Start Me Up


"Start Me Up" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album Tattoo You. The song is a crowd-pleaser, often performed by the band at the beginning of their concerts. It has also become a sports anthem.
Released as the album's lead single, it reached the number 1 position on Australia, Canada, Spain and US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, number 2 position in US Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 7 position on the UK Singles Chart, and it performed well in other European countries. The music video for "Start Me Up" was placed in heavy rotation on the new MTV channel in 1981, adding to the song's lengthy chart run in the US.
The single's B-side is a slow blues number called "No Use in Crying", which is an album track on Tattoo You.

Writing and recording

"Start Me Up" was originally a reggae song recorded in March 1975 during sessions for the Rolling Stones' album Black and Blue before it was re-worked during the January and March 1978 sessions for the Some Girls album. The song began as a reggae rock track named "Never Stop", but after dozens of takes it was abandoned. "Start Me Up" was not chosen for the album and was saved for later use. Richards commented:
In 1981, with the band looking to tour, engineer Chris Kimsey proposed to lead singer Mick Jagger that archived songs could comprise the set. While searching through the vaults, Kimsey found the two takes of the song with a more rock vibe among some fifty reggae versions. Overdubs were completed on the track in early 1981 in New York City at the recording studios Electric Lady Studios and The Hit Factory. On the band's recording style for this track in particular, Kimsey commented in 2004:
The "thump" to the song was achieved using mixer Bob Clearmountain's "bathroom reverb", a process involving the recording of some of the song's vocal and drum tracks with a miked speaker in the bathroom of the Power Station recording studio in New York City. It was there where final touches were added to the song, including Jagger's switch of the main lyrics from "start it up" to "start me up".
The song opens with what has since become a trademark riff for Richards. It is this, coupled with Charlie Watts' steady backbeat and Bill Wyman's echoing bass, that comprises most of the song. Lead guitarist Ronnie Wood can clearly be heard playing a layered variation of Richards' main riff. Throughout the song Jagger breaks in with a repeated bridge of "You make a grown man cry", followed by various pronouncements of sexual innuendo with automobile terminology.
Percussion by Mike Carabello and handclaps by Jagger, Chris Kimsey and Barry Sage were added during overdub sessions in April and June 1981.
Billboard said that "its catchy refrain easily worms its way into the memory." Record World said that the song is highlighted by "biting, raunchy guitars and a rhythm kick that spanks hard".
A music video was produced for the single, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. According to Lindsay-Hogg's recollection, Jagger and Watts proposed the collaboration to him over lunch with Jagger particularly keen to emulate the style of video shown on MTV, which he regarded as "the future". The subsequent production became one of the most programmed videos of MTV's early years.

Release

"Start Me Up" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Charts in September 1981 and remains the last Rolling Stones song to appear in the UK Top 10. In Australia and Spain, the song reached number 1 in November 1981. In the US, "Start Me Up" spent three weeks at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in October and November 1981, behind Christopher Cross' "Arthur's Theme ", becoming the Stones' biggest hit of the 1980s in the United States.
The single spent thirteen weeks atop the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. This set a record that was not broken until 1994 when Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song" spent fifteen weeks at number 1.
"Start Me Up" is often used to open the Rolling Stones' live shows and has been featured on the live albums Still Life, Flashpoint, Live Licks, Shine a Light, and Hyde Park Live. It also features on several Stones live concert films and DVD/Blu-ray sets: Let's Spend the Night Together, Stones at the Max, The Rolling Stones: Voodoo Lounge Live, Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98, Four Flicks, The Biggest Bang, Shine a Light, Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live, and Havana Moon. The song was the first of three songs played by the Stones at halftime during Super Bowl XL in 2006.
The song has been included on every major Stones compilation album since its release, including Rewind , Jump Back, Forty Licks and GRRR!. Writing for AllMusic, Stewart Mason called it "the last great Rolling Stones song." Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the 8th Best Sports Anthem.

Personnel

Credits sourced from Sound On Sound.
The Rolling Stones
  • Mick Jaggerlead and backing vocals
  • Keith Richardselectric rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Ronnie Woodelectric lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Bill Wymanbass guitar
  • Charlie Wattsdrums
Additional personnel
  • Michael Carabellocowbell
  • Barry Sagehandclaps

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Commercial usage

paid about US$3 million to use this song in their Windows 95 marketing campaign. This was the first time that the Rolling Stones allowed a company to use their songs in an advertising campaign. In 2012, a remixed version of the song was used as the soundtrack to an Omega advertising campaign for their role as official timekeepers of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
CBS Sports played the song began the 2025 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament Selection Show as a tribute to Greg Gumbel, the longtime host of "March Madness" who died towards the end of 2024.