On July 15, 1978, The Rolling Stones’ classic album Some Girls ascended to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The record was the British rock legend’s seventh, and sixth consecutive, studio effort to top the U.S. chart.
As popular as The Rolling Stones were during the 1960s and early ’70s, Some Girls marked a commercial peak for the group. The album bumped Gerry Rafferty’s City to City from No. 1 on the Billboard 200, then spent two weeks at the top of the chart. It was replaced at No. 1 by the Grease soundtrack. Some Girls went on to sell more than 6 million copies in the U.S., more than any other Stones studio album.
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Some Girls was the first Stones album to feature the full participation of new guitarist Ronnie Wood. It was recorded at the EMI label’s Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris in late 1977 and early ’78. The album was released on June 9, 1978.
Some Girls found The Rolling Stones delivering an eclectic variety of songs. Some tunes were influenced by the edgy punk-rock movement, while a couple of songs were inspired by disco and country.
[RELATED: Watch The Rolling Stones Treat L.A. Crowd to an Extremely Rare Ballad on Hackney Diamonds Tour]
Hit Singles
The album’s lead single was the enduring disco-influenced hit “Miss You,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1978.
The follow-up single, “Beast of Burden,” reached No. 8 on the Hot 100, while “Respectable” peaked at No. 23 on the U.K. singles chart.
“Shattered,” a humorously dark look at life in New York City during the late 1970s, later reached No. 31 on the Hot 100.
Other Noteworthy Songs from Some Girls
Some Girls also featured a few other songs that have enjoyed plenty of rock radio airplay over the years. They include the punky “When the Whip Comes Down” and a cover of the 1971 Temptations hit “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me).”
The country-inspired gem “Far Away Eyes,” which features Mick Jagger singing in an exaggerated Southern accent, is a popular deep cut from the album.
“Before They Make Me Run” is the only song on Some Girls that features guitarist Keith Richards on lead vocals. Richards wrote the tune about his experience getting arrested for heroin possession in Toronto in early 1977. The Stones have been performing the tune regularly on their current Hackney Diamonds tour.
Some Girls Album Cover
The Some Girls album cover featured a unique design based on a vintage advertisement for the Valmor Products cosmetics company. It boasted series of die-cut holes, with a sleeve featuring photos of The Rolling Stones’ members alongside various female celebrities that were positioned so they were viewable though the holes.
Some of the celebrities featured on the sleeve—including Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, and Raquael Welch—as well as the estates Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, threatened to sue because their images were used without permission. The album was then quickly redesigned to remove the celebrities’ photos from the sleeve. They were replaced by patches of various bright colors.
Some Girls became the only Rolling Stones album to be nominated for a Grammy in the Album of the Year category. It lost to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
Some Girls was ranked No. 468 on Rolling Stone magazine’s latest list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
About The Rolling Stones’ 2024 Tour
There are only two more dates left on The Rolling Stones’ 2024 tour in support of their latest album, Hackney Diamonds. The next show is scheduled for Wednesday, July 17, in Santa Clara, California. The tour finale takes place July 21 in Ridgedale, Missouri.
Tickets for The Rolling Stones’ concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
Some Girls Track List:
Side One
- “Miss You”
- “When the Whip Comes Down”
- “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”
- “Some Girls”
- “Lies”
Side Two
- “Far Away Eyes”
- “Respectable”
- “Before They Make Me Run”
- “Beast of Burden”
- “Shattered”
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