ROLLING STONES - 19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Publicació: 4 de febrer de 1966

Llistes: EUA: #2  Regne Unit: #2

"19th Nervous Breakdown" és una cançó enregistrada per la banda de rock anglesa The Rolling Stones. Escrita per Mick Jagger i Keith Richards, es va gravar a finals de 1965 i es va llançar com a single al febrer de 1966. La cançó va assolir un èxit significatiu, arribant al número 2 tant a la llista Billboard Hot 100 dels Estats Units com a la llista Record Retailer (que més tard es va convertir en la UK Singles Chart) del Regne Unit. A més, va liderar les llistes de Cash Box i NME. Malgrat el seu èxit, al Regne Unit va posar fi a la ratxa de singles consecutius número u de la banda que havia començat amb "It's All Over Now" el 1964.

La lletra critica a individus consentits que ho tenen tot però continuen sent infeliços. Mick Jagger va subratllar que la cançó no era autobiogràfica. Respecte a la inspiració per la lletra, Jagger va explicar: "Coses que estan passant al meu voltant, la vida quotidiana com la veig jo. La gent diu que sempre canto sobre pastilles i col·lapses, per tant, he de ser un addicte - això és ridícul. Algunes persones són tan estretes de ment que no admeten que això realment passa a altres persones a part de les estrelles del pop."

Mick Jagger va reflexionar sobre el context i la recepció de "19th Nervous Breakdown", recordant els seus inicis durant un període passat a la Costa Oest: "Aquell és un període molt de Los Angeles, recordo estar molt a la Costa Oest en aquell temps. '19th Nervous Breakdown' és una mena de cançó de broma, realment. Vull dir, la idea que algú pogués ofendre's per això és realment divertida. Però recordo que algunes persones ho van fer."

Va parlar sobre el clima cultural de l'època, afirmant: "És molt difícil tornar a situar-se en aquell període ara les cançons populars realment no abordaven gaire cosa. Bob Dylan ho feia, però no se'l considerava un artista pop mainstream. I de tota manera, ningú no sabia de què parlava. Bàsicament, les seves cançons eren massa denses per a la majoria de la gent. I així que escriure sobre alguna cosa que no fos els tòpics d'amor habituals era considerat molt fora de lloc i mai es tocava. Qualsevol cosa fora d'això escandalitzaria la gent."

Jagger va assenyalar que cançons com "19th Nervous Breakdown" inicialment sorprenien alguns oients, però el públic s'hi va acostumar ràpidament: "Així que cançons com aquesta eren una mica impactants per a la gent. Però suposo que aviat s'hi van acostumar. Un parell d'anys després, les coses van prendre un gir i van prendre una direcció encara més fosca. Però aquells eren dies molt innocents, crec."

ROLLING STONES - 19th NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Released: February 4, 1966

Charted:  US: #2    UK: #2 

"19th Nervous Breakdown" is a song recorded by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in late 1965 and released as a single in February 1966. The song achieved significant success, reaching number 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Britain's Record Retailer chart (which later became the UK Singles Chart). Additionally, it topped the charts compiled by Cash Box and NME. Despite its success, in the UK, it ended the band's streak of consecutive number-one singles that had started with "It's All Over Now" in 1964.

The lyrics of "19th Nervous Breakdown" are a critique of spoiled individuals who are given everything yet remain unhappy. Mick Jagger emphasized that the song was not autobiographical. Regarding the inspiration for the lyrics, Jagger explained, "Things that are happening around me - everyday life as I see it. People say I'm always singing about pills and breakdowns, therefore I must be an addict – this is ridiculous. Some people are so narrow-minded they won't admit to themselves that this really does happen to other people besides pop stars." 

Mick Jagger reflected on the context and reception of "19th Nervous Breakdown," noting its origins during a period spent on the West Coast: "That's a very Los Angeles period, I remember being in the West Coast a lot then. '19th Nervous Breakdown' is a bit of a joke song, really. I mean, the idea that anyone could be offended by it really is funny. But I remember some people were."

He elaborated on the cultural climate at the time, saying, "It's very hard to put yourself back in that period now - popular songs didn't really address anything very much. Bob Dylan was addressing it, but he wasn't thought of as a mainstream Pop act. And anyway, no one knew what he was talking about. Basically, his songs were too dense for most people. And so to write about anything other than the normal run-of-the-mill love clichés was considered very outré and it was never touched. Anything outside that would shock people."

Jagger pointed out that songs like "19th Nervous Breakdown" were initially jarring to some listeners, but the public quickly adapted: "So songs like '19th Nervous Breakdown' were slightly jarring to people. But I guess they soon got used to it. A couple years after that, things took a sort of turn and then saw an even more dark direction. But those were very innocent days, I think."