Ventilator Blues

The Rolling Stones

About Ventilator Blues

“Ventilator Blues” is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, which is included on their 1972 album Exile on Main St.


Year:
1972
3:24
34 
#1

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When your spine is cracking and your hands, they shake,
Heart is bursting and you butt's gonna break.
Your woman's cussing, you can hear her scream,
You feel like murder in the first degree.
Ain't nobody slowing down no way,
Ev'rybody's stepping on their accelerator,
Don't matter where you are,
Ev'rybody's gonna need a ventilator.
When you're trapped and circled with no second chances,
Your code of living is your gun in hand.
We can't be browed by beating, we can't be cowed by words,
Messed by cheating, ain't gonna ever learn.
Ev'rybody walking 'round,
Ev'rybody trying to step on their Creator.
Don't matter where you are, ev'rybody, ev'rybody gonna
Need some kind of ventilator, some kind of ventilator.
What you gonna do about it, what you gonna do?
What you gonna do about it, what you gonna do?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?
Gonna fight it, gonna fight it?

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The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in Dartford in 1962. The earliest settled line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Ian Stewart (keyboards, piano), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums). Since Wyman's retirement in 1993, the band's full members have been Jagger, Richards, Watts and guitarist Ronnie Wood who joined in 1975. Darryl Jones (bassist) and Chuck Leavell (keyboardist) are regular contributors but not full band members. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Rolling Stones in 1989, noting that "critical acclaim and popular consensus has accorded them the title of the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.”Rolling Stone magazine ranked them 4… more »

26 fans

Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Taylor, Mick Jagger

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


13 facts about this song

SONG CREDIT
"Ventilator Blues" is a song by the legendary British rock band, The Rolling Stones. It's one of the few in the band's discography that gives songwriting credits to not only Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but also Mick Taylor.
ALBUM
This song is a part of their tenth studio album, "Exile on Main St." which was released in 1972. The album became one of their most critically acclaimed pieces throughout their career.
GENRE & STYLE
The song embraces a bluesy vibe, displaying the band's roots in blues. It stands out for its distinctive bottleneck slide guitar work and elaborate horn orchestration – all of which give the song a potent, gritty feel.
THEME
"Ventilator Blues" describes the pressures of life and the desire to escape it, using a literal ventilator as a metaphor.
RECORDING
Unlike many of the tracks on "Exile on Main St.", which were recorded in a villa in France, "Ventilator Blues" was recorded at London's Olympic Studios.
MICK TAYLOR
This is the only Rolling Stones song in which Mick Taylor received a writing credit, making it historically significant for the band.
INFLUENCE
The recording of "Ventilator Blues" was influenced by the sound of American Southern rock and raw blues.
NOTED PERFORMANCE
The Rolling Stones performed "Ventilator Blues" live for the first (and as of yet, only) time at a show in Texas in 1972.
RARE SONG
Despite its popularity among fans, the song is one of the least performed by the band live, making each performance a rare occurrence.
SONG PLACEMENT
"Ventilator Blues" is the eighth track on the album "Exile on Main St." and is the final song in the album's sequence that dives deeply into a blues sound.
BACKING VOCALS
While the song is primarily sung by Mick Jagger, it also features backing vocals by Keith Richards and Mick Taylor.
COVERS
Several music artists have covered the song in concerts, including Phish, renowned for their improvisational style.
LEGACY
Despite its relative obscurity in the Stones' catalog, "Ventilator Blues" is considered by many fans and critics as a hidden gem and an important display of the band's mastery of blues-rock.

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