Time Is On My Side

Rolling Stones Ed Sullivan On October 25, 1964, the Rolling Stones made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  On the show, they first performed Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around.” And then they closed the show with their own “Time Is On My Side.”

At the time, the Stones were still finding their footing in the U.S., following the release of their second U.S. album 12 x 5.  Meanwhile, “Time Is On My Side” was climbing the U.S. charts. The performance on The Ed Sullivan Show would help take them to another level.

“Time Is On My Side” & Irma Thomas

The formulation of “Time Is On My Side” that we all recognize was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Jimmy Norman and recorded by Irma Thomas in early 1964. The song would go on to be a hit, but not for Thomas.

Months after Thomas’s recording, the Rolling Stones recorded their version of the tune.  They added a guitar lick but otherwise changed very little from Thomas’s version. For the Rolling Stones, it would be their first U.S. top ten hit, and they would perform the song on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Although Irma Thomas did not match the success of the Rolling Stones with the song, she continues to perform and is especially loved in her hometown of New Orleans.

Prior to “Time Is On My Side,” Thomas had a Top 20 hit with “Wish Someone Would Care.” But she never got anything near the paycheck that the Stones got for their version of “Time Is On My Side.”

In The Heart of Rock & Soul, critic Dave Marsh notes that Thomas was “ripped off not just once but twice, and by two of the best.” Otis Redding also took her “Ruler of My Heart” and changed it to “Pain In My Heart,” altering and improving on her version more than the Stones did with “Time Is On My Side.”

It is unfortunate that Thomas never saw the success that the Rolling Stones had, as it was their time. They were the bigger stars, but they also had the unfair advantage of being a white rock and roll band in the market at that time.

Yet, it is great that Irma Thomas’s music is still out there for us to hear. Below is a video from 2014 of Thomas performing “Time Is On My Side.”

The Rolling Stones on the Ed Sullivan Show

On October 25, 1964, the Rolling Stones brought “Time Is On My Side” to a wide audience on The Ed Sullivan Show.  About halfway through the show, the band appeared to play “Around and Around.”  Then, they returned to close the show with “Time Is On My Side.”

After the performance, Sullivan encouraged the screaming audience, saying “Come on, let them hear it!”  But then the screams were so loud that viewers at home could not hear Sullivan’s short conversation with Mick Jagger.

The performance brought a great deal of attention to the Rolling Stones.  It helped boost ticket sales for their fall concert tour.  At the same time, the performance and their unkempt appearance also drew criticism from some more conservative viewers.

Here are the Rolling Stones performing “Time Is On My Side” in 1964 on The Ed Sullivan Show.

The Rolling Stones returned to The Ed Sullivan Show the following spring. They ultimately would make six appearances on the show, performing many of their songs that would become classics.

What do you think about the versions of “Time Is On My Side”? Leave a comment.

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    Great Song, Bad Name: Hot Burrito #1

    Gram Parsons (1946-1973) created a lot of great music in his short life. His work as a solo artist and with bands such as The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers greatly influenced the country-rock and alt-country movements. He helped Emmylou Harris start her career. He was friends with Keith Richards and supposedly influenced some of the music made by the Rolling Stones.  And he helped create the wonderful strangely named song “Hot Burrito #1.”

    Burritos
    Burrito
    Once upon a time you let me feel you deep inside

    “Hot Burrito #1” appeared on the Flying Burrito Brothers Gilded Palace of Sin (1969) album.  It was written by Parsons and the band’s bass player Chris Ethridge.

    “Hot Burrito #1” is a great song with a horrible name.  The song, of course, has nothing to do with burritos, and the band’s use of the word “burrito” was not limited to the one song. The band liked to play around with the “burrito” theme, naming their next album Burrito Deluxe. And yes, there is a “Hot Burrito #2.”

    Reportedly, the original use of “burrito” came from bassist Ian Dunlop, who had been in the International Submarine Band and then started a group called “The Flying Burrito Brothers” before Parsons and Chris Hillman borrowed the name for their band.  Dunlop still makes music and also is an artist.

    At one point, Parsons and Hillman had a house in San Fernando Valley that they called “Burrito Manor.”

    Versions of “Hot Burrito #1”

    “Hot Burrito #1” has been recorded and covered by other artists, including Raoul Mao, The Black Crowes, the Cowboy Junkies, and Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket. The song has been covered around the world, including a version by Japanese band Ma’am.

    Elvis Costello recorded the song, but apparently he did not like the name so he renamed it, “I’m Your Toy.” Even though “Hot Burrito #1” is an odd name for a song, “I’m Your Toy” is not really better. Similarly, Jose Feliciano renamed the song with the forgettable title, “Not That Kind of Guy.”

    One sign of the greatness of the song and the melody from Chris Ethridge is that it holds up well no matter who sings it. But it is especially powerful in the Parsons version.

    The song starts out with the singer speaking to a former lover, telling her how she will miss him (“You may be sweet and nice / But that won’t keep you warm at night”). Then slowly you begin to hear the aching desperation in the singer’s voice and in the lyrics (“But I don’t want no one but you / To love me, no I wouldn’t lie”).

    The A Side

    Interestingly, even though we know “Hot Burrito #1” as a classic song, it was not released as a single, only appearing as the B side of the only single at the time, the less memorable “The Train Song.” “The Train Song” was recorded after The Gilded Palace of Sin was completed but released as a single.

    While numerous cover versions of “Hot Burrito #1” are now on YouTube, the A side is not available there at all (you may hear a clip of The Train Song on Amazon). It just goes to show that you cannot judge a song by its initial release, or by its name.

    Do you like the song? What is your favorite great song with a bad name? What other songs have cover artists renamed? Drop a comment.

    Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly implied that “The Train Song” appeared on The Gilded Palace of Sin. Even though the song was released as a single to promote the album, it was recorded after the album was completed. The single “The Train Song” did eventually appear on Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Brothers Anthology 1969-1972 (2000). September 2013 Update: A live version of “The Train Song” is now on YouTube.

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