Wednesday, November 11, 2009

"Indian Girl" Rolling Stones-Emotional Rescue


The follow up to some girls was just as strong and just as varied as its predecessor. "All About You" showcases Keif's beautiful, slow ballad voice, "She's So Cold" is typical Mick Jagger sex filled rock and "Dance Pt. 1" picks up right where "Miss You" left off. However the best song on the album, one of the most overlooked Stones songs of which there are a myriad is: "Indian Girl". This song has a Mick vocal, some horns, a great acoustic guitar rhythm. Listen to it when you are about to fall asleep so your selective hearing kicks in and you can actually hear the tracks laid down upon each other, beautifully relaxing. In that semi-conscious state your mind will drift to banana republics, oppressive heat and humidity, mirror sunglasses and fatigues on men with belts of bullets running through the jungle and starving children in the streets. "Indian Girl" addresses the typical life of a peasant in a South American dictatorship, the lyrics start with a simple question:

"Indian Girl, where is your mama?
Indian Girl, where is your papa?
He's fighting the war in the streets of Masaya.
"

and continue with the line:

"Lesson number one that you learn while you're young,
Life just goes on and on getting harder and harder."


The theme itself is simple, make no mistake this isn't a Dylan epic or even a Springsteen anti-rock, soul searching track. In reality this song doesn't really have much to it that is extraordinary with the exception of the last spoken verse that is mouthed in typical Mick accented' vernacular. Here it is:

"Mr. Gringo, my father he ain't no Che Guevara
And he's fighting the war on the streets of Masaya
Little Indian girl where is your father?
Little Indian girl where is your momma?
They're fighting for Mr. Castro in the streets of Angola.


And here's the way it sounds:

"Mr. Ginnngo-a, myfatherheain'tnoCheee Guevaraaaaa
He's fighting the war onthe streets of Masayaaaa
LittleIndian Girl whereisyour faatheerrr?
LittleIndian Girl whereisyour maaamaaa?
They'refightingforMr.Castro inthestreetsofAAAAAngoooooola.
LaLaLaLa LaLaLa LaLaLaLa LaLaLa
.

It's awesome, Mick is on such a different level that he can pronounce any word in any way he wants. He can read the word "Cat" and make is sound like "Dog" but he can do that because he is Mick Jagger. Mick, the man who in his sixties is still rocking hard and working out for two hours before a show. Mick the man who had to sleep with David Bowie because he has already slept with every woman on the planet so he figured he'd pick a guy that every woman wants to sleep with. Mick, a man who in a perfect world would be wearing a beret, green fatigues and mirror sunglasses as a dictator in a Latin American country. Refugees from around the world would be lining up to give away their freedom without question, come to think of it I've done that every time I've dropped four grand for a Stones ticket and never thought twice about it.