"Miss You"

Rock music was in the doldrums in the mid-‘70s.  Think Led Zeppelin on Presence.  Or Elton John on Blue Moves.  Or The Rolling Stones on Black and Blue.  Not our musical heroes at their best.

But as rock was slipping from its dominance in the world of music, some fans felt the need to find someone or something to blame it on.  And the thing they chose was disco.

Anybody remember Disco Demolition Night at that White Sox Game years ago when a Chicago radio DJ blew up a bunch of disco records?  It was a not so subtle form of protest…of what?  Not liking disco music?

Just recently on Channel 5, journalist Mark W. Anderson reflected that “the chance to yell ‘disco sucks’ meant more than simply a musical style choice.  It was a chance for a whole lot of people to say they didn't like the way the world was changing around them.”

Change is difficult.  But I take heart from those veterans who’ve weathered many changes themselves, The Rolling Stones.  Disco may have been on the rise.  But instead of circling the wagons, they took that beat…and made it their own.

“We didn’t think much of ‘Miss You’ when we were doing it,” said Keith Richards in his memoir, Life.  “We just thought we’d put our oar in on Mick wanting to do some disco s—t, keep the man happy.  But as we got into it, it became quite an interesting beat.”

Ironically, the sessions for Some Girls gave the band new life.  Keith said, “It was a rejuvenation, surprisingly for such a dark moment, when it was possible that I would go to jail and the Stones would dissolve.  But maybe that was part of it.  Let’s get something down before it happens.

“The record was down to us.  We were more focused and we had to work harder.”