“Brown Sugar” was the sixth number one song by the Stones and the first of the Seventies decade. By now, the Stones had been around for a number of years and were trying to get rid of their “bad boy” reputation. Most of the band had, by now, moved to France to live, much like when John Lennon moved to New York. They were trying to leave Britain and it’s 90% income tax on rich people like the Rolling Stones and they thought France would give them a better reputation.

The Rolling Stones at the time of the recording of “Brown Sugar” consisted of Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. Original members Ian Stewart and Brian Jones had left the group by this time. Stewart remained a part of the touring band until his death in 1983. Jones left the band in 1969 and died just a month later. He was finding it harder and harder to get along with the other members of the band and finally decided to leave. He was heavy into drug use by this time. At about midnight on the night of July 2, 1969, he was found floating at the bottom of his swimming pool. He was brought out, but pronounced dead by attending doctors. His girlfriend at the time claimed he was alive when taken out of the pool, but they were unable to revive him and he died by “misadventure.”

Although credit is given to Mick Jagger and Keith Richard (who was now sporting a singular last name…it used to be Richards,) the song was written solely by Mick Jagger. Who was “Brown Sugar” written about? Most assume it was written about one of Mick’s girlfriends, Marsha Hunt who was also the mother of his child, Karis. Another girlfriend, Claudia Lennear also claims the song was written about her. Only Mick knows for sure. The term “Brown Sugar” usually refers to love making with a black woman and both of these girlfriends are black, so that’s no help.

The song is featured on the groups eleventh American album, Sticky Fingers. Sticky Fingers does nothing to promote the new respectability the Stones were trying to create. The cover was designed by Andy Warhol and shows a male from the waist down to just above the knees. The zipper on the crotch actually works. In the original design, when you lowered the zipper, a balloon was going to pop out, but that was deemed too expensive for an album cover and so, nothing happens when you lower the zipper. Sticky Fingers is said to be one the Rolling Stones best albums. Some people claim that the male figure in the photo is actually Mick Jagger, but Andy Warhol, who was responsible for taking the picture says no, Mick wasn’t even in the studio the day the cover was created.

It was about this time that the famous logo representing the Rolling Stones was created. The logo is the big set of red lips that have represented the Stones ever since. The lips and tongue were designed by John Pasche and the image is patterned after the Hindu Goddess, Kali. If you Google Kali, she is shown with a long tongue sticking out of her mouth.

“Brown Sugar” entered the American charts on May 1, 1971 and spent two weeks at number one. Rolling Stone magazine has ranked the song number 495 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is also number five on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.