Thursday, July 9, 2026

Rolling Stones - "Waiting on a Friend"

Last month, jazz saxophone great Sonny Rollins died.  I'm not going to attempt to convey the depth and magnitude of classic LPs like "Saxophone Colossus", other than to point out that it was inducted in Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2016.  He is of additional personal interest to me because he was the last living artist from the iconic 1958 photograph "A Great Day in Harlem", and the film based on this photograph is what Danette and I saw on our second date, in Portsmouth, 1998.  I can't remember the exact venue, it may have been a church or community center -- it was not a standard movie theater as I recall.  I've looked online for more details, but records from 1998 are sparse.  

What does this have to do with The Rolling Stones?  Fun fact: Sonny Rollins plays saxophone on "Waiting on a Friend", the second single from their 1981 smash comeback LP, "Tattoo You".  I was 12 at the time, only sort of knew how important The Rolling Stones were, and certainly knew nothing of Sonny Rollins.  I recall how much I loved the sax from the early MTV video of this song, even though I would not learn that it was Sonny Rollins until a few years ago.  Another fun fact: "Tattoo You" is almost entirely constructed from studio leftovers and demos, and although this song came out in 1981, it was recorded in 1973 during the classic "Goats Heads Soup" session.   

Sonny Rollins is, well, a saxophone colossus, but "Waiting on a Friend" is pleasant surprise to his canon, and will always have a special place in my heart for all the reasons listed above.  

The Rolling Stones (with Sonny Rollins) - "Waiting on a Friend"