Luckiest Music Generation: Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter [View all]

[Genki Hikari]

The song that turned out to be a signal that the 60s were, if not dead, then getting there in a hurry. It sums up how just plain tired everyone was from long years of war, protest and chaos--they wanted shelter from the storm. Literally.

"Gimme Shelter" also has the all-time greatest guest vocal from Merry Clayton, who got hauled out of bed in the middle of the night--curlers in her hair and 4 months pregnant, to do a last-minute recording session. Even her voice cracking twice only makes the intensity and desperation in the lyrics downright harrowing, driving home the song's message with electrifying power. She took a good RS song into the land of the epic with her bravura performance.

I had to include Ms Clayton's look back on her achievement:

That's from the documentary film, Twenty Feet from Stardom, focusing on legendary backup singers. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for? Get it and watch it. NOW.