Rolling Stones cancel ‘Brown Sugar’ from US tour

The Rolling Stones eliminated ‘Brown Sugar’, one of their biggest hits, from their US tour. The decision follows criticism of the song that topped the charts when it was released in 1971 and which contains references to black women and slavery. The news was confirmed by Keith Richards, the band’s veteran guitarist in an interview with the ‘Los Angeles Times’, who however said he was surprised by the people who wanted to “bury” the song. “Didn’t they realize this was a song about the horrors of slavery?” He said. The 77-year-old musician concluded that he hoped “that we will be able to resurrect the little girl in her glory somewhere along the way.” Mick Jagger, singer and co-author of the song, meanwhile, told the newspaper that the reason why they will not play the song on this tour lay in the difficulty of compiling a lineup for the shows in the stadiums. “We’ve been playing Brown Sugar every night since 1970, so we thought we’d put the song off the set for now and see how it goes,” he said. But, he added, “we could put it back in”. Over the years, ‘Brown Sugar’ was the band’s second most played live song after ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash ‘, according to Setlist.fm. The catchy opening riff and melody drove the song to mainstream success and often overshadowed the song’s problematic references to bondage, sex, sadomasochism, and heroin. Discussing the song in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jagger said, “I’d never write that song now. I’d probably censor myself. I’d think, ‘Oh God, I can’t. I have to stop.’ God knows what I’m talking about in that song. It’s such a mixed bag. All the nasty topics in one go, “he added. But criticism of his lyrics, which are said to be inspired by one of the singer’s girlfriends, has intensified in recent times. Last year, producer Ian Brennan criticized the band’s decision to continue “playing and profiting” from the song, which he says glorifies slavery, rape, torture and pedophilia.