Music / Bridges to Babylon

Whether you like this album or not: You might as well get juiced..

Bridges to Babylon is the twenty-first studio album (twenty-third American album) by The Rolling Stones, released in 1997. By this stage of their career, the time-space between their albums was growing. Although this album came out three years after Voodoo Lounge, it would be eight years before their next studio album (A Bigger Bang) was released.

Upon release, it was greeted by strong mixed reviews, particularly the main single "Anybody Seen My Baby?". The chorus of "Anybody Seen My Baby?" sounds a lot like kd lang's "Constant Craving": It's reportedly a coincidence, and since this came to the band's attention before this album was released, they actually credited lang (and her co-writer, Ben Mink) as co-writing the song to help prevent any kind of lawsuit.

A German concert of the tour, Bridges to Bremen, was released on CD and DVD in 2019.

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Tracklist:

1. "Flip the Switch" (3:28)
2. "Anybody Seen My Baby?" (4:31)
3. "Low Down" (4:26)
4. "Already Over Me" (5:24)
5. "Gunface" (5:02)
6. "You Don't Have to Mean It" (3:44)
7. "Out of Control" (4:43)
8. "Saint of Me" (5:15)
9. "Might as Well Get Juiced" (5:23)
10. "Always Suffering" (4:43)
11. "Too Tight" (3:33)
12. "Thief in the Night" (5:15)
13. "How Can I Stop" (6:53)

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Principal Members:

• Mick Jagger - lead vocals, guitar, keyboard, harmonica
• Keith Richards - guitar, backing and lead vocals, piano
• Charlie Watts - drums, vocals
• Ronnie Wood - guitar, dobro

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Tropes In The Night:

• Added Alliterative Appeal: "Always Suffering"
  While the whole world was wandering
• Alliterative Title: "Bridges To Babylon" and "T'oo Tight".
• As the Good Book Says...: "Saint Of Me"
  Saint Paul the persecutor
  Was a cruel and sinful man
  Jesus hit him with a blinding light
  And then his life began
  I said yeah
  I said yeah
  Augustin knew temptation
  He loved women, wine and song
  And all the special pleasures
  Of doing something wrong
• Break-Up Song:
  • "Anybody Seen My Baby?" is one where the girl seemingly left the city without even warning the narrator.
  Anybody seen my baby
  Anybody seen her around
  Love has gone and made me blind
  I've looked but I just can't find
  She has gotten lost in the crowd
  • "Already Over You"
  In the first flush of ecstasy
  As you lay naked next to me
  While our love put the dawn to flight
  I just ignore all those warning lights
  Cause when you laugh I just cry
  When you left I just died
  Are you already over me?
  Are you already over me?
  Are you already sick me?
  What a fool I've been
  • "Thief In The Night"
  I know where your place is
  And it's not with him
  I'm the one who is out here baby
  Out here, just looking in
  He ain't gonna like it at all
• Celebrity Cameo: Angelina Jolie appears as a stripper in the music video of "Anybody Seen My Baby?"
• Crapsack World: "Always Suffering"
  Now the rain is falling slow
  And the nights grow long
  And the train
  Cries out so hauntingly
  She is gone
  Now we're always suffering
  Already lost
• Epic Rocking: The 6:53 and aptly titled "How Can I Stop?".
• Fading into the Next Song: In at least the latest CD edition of this album, "Out Of Control" cross-fades into "Saint Of Me". It's especially noteworthy because in the cassette and vinyl editions those two songs were separated by a side break.
• Intercourse with You: "Too Tight"
  Baby you're tight for me
  (I warn you) yeah
  Far too tight for me
  Yeah
  Untie those sheep shanks, yes
  And all those fancy knots
  I'm not Houdini, honey
  C'mon now and loosen up
  (Tight)
  (Too tight)
• New Sound Album: Most likely due to the use of multiple producers. The sound is firmly in The '90s.
• Ode to Intoxication: "Might As Well Get Juiced"
  The wheels of life are passing you by
  You might as well get juiced
  Might as well get juiced
  Some people like to get high on love
  Buss it off with alcohol
• One-Word Title: "Gunface".
• Panthera Awesome: The Assyrian lion on the cover, which has a Pharaoh-like beard because the art director drew influence from the Lamassu.
• Questioning Title?: "Anybody Seen My Baby?" and "How Can I Stop?".
• Sampling: The only Stones album to do so. Used in the songs "Anybody Seen My Baby?" (featuring a brief Biz Markie rap), "Saint Of Me" and "Might As Well Get Juiced".
• Shout-Out:
  • "Too Tight"
  I am not Houdini
  • "Saint Of Me" references biblical characters Saint Paul, Jesus, Augustin, John the Baptist, Herodes and Salome.
• Special Guest: By recording in Los Angeles, various musicians friends could attend the sessions, such as Billy Preston and Blondie Chaplin .
• Stalker with a Crush: "Thief In The Night"
  I'm gonna steal what's mine
  Oh I'm gonna break the laws
  But I'll get through you door
  But you wait and see
  Yeah, I'm gonna get ya, get you free
  (Like a thief)
  I found out where he keeps you
  I've even been inside
  you check under your pillow baby
  You'll get the message
• Step Up to the Microphone: Keith Richards sings lead vocals on "You Don't Have To Mean It", "Thief In The Night" and "How Can I Stop".
• Villain Song: "Saint Of Me"
  And I do believe in miracles
  And I want to save my soul
  And I know that I'm a sinner
  I'm gonna die here in the cold
  I said yes, I said yeah
  I said yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
  You'll never make a saint of me

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