ROLLING STONES - JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH

Publicació: 24 de maig de 1968

Llistes: EUA: #3   Regne Unit: #1 (2 setmanes)

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" és una cançó dels Rolling Stones, llançada com a single independent el 1968. Descrita com a "blues sobrenatural del Delta a través del Swinging London" per la revista Rolling Stone, la cançó va marcar un retorn a les arrels blues de la banda després del pop barroc i la psicodèlia dels seus àlbums anteriors. És una de les cançons més icòniques i perdurables del grup, mantenint la distinció de ser la seva peça més interpretada en concert fins a la data.

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" té un origen curiós. La inspiració ve de Jack Dyer, qui va ser el jardiner de Keith Richards. Richards va explicar a Rolling Stone el 2010: "La lletra va sorgir una albada grisa a Redlands. Mick i jo havíem estat desperts tota la nit, plovia fora, i s’escoltava el so d'aquestes botes prop de la finestra, pertanyents al meu jardiner, Jack Dyer. Mick va dir, 'Què és això?' Vaig dir, 'Oh, això és el Jack. Això és Jumping Jack.' Vaig començar a treballar al voltant de la frase amb la guitarra, que estava ben afinada, cantant la frase 'Jumping Jack.' Mick va dir, 'Flash,' i de sobte vam tenir aquesta frase amb un gran ritme i sonoritat." Mick Jagger va explicar que aquesta cançó tracta "de passar-ho malament i sortir-se’n. Només és una metàfora per sortir de totes les coses àcides i complicades."

Richards va expressar el seu orgull en la seva part de guitarra per a aquesta cançó, afirmant a Rolling Stone: "Quan aconsegueixes un riff com 'Flash', sents una gran sensació d'elevació, un malenconios gresol. Puc sentir tota la banda enlairar-se darrere meu cada vegada que toco 'Flash' - hi ha aquesta mena d'extra sobreimpulsió. Et llances al riff, i et toca. La levitació és probablement l'analogia més propera al que sento."

Bill Wyman va contribuir a la creació de “Jumping “, però es va creditar oficialment només a Mick Jagger i Keith Richards, cosa que va decebre Wyman. Va recordar: "Un dia vam arribar d'hora a l'estudi, i... de fet, crec que era un estudi de proves, no un estudi d'enregistrament. I érem només jo, en Brian i en Charlie - els Stones MAI arriben alhora, ja ho saps - i en Mick i en Keith no havien vingut. Estava tocant i em vaig seure al piano i vaig començar a tocar aquest riff, da-daw, da-da-daw, da-da-daw, i després en Brian va tocar una mica de guitarra, i en Charlie estava fent un ritme. Només ho estàvem provant durant 20 minuts, només omplint el temps, en Mick i en Keith van entrar, vam parar, i van dir, 'Ei, això sonava molt bé, continua, què és?' I llavors, l'endemà, la vam enregistrar. Mick va escriure una lletra fantàstica i va resultar ser un single molt bo."

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" va marcar una transició significativa al rock caracteritzat per un riff de guitarra pels Rolling Stones. Inicialment influïts pel blues, principalment a causa del membre fundador Brian Jones, la banda va evolucionar a través de diversos gèneres durant els anys seixanta, des del R&B fins al pop i la psicodèlia. Va ser amb "Jumpin' Jack Flash" el '68 que van solidificar el seu so distintiu. Amb Mick Jagger i Keith Richards prenent el control, la banda va trobar un èxit massiu amb himnes de rock d'estadi com "Brown Sugar" i "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll".

Keith Richards captura de manera magnífica l'allau enigmàtica de "Jumpin' Jack Flash" a la seva autobiografia, "Life" (2010). Descriu els acords de la cançó com transgresors de la manera convencional de composar cançons, evocant ecos de melodies antigues, clàssiques i fins i tot gregorianes. Richards es meravella de la capacitat de la cançó per combinar el rock and roll amb una qualitat eterna, gairebé primordial, suggerint una connexió amb alguna cosa molt més antiga i profunda que ell mateix. En la seva reflexió, admet estar desconcertat pels orígens de la cançó, emfatitzant la seva sorprenent capacitat per seguir immortal a través de les generacions.

ROLLING STONES - JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH

Released: May 24, 1968

Charted:  US: #3   UK: #1 (2 weeks)

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a track by the Rolling Stones, released as a standalone single in 1968. Described as "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone magazine, the song marked a return to the band's blues roots following the baroque pop and psychedelia of their earlier albums. It stands as one of the group's most iconic and enduring songs, holding the distinction of being their most frequently performed track in concert to date.

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" has a curious origin. His name is Jack Dyer, and he served as Keith Richards' gardener. Richards elaborated to Rolling Stone in 2010: "The lyrics came from a gray dawn at Redlands. Mick and I had been up all night, it was raining outside, and there was the sound of these boots near the window, belonging to my gardener, Jack Dyer. It woke Mick up. He said, 'What's that?' I said, 'Oh, that's Jack. That's jumping Jack.' I started to work around the phrase on the guitar, which was in open tuning, singing the phrase 'Jumping Jack.' Mick said, 'Flash,' and suddenly we had this phrase with a great rhythm and ring to it." Mick Jagger explained that this song is about "having a hard time and getting out. Just a metaphor for getting out of all the acid things."

Richards expressed his pride in his guitar part for this song, stating in Rolling Stone, "When you get a riff like 'Flash,' you get a great feeling of elation, a wicked glee. I can hear the whole band take off behind me every time I play 'Flash' - there's this extra sort of turbo overdrive. You jump on the riff, and it plays you. Levitation is probably the closest analogy to what I feel."

Bill Wyman contributed to the creation of this song, but it was still officially credited only to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which Wyman found disappointing. He recalled: "We got to the studio early once, and... in fact, I think it was a rehearsal studio, not a recording studio. And there was just myself, Brian, and Charlie - the Stones NEVER arrive at the same time, you know - and Mick and Keith hadn't come. I was just messing about and sat down at the piano and started playing this riff, da-daw, da-da-daw, da-da-daw, and then Brian played a bit of guitar, and Charlie was doing a rhythm. We were just messing with it for 20 minutes, just filling in time, and Mick and Keith came in, and we stopped, and they said, 'Hey, that sounded really good, carry on, what is it?' And then the next day, we recorded it. Mick wrote great lyrics to it, and it turned out to be a really good single."

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" marked a significant transition to guitar-driven rock for the Rolling Stones. Initially influenced by blues, largely due to founding member Brian Jones, the band evolved through various genres in the '60s, from R&B to pop to psychedelic. It was with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in '68 that they solidified their signature sound. With Mick Jagger and Keith Richards taking the reins, the band found massive success with stadium rock anthems like "Brown Sugar" and "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll."

Keith Richards beautifully captures the enigmatic allure of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in his autobiography, "Life" (2010). He describes the song's chords as transcending typical songwriting conventions, evoking echoes of ancient, classical, and even Gregorian chant-like melodies. Richards marvels at the song's ability to blend rock and roll with a timeless, almost primordial quality, suggesting a connection to something far older and more profound than himself. In his reflection, he admits to being mystified by the song's origins, emphasizing its uncanny ability to resonate across generations.