I Could Have Stood You Up

Composers: Keith Richards & Steve Jordan
Recording date: October 1987-May 1988
Recording locations: various studios, New York City, USA; Bermuda Sound Recording Studios, Bermuda;
Air Studios, Montserrat; Atlantic Studios & The Hit Factory, New York City, USA
Producers: Keith Richards & Steve Jordan       Chief engineer: Don Smith



Line-up:

Drums: Steve Jordan
Bass: Joey Spampinato
Electric guitars: Keith Richards (incl. ending solo) & Mick Taylor (incl. middle solo)
Lead vocal: Keith Richards
Background vocals: Keith Richards & Steve Jordan
Piano: Johnnie Johnson
Organ: Chuck Leavell
Tenor saxophone: Bobby Keys
 

(Bop-bop, bop-bop)
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)
(Ahh-ahh)
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)

Well hung friend of mine
He's size 8, I'm size 9
Shucks my dear, I'm going to get a lick from you

One thing, one thing to   (Bop-bop)
One thing to remember is that I   (Bop-bop)

Could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Yes I could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Yes I could have   (Ahh)
I could have stood you up but I did, did, didn't - yeah, yeah   (Bop-bop, bop-bop)

Short fuse, lights blew up
Power came back, hear them shout
Shucks my dear, got to get a lick from you    (Bop-bop, bop-bop, bop-bop)

One thing, one thing to
One thing to remember is that I

Could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Yes I could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Baby, well I could have   (Ahh)
I could have stood you up but I did, did, didn't - yeah, yeah, yeah   (Bop-bop, bop-bop)

Wey-hey

 (Ahh)
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)   Ooh yeah
(Ahh-ahh)  Ooh yeah
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)

My shoes walk down the street
Only trouble is they're on my feet
Well dig them kicks, they belong to me    (Bop-bop, bop-bop, bop-bop)

One thing, one thing to
One thing to remember is that I

Could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Baby, could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Yeah, could have   (Ahh)
I could have stood you up but I did, did, didn't - yeah, didn't, didn't   (Bop-bop, bop-bop)

 (Bop-bop, bop-bop)
 (Bop-bop, bop-bop)
(Ahh)
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)
(Ahh-ahh)
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)

Rip it up, rip it down
Change the shape of that whole damn town
Shucks my dear, I'm going to get a lick from you    (Bop-bop, bop-bop, bop-bop)

One thing, one thing to
One thing to remember is that I

Could have   (Ahh-ahh)
Yes I could have - yeah   (Ahh-ahh)
Well I could have   (Ahh)
I could have stood you up but I did, did, did, did, did, did, didn't, babe   (Bop-bop, bop-bop)

 (Bop-bop, bop-bop)  Ah yeah
 (Bop-bop, bop-bop)
(Ahh)
(Bop-bop, bop-bop)
(Ahh-ahh)
I could have stood you up but I did, did, didn't - bop, bop   (Bop-bop, bop-bop)

 
 

TrackTalk

To me that was a little stroll through the rock & roll alley. I actually started to cut these tracks a year ago, just about today, at about this TIME (laughs) - that's why I'M looking at my watch - up in Montreal. We got about seven tracks in ten days, so I felt already, This thing's going well, this band is cooking.

- Keith Richards, August 1988


Obviously it does (have a Chuck Berry feel), since we got the man himself (Johnnie Johnson) on it. Then we decided to take it all the way with the '50s feel by doing the Jordanaires vocal bit.

- Keith Richards, 1988


(Mick Taylor) lived down the road from me, so we bumped into each other a few times. He heard I was doing a session with Johnnie Johnson, and he asked if he could come down and listen. I said, No, you can come down and play.

- Keith Richards, 1988


Mick's not changed. He never gives much away. I've always liked him a lot. He's very hard to get to know because he's a very introverted guy. But he's one of the consistently great guitar and slide guitar players around.

- Keith Richards, 1988


Mick plays the middle solo and I play the last one.

- Keith Richards, 1988


Joey Spampinato's on... electric bass. Joey's the only guy who can actually make a bass guitar sound and play like an upright. It's an old Danelectro and an Ampeg, and he's got the strangest fingering style, but it just pops!

 - Keith Richards, 1988

 

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