Casino Boogie

Composers: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording date: July & October-November 1971 & January-March 1972
Recording locations: Rolling Stones Mobile Unit, Keith Richards' home, Villefranche-sur-mer, France & Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, USA
Producer: Jimmy Miller      Chief engineers: Glyn Johns, Andy Johns & Joe Zagarino
Never performed onstage

Probable line-up:

Drums: Charlie Watts
Bass: Keith Richards
Rhythm electric guitars: Keith Richards
Slide electric guitar: Keith Richards
Lead electric guitar: Mick Taylor
Lead vocals: Mick Jagger
Harmony vocal: Keith Richards
Electric piano: Nicky Hopkins
Saxophone: Bobby Keys
Percussion: Mick Jagger
 

No good, can't speak
Wound up, no sleep
Sky diver, insider
Slip rope, stunt flyer

Wounded lover
Got no time on hand

Burn that cycle
Thrill freak, Uncle Sam
All for business, no, you understand?
Judge and jury walk out hand in hand
 
Dietrich movies, close up boogies
Kissing cunt in Cannes
Protest music, million dollar sad

I got no tactics
Got no time on hand

Left shoe shuffle, right shoe muffle
Sinking in the sand
Fade out freedom, steaming heat on
Watch that hat in black

Finger twitching
Got no time on hand

All right, mama
 
 
 
TrackTalk

(T)here's a lot of songs (on Exile) that are really, like, not songs at all. Like Casino Boogie. They're really nicely played, but there's no hooks in them and there's no memorable lyrics.
- Mick Jagger


I don't know what (the lyrics) mean, and nor does (Mick). And if he does, I want the answer in writing.
- Keith Richards, 2009


That song was done in cut-ups. It's in the style of William Burroughs, and so on. Million dollar sad doesn't mean anything. We did it in L.A. in the studio.We just wrote phrases on bits of paper and cut them up. This is the conceit. The Burroughs style. And then you throw them into a hat, pick them out and assemble them into verses. We did it for one number, but it worked. We probably did it 'cause we couldn't think of anything to write.
- Mick Jagger, 2009


I think when we got to Casino Boogie, Mick and I looked at each other and just couldn't think of another lyrical concept or idea for the song. I said to Mick, You know how Bill Burroughs did that cut-up thing - where he would randomly chop words out of a book or newspaper and then try to sort them up? That's how we did the lyrics for Casino Boogie, and that was Bill Burroughs' biggest influence on the Rolling Stones.
- Keith Richards, 2010


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