Salt of the Earth (song)
| "Salt of the Earth" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Rolling Stones from the album Beggars Banquet | ||||
| Released | 6 December 1968 | |||
| Recorded | May 1968 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 4:47 | |||
| Label |
Decca/ABKCO (UK) ABKCO (US) |
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| Writer(s) | Jagger/Richards | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Miller | |||
| Beggars Banquet track listing | ||||
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| 10 tracks |
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"Salt of the Earth" is a song from the 1968 Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet.
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song is notable for its opening lead vocal by Richards, who sings the first verse. This was the second officially released Rolling Stones track to feature Richards on separate lead vocal. (The first was "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" from Between the Buttons.) The lyrics (written primarily by Jagger) salute the common workers of the world:
Notable within the lyrics is the salute to the salt of the earth but no action to change or improve the circumstances of working people is implied or suggested. In a twice-repeated stanza, the singer professes a distance from his subject that seemingly belies the sentiment of the verses:
The Salt of the Earth uses a quote that refers to a passage in the Bible where Jesus is trying to encourage people to give the best of themselves (« You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned ? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men » - Matthew 5:13)
It is also an expression of doubt on the basis of the status of "star", and about elitism more generally ... The evocation of "a swirling mass of gray and black and white" seems to call into question the binary Manichaeism, which seems unreal when you look closely at the particular experiences of individuals.
"Salt of the Earth" heavily features the acoustic work of Richards, typical of most songs from Beggars Banquet. Richards also performs the slide guitar throughout the song as Brian Jones, notable for his slide on previous songs in the past, was absent from these sessions. While some songs from Beggars Banquet were recorded by Jagger and Richards with only a tape recorder in between them, "Salt of the Earth" was recorded at London's Olympic Sound Studios in May 1968.
Featuring on the song are the Los Angeles Watts Street Gospel Choir and a piano performance by Nicky Hopkins. These additions, and their prominence near the end of the song, are thought to have had an influence on their next album Let It Bleed's closing song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want".
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