Writers: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Producers: The Rolling Stones
Recorded: Spring 1973 and spring 1981 at Dynamic Sound Studios in Kingston, Jamaica
Released: October 1981
| Players: | Mick Jagger — vocals Keith Richards — guitar, vocals Mick Taylor — guitar Bill Wyman — bass Charlie Watts — drums Billy Preston — piano Sonny Rollins — saxophone |
| Album: | Tattoo You (Rolling Stones) |
The Rolling Stones began working on “Waiting On A Friend” during the sessions for the 1973 album Goat's Head Soup — eight years before it would be released. Lead singer Mick Jaggerremembered, “We all liked it at the time but it didn't have any lyrics, so there we were.”
The group returned to the song in the spring of 1981, when they were assembling tracks for Tattoo You. Jagger said, “As well as the vocal, we stuck on that amazing sax solo at the end by Sonny Rollins. The lyric I added is very gentle and loving, about friendships in the band. At least I think that's what it was about.”
The video for the song does depict Jagger waiting for singer-guitarist Keith Richards and a warm meeting between the two musical partners, but Jagger later said, “I can't actually remember now if that was the original idea of the song.”
Tattoo You comprised many songs that were started or recorded earlier in the Stones' career. As Richards explained, “The thing with Tattoo You wasn't that we'd stopped writing new stuff — it was a question of time. We'd agreed we were going to go out on the road and we wanted to tour behind a record. There was no time to make a whole new album and make the start of the tour.”
Fans didn't seem to mind, as Tattoo You hit Number One on the Billboard 200 and has sold well over four million copies.
The album didn't have individual song credits. Jagger admitted, “I got fed up with writing all those credit lists out and everyone wants one above the other one, and then I don't remember who is playing. Everyone got paid, anyway.”
However, Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor had to sue the band for royalties for the songs that he played on that appeared on the album. The case was settled out of court.