brown sugar

The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World hit the top of the charts with their sweet and scandalous first single on Rolling Stones Records. They had recorded the song in December of 1969; but it wasn't released until May of 1971 due to legal problems with manager Allen Klein. They debuted the song live at the concert in Altamonte. Mick wrote the song inspired by both Marsha Hunt, the mother of his first child, and Claudia Lennear, one of the Ikettes. He decribes the song as a raw mishmash of nasty subjects, mixing drugs, slavery, sado-mascochism, and oral sex.  It became the opening track on their classic 'Sticky Fingers' album.  

"I wrote that song in Australia in the middle of a field. They were really odd circumstances. I was doing this movie, “Ned Kelly,” and my hand had got really damaged in this action sequence. So stupid. I was trying to rehabilitate my hand and had this new kind of electric guitar, and I was playing in the middle of the outback and wrote this tune. But why it works? I mean, it’s a good groove and all that. I mean, the groove is slightly similar to Freddy Cannon, this rather obscure ‘50s rock performer – Tallahassee Lassie or something. Do you remember this? “She’s down in F-L-A.” Anyway, the groove of that – boom-boom-boom-boom-boom – is “going to a go-go” or whatever, but that’s the groove."

http://www.rollingstones.com/

Gold coast slave ship bound for cotton fields

Sold in a market down in New Orleans

Scarred old slaver knows he's doing alright

Hear him with the women just around midnight

Brown sugar

How come you taste so good?

Brown sugar

Just like a young girl should

Drums beating, cold English blood runs hot

Lady of the house wonderin' where it's gonna stop

House boy knows that he's doing alright

You shoulda heard him just around midnight

Brown sugar

How come you taste so good, now?

Brown sugar

Just like a young girl should, now

Get along, brown sugar

How come you taste so good, baby?

Got me feelin' now, brown sugar

Just like a black girl should

I bet your mama was a tent show queen

Had all the boyfriends at sweet sixteen

I'm no schoolboy but I know what I like

You shoulda heard me just around midnight

Brown sugar

How come you taste so good, baby?

Brown sugar

Just like a young girl should, yeah

I said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, woo!

How come you, how come you taste so good?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, woo!

Just like a, just like a black girl should

Yeah, yeah, yeah, woo!"