10 Genuine Reactions That Made Songs Better
1. Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
Written for their Let It Bleed album, Gimme Shelter is probably one of The Rolling Stones greatest songs. Yet, what we hear today could have been very different had it not been for a last minute decision by producer Jimmy Miller.
Even though the track was ready to be mixed, Miller felt as though the song needed a female vocal. Phone calls were made and fellow producer Jack Nitzsche managed to contact singer Merry Clayton. It was the early hours of the morning when she arrived at the studio. Still in her pajamas, and with her hair in curlers, the heavily pregnant Clayton proceeded to sing the lines "Rape, murder, it's just a shot away."
It's her singing of the word "murder", around the 3.00 mark that is really magic. As her voice cracks, someone can be heard responding with a "whoo", in the background. That reaction was from Mick Jagger, expressing how impressed he was with Clayton's singing.
It only took Clayton a few takes to lay down her legendary vocals, and soon after she went back home to bed. It seems unbelievable now, but if she hadn't answered the call, then one of the best happy accidents ever recorded would never have happened.