Tattoo You is the 16th British and 18th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on August 24, 1981 by Rolling Stones Records. The album is mostly composed of studio outtakes recorded during the 1970s, and contains one of the band’s most well-known songs, “Start Me Up”, which hit number two on the US Billboard singles charts.
A combination of touring obligations and personal feuding between band members made it difficult to arrange dedicated recording sessions for the band’s follow-up to 1980’s Emotional Rescue. As a result, the band’s production team combed through unused recordings from prior sessions, some dating back almost a decade. While a few of the songs were used essentially as-is in their original form, most of these earlier recordings were not complete, consisting of song fragments requiring much work. Studio time was booked throughout 1980 and 1981 and band members came in when available to finish off the tracks.
The credited members of the Rolling Stones for the album were vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts, though two tracks feature former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Keyboardists Nicky Hopkins, Billy Preston and Ian Stewart also appear on the album.
The album proved to be both a critical and commercial success upon release, reaching the top of the US Billboard 200. To date, it is the final Rolling Stones album to reach the top position of the US charts, thus concluding the band’s string of eight consecutive number-one albums there, dating back to 1971’s Sticky Fingers. In 1989, it was ranked No. 34 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 211 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, then re-ranked number 213 in the 2012 revised list. Peter Corriston, who was responsible for the album cover’s concept origination, art direction and design, won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Album Package.
A remastered 40th-anniversary edition of the album was released on October 22, 2021. It features nine previously unreleased tracks and a 1982 concert at Wembley Stadium.
- “Start Me Up” 3:31
- “Hang Fire” 2:20
- “Slave” 4:55
- “Little T&A” 3:23
- “Black Limousine” 3:32
- “Neighbours” 3:31
- “Worried About You” 5:16
- “Tops” 3:45
- “Heaven” 4:21
- “No Use in Crying” 3:24
- “Waiting on a Friend” 4:34
- “Living in the Heart of Love” 4:13
- “Fiji Jim” 4:01
- “Troubles a’ Comin’” 4:16
- “Shame Shame Shame” 4:14
- “Drift Away” 4:07
- “It’s a Lie” 4:57
- “Come to the Ball” 3:41
- “Fast Talking, Slow Walking” 5:40
- “Start Me Up” (Early Version) 4:40
Mick Jagger – lead vocals (all but 4), backing vocals (all but 5); electric guitar (9 & 10); percussion (track 9)
Keith Richards – electric guitar (all but 9), backing vocals (1–4, 6, 7 & 10); lead vocals and bass guitar (track 4)
Ronnie Wood – electric guitar (all but 3, 7–9 & 11), backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6 & 10)
Bill Wyman – bass guitar (all but 4); guitars, synthesizer and percussion (track 9)
Charlie Watts – drums
Mick Taylor – electric guitar (8 & 11)
Nicky Hopkins – piano (8, 10 & 11); organ (10)
Ian Stewart – piano (2 & 4–6)
Billy Preston – keyboards (3 & 7)
Wayne Perkins – electric lead guitar (7)
Ollie E. Brown – percussion (3 & 7)
Pete Townshend – backing vocals (3)
Sonny Rollins – saxophone (3, 6 & 11)
Jimmy Miller – percussion (8)
Michael Carabello – cowbell (1); conga (3); güiro, claves, cabasa and conga (11)
Chris Kimsey – electric piano (9)
Barry Sage – handclaps (1)
Sugar Blue – harmonica (5)
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