Ruby Tuesday (song)


"Ruby Tuesday" is a song written by Keith Richards with help from Brian Jones recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1966, released in January 1967. Like most Rolling Stones compositions, it was credited to Jagger-Richards. The song, coupled with "Let's Spend the Night Together", was a number-one hit in the United States and reached number three in the United Kingdom. The song was included in the American version of Between the Buttons.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 310 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Composition and recording

"Ruby Tuesday" was recorded at Olympic Studios in London, England in November 1966. The session was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Brian Jones played the recorder and piano, whilst the double bass was played jointly by bassist Bill Wyman and guitarist Keith Richards.
Richards explained that the lyrics are about Linda Keith, his girlfriend in the mid-1960s:
"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." Wyman states in Rolling with the Stones that the lyrics were completely written by Richards with help from Jones on the musical composition. However, Marianne Faithfull recalls it differently; according to her, Jones presented an early version of this melody to the rest of the Rolling Stones. According to Victor Bockris, Richards came up with the basic track and the words and finished the song with Jones in the studio.

Release

"Ruby Tuesday" was released as the B-side to "Let's Spend the Night Together" on January 1967. Due to the controversial nature of the A-side's lyrics, "Ruby Tuesday" earned more airplay and ended up charting higher in both the UK and the US. The song topped the American Billboard Hot 100 chart, while reaching number three in the UK's Record Retailer chart, which listed "Let's Spend The Night Together"/"Ruby Tuesday" as a double A-side.
"Ruby Tuesday" was included on the US version of the 1967 album Between the Buttons, while being left out of the British edition, as was common practice with singles in the UK at that time. That summer, the song appeared on the US compilation album Flowers. Due to its success, the song became a staple of the band's compilations, being included on Through the Past, Darkly , Hot Rocks 1964–1971, ', and 30 Greatest Hits, and, in mono, on '.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Live version

"Ruby Tuesday" was first played live on Brian Jones' last concert tour The Rolling Stones European Tour 1967. The next time was on the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour in 1989/1990. A concert rendition from this tour was featured on the band's 1991 live album Flashpoint and released as a single.. This live version was recorded in Japan in 1990 and can be seen on the video release Live at the Tokyo Dome. The B-side was "Play with Fire " recorded in 1989 but not included on the Flashpoint album.
A July 2013 live performance is featured on Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live.

Melanie version

American folk and pop singer Melanie recorded "Ruby Tuesday" for her 1970 album Candles in the Rain. Her version was released as a single in the UK, where it became a Top Ten hit that year. It also reached number seven in New Zealand. She recorded a second cover version for her 1978 album Ballroom Streets.
Chart Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles25
-
New Zealand7
South Africa 10
UK 9
-
US Cash Box Top 10034

Other cover versions