.

A performance was captured during the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour and released on the 1991 live album Flashpoint.

Cover versions

• It is one of The Corrs favourite covers, and they performed it with Ronnie Wood for their 2002 VH1 Live in Dublin album and also included it on their 2006 Dreams Collection.
• A notable cover version of "Ruby Tuesday" was recorded by Melanie Safka
• Over the Rhine covered the song on the album Amateur Shortwave Radio
• Emiliana Torrini
• Kenny Rogers
• Rod Stewart
• Franco Battiato (used in the soundtrack of Children of Men).
• Don Williams covered the song while in his band the Pozo Seco Singers.
• German singer Nena repeatedly sings the song live; it's available on her live DVD but to date has never been officially released.
• A snippet of the song is often sung by Bono along with "Sympathy for the Devil" during performances of "Bad" at U2 concerts, most notably performed at Live Aid in London.
• Julian Lennon did a cover of the song that was featured on the 1989 CD called "Music from the Award Winning Show: The Wonder Years".
• The Swiss hard rock band Gotthard released it on their album One Life, One Soul.

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