About The Song
“Honky Tonk Women” is a renowned song by the English rock band, The Rolling Stones. Released as a non-album single on July 4, 1969, the track topped the charts in both the UK and the US after the death of band member Brian Jones. The composition was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and produced by Jimmy Miller at Olympic Studios in London. It was later included as a country version in their album “Let It Bleed”. This upbeat song gained popularity, becoming the Rolling Stones’ last UK No.1 hit.
The song is about a man who meets two women in different locations and becomes attracted to them. The term “honky tonk woman” refers to a woman who enjoys the vibrant nightlife and revelry associated with honky-tonk bars. The meaning of the song is open to interpretation, but it can be seen as a celebration of liberation and freedom, with the protagonist choosing to live life on his own terms and enjoying himself while he can. The song’s lyrics also suggest a certain nostalgia for a simpler past, as the characters in the song seem to exist in a world that is disconnected from modern society.
Video
Lyrics
I met a gin soaked, bar-room queen in Memphis
She tried to take me upstairs for a ride
She had to heave me right across her shoulder
‘Cause I just can’t seem to drink you off my mind
It’s the honky tonk women
That gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues
I laid a divorcee in New York City
I had to put up some kind of a fight
The lady then she covered me in roses
She blew my nose and then she blew my mind
It’s the honky tonk women
That gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues
It’s the honky tonk women
That gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues
It’s the honky tonk women
That gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues