Mothers Little Helper is a song by the English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track to the United Kingdom version of their 1966 album *Aftermath*. It was released as a single in the United States and peaked at #8 on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1966. The B-side Lady Jane peaked at #24. Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, Mothers Little Helper was recorded in Los Angeles from 3–8 December 1965. The song deals with the sudden popularity of Valium (diazepam), a mild tranquilizer, among housewives and the ease of obtaining it from their GPs. The song is based around folksy chords and an eastern-flavored guitar riff sounding like a sitar. Keith Richards has been quoted that he remembers the signature riff as being slide played on an electric 12-string. Richards states he played the riff, but the majority of sources indicate that, in fact, Brian Jones played the riff. When the band played the song live during their 1966 tours, Jones played the riff on his Rickenbacker 360/12. Richards also remembers the ending of the song being the idea of Bill Wyman, whose driving bass is a distinctive feature of the studio track.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 17:00:01 +0000