Tattoo You (1981)
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Type: Studio album (16th UK / 18th US)
Released: August 24, 1981
Label: Rolling Stones Records
Genre: Rock • Hard rock • Blues rock
Length: 43:52
Producers: The Glimmer Twins
Tattoo You is one of The Rolling Stones’ most acclaimed early-1980s albums. Although the record was largely assembled from outtakes and unfinished tracks from previous sessions spanning 1972–1981, it became a cohesive, high-energy rock album.
The album is best known for the massive hit single “Start Me Up”, which revitalized the band’s popularity and became a concert staple for decades.
📦 Cover Art & Design
🎨 Iconic Face Tattoo
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🖌️ Artwork by Peter Corriston.
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🎭 Features a black-and-white close-up of a man’s face with a large, elaborate tattoo superimposed across his cheek.
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🖤 Bold, minimalist design that emphasizes edginess and rock attitude.
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🖼️ The tattooed face was meant to reflect the raw, hard-rocking energy of the album’s music.
The cover is now considered one of the band’s most memorable and striking visuals from the 1980s.
🎵 Tracklist
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Start Me Up
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Hang Fire
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Slave
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Little T&A
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Black Limousine
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Neighbours
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Worried About You
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Tops
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Heaven
👥 Band Lineup
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Mick Jagger – Lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion
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Keith Richards – Guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Neighbours”
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Ronnie Wood – Guitar
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Bill Wyman – Bass
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Charlie Watts – Drums
Additional Musicians:
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Ian Stewart – Piano
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Nicky Hopkins – Piano
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Bobby Keys – Saxophone
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Chuck Leavell – Keyboards
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Sugar Blue – Harmonica
🎶 Top Tracks
⭐ Start Me Up
Hard-rocking anthem and the album’s biggest hit; iconic opening riff instantly recognizable.
⭐ Waiting on a Friend
Smooth, laid-back track featuring saxophone by Sonny Rollins (on some versions of the sessions).
⭐ Hang Fire
Punchy, sarcastic commentary set to upbeat rock.
⭐ Tops
Deep groove-driven track highlighting the band’s funk and blues influences.
📈 Commercial Performance & Sales
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🥇 US Billboard 200: #1
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🥇 UK Albums Chart: #2
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💿 Certified 4× Platinum (US)
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🌍 Worldwide sales: 7–8 million copies
The album’s success revitalized the Stones’ commercial position in the 1980s, especially in the US market.
🏆 Awards & Recognition
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“Start Me Up” became a global hit and remains one of the band’s most popular songs.
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Often ranked among the top Rolling Stones albums of the post-1970s era.
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Certified multi-platinum and frequently included in greatest hits compilations.
🎤 Fun Facts & Trivia
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🎸 Most tracks were outtakes from previous sessions, including material from Some Girls and Emotional Rescue.
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🎤 Keith Richards sings lead on “Neighbours” and co-leads on other tracks.
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🔊 The album captures the Stones at their tightest, most polished rock performance since the late 1970s.
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🎵 “Waiting on a Friend” features one of Mick Jagger’s smoothest vocal performances.
🤯 Did You Know?
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The album was originally conceived as a project to make use of unreleased recordings and session outtakes.
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Tattoo You became the Stones’ most commercially successful album of the 1980s.
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The iconic cover art helped define the band’s edgy image in the MTV era.
