Remembering When The Rolling Stones Doubled Down on Dance Rock With ‘Emotional Rescue’ in 1980

The Rolling Stones stood atop the world of rock and roll for much of the 60s and the 70s. How would they handle the 80s? They entered the decade off one of their strongest albums. But they were also enduring a bit of uncertainty in terms of their artistic direction.

Their 1980 album Emotional Rescue certainly did well for them in a commercial sense. But it also set the band on a collision course between Keith Richards’ trusty blues and Mick Jagger’s dancing shoes.

Richards’ Return

The Rolling Stones rose to the occasion with their 1978 album Some Girls at a time when many were questioning if they could maintain their dominance. It was the band’s first full album with Ronnie Wood as a member in place of Mick Taylor. While the move might have been a wash from a musical standpoint, it certainly improved the band’s chemistry.

Meanwhile, the record was made under a cloud of uncertainty concerning the status of Keith Richards. A drug arrest in Canada in early 1977 left Richards facing a possibly lengthy prison sentence. Although he fully participated in the sessions for Some Girls, it’s fair to say that he ceded direction of the band to Mick Jagger while dealing with his case.

Jagger imbued Some Girls with an urban sound imbued with elements of punk and disco. The hit single “Miss You” was an undeniable nod to the dance floors. When Richards was cleared of the concern of jail time in 1978, he put his focus back on the band. And that led to a bit of a clash of wills heading into the next record.

So ‘Emotional’

Mick Jagger had the success of Some Girls on his side as he jostled with Keith Richards to determine how the new record would sound. But Richards, ever the traditionalist, didn’t want the band going too far down a dance-music rabbit hole. Tensions began to flare during the making of the record.

To be accurate, Emotional Rescue is a balanced album, with the band hitting a number of genres throughout. But it’s notable that the opening track, “Dance (Part 1)”, and the lead single, “Emotional Rescue”, both aimed for dance clubs. On the latter song, Mick Jagger even sings falsetto throughout, as if he were giving Barry Gibb a run for his money.

But Richards certainly put his two cents in with the LP’s closing track, “All About You”. He sings lead on the soulful ballad, with lyrics that seem to yield Richards’ unvarnished feelings about his longtime bandmate (no matter how Keith claimed otherwise). Sample line: “If the show must go on/Let it go on without you.”

‘Rescue’ Plans

Emotional Rescue was a worldwide chart-topper upon its release in 1980. The single “Emotional Rescue” also smashed, proving that Jagger’s predilection for dance music hadn’t exactly hurt the band. Still, the fact that Jagger chose not to tour behind the record showed some of the cracks in the band’s façade.

When it came time to put together a new album in 1981 so that the band could tour behind it, Jagger and Richards were too unhappy with each other to sit down and write it. As a result, the band dug into their vaults to put together Tattoo You, which, ironically, would be as unified as The Stones would sound in the 80s.

(Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

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