19th Nervous Breakdown (The Rolling Stones)

4 FEBRUARY 1966

The Rolling Stones released ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ on this day. It reached #2 in both the UK and US charts, and was the fifth-best-selling single of 1966 in Britain.

Like a lot of their music at the time it carried something of a harsh message aimed at a woman. In fact they released a whole string of such songs since 1964s 'It's All Over Now' (see ‘The Last Time’, ‘Under My Thumb’, 'Play With Fire', 'Heart of Stone', 'Time is on My Side', 'Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby...', 'Mothers Little Helper') or complaining in general (‘Satisfaction’, ‘Get Off My Cloud’, 'Paint it Black'). This was, no doubt, a deliberate attempt to foster a certain image.

This song has some interesting sonic touches, such as the dive-bombing bass lines.

The live performance of ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ shown in the video above is from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1966.

B-side: 'As Tears Go By' (UK); 'Sad Day' (US)

Recorded: 3-8 December 1965, RCA Studios, Hollywood
Released: 12 February 1966 (US); 5 February 1966 (UK)

Highest chart position: #2 (UK and US)

Length: 3:56

Label: Decca

Writers: Jagger/Richards

Producer: Andrew Loog Oldham

'You're the kind of person you meet at certain dismal, dull affairs

Center of a crowd, talking much too loud, running up and down the stairs

Well, it seems to me that you have seen too much in too few years

And though you've tried you just can't hide your eyes are edged with tears

You better stop, look around

Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes

Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown

When you were a child you were a treated kind

But you were never brought up right

You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night

Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax

And your father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax

You better stop, look around

Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes

Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown

Oh, who's to blame, that girl's just insane

Well, nothing I do don't seem to work

It only seems to make the matters worse. Oh, please

You were still in school when you had that fool who really messed your mind

And after that you turned your back on treating people kind

On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind

But after awhile I realized you were disarranging mine

You better stop, look around

Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes

Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown

Oh, who's to blame, that girl's just insane

Well, nothing I do don't seem to work

It only seems to make the matters worse. Oh, please

When you were a child you were treated kind

But you were never brought up right

You were always spoiled with a thousand toys but still you cried all night

Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax

And you father's still perfecting ways of making sealing wax

You better stop, look around

Here it comes, here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown'