| Rip This Joint | |
| Artist: | The Rolling Stones |
| Album: | Exile on Main St. |
| Recorded: | December 1971 & March 1972 |
| Genre: | |
| Label: | Rolling Stones Records |
| Producer: | Jimmy Miller |
"Rip This Joint" is the second song on the Rolling Stones' classic 1972 album Exile on Main St. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Rip This Joint" is one of the fastest songs in the Stones' catalogue, with a pronounced rockabilly feel. Jagger's breakneck delivery of the song's lines spells out a rambling tale set across America from the perspective of a foreigner.
Richards notes the tempo of the song: "It's one of the fastest ones of the lot and it really keeps you on your toes".
In his review of the song, Bill Janovitz comments:
Recording began in late 1971 at Richards' rented home in France, Villa Nellcôte, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. With Jagger on lead vocals, Richards sings back-up and plays electric guitar, along with Mick Taylor, and Charlie Watts plays drums. Bill Plummer provides upright bass for the recording while Nicky Hopkins performs Johnnie Johnson-like piano. Bobby Keys plays two saxophone solos, Jim Price performs trumpet and trombone.[3]
"Rip This Joint" was played frequently by the Stones throughout the early to mid-1970s, and appeared in the concert film , before disappearing completely from their setlists. The song was reintroduced to the band's setlists at various club dates in Europe on the 1995 Voodoo Lounge Tour (as released in 2016 on Totally Stripped) and was also performed on the Licks Tour in 2002 and 2003.
The song was included as the closing track to the Stones' 1975 compilation album, Made in the Shade.
The song was played in the opening scene of the film, Way of the Gun.
American pop punk band Green Day has performed the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.