The real-life inspiration behind 'Under My Thumb' and how it became a rock sexism anthem

Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics to “Under My Thumb” in 1966, directly inspired by his turbulent relationship with model Chrissie Shrimpton. Jagger wanted a song that reversed the power dynamic – he’d felt controlled by Shrimpton, so the narrator now boasts about having her “under my thumb.” The track was laid down at RCA Studios in Hollywood during the Aftermath sessions, with session pianist Jack Nitzsche adding the stabbing electric piano riff that gives the song its sneering swagger.

The song quickly became a flashpoint for rock’s casual misogyny. While Jagger later dismissed it as “a caricature of an arrogant man,” second-wave feminists in the 1970s seized on the lyrics as a textbook example of male domination in pop music. That reputation hardened after the Altamont Free Concert in 1969, where the Stones played “Under My Thumb” while Hell’s Angels beat a fan to death just feet from the stage – the song’s ugly power fantasy had literally turned violent.