How 'Tattoo You' Turned Outtakes Into a Classic

The Stones were in a weird spot in 1981. They hadn’t recorded a proper album since Some Girls (1978), and Emotional Rescue (1980) was a mixed bag. So instead of writing new songs, they dug through the vaults. Jagger and Richards pulled riffs and partial tracks from 1972 through 1979, then brought them to separate sessions—Jagger in Paris, Richards in New York—and pieced it all together with producer Chris Kimsey. The result should have felt like a Frankenstein album, but it ended up being one of their most cohesive records.

“Start Me Up” was the key. The riff had been kicking around since 1978—originally a reggae version called “Never Stop,” then shelved. When they cranked up the tempo and turned it into a straight rocker, the song became an instant stadium anthem. The energy was so pure that the patchwork origin didn’t matter. “Waiting on a Friend” took a different route: a leftover from the Goats Head Soup sessions, it was a m