Beast of Burden (song)

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"Beast of Burden" is a song by British rock band the Rolling Stones, featured on the 1978 album Some Girls. It is a quintessential example of guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood's playing style, the "ancient form of weaving."

A "beast of burden" is a semi-domesticated animal that labors for the benefit of man, such as oxen or horses. The song, written by Keith Richards, talks of a man pleading for the affections of a girl (though it is claimed that the song could be allegorical in that Richards wrote it after his long fight with addiction, much of the time leaving the band to be led by Mick Jagger alone).

Although written before entering the studio (recording on the Some Girls sessions ran from late 1977 through early 1978), many of the lyrics were improvised by Jagger to fit with the smooth running guitars of Richards and Woods. Note the rolling, fluid licks traded off by the two. Neither is really playing lead or rhythm; they both slip in and out, one playing high while the other is low.

The song was released as the second single off of the album. It charted at number 8 in the United States. A live version recorded during their 1981 tour to support Tattoo You was released as a B-side to "Going to a Go-Go."

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