This, That, and the Other

For this week’s Thursday Inspiration prompt, Jim Adams has instructed us to respond to this challenge by either by using the prompt word time, or going with the above picture, or by means of the song ‘When Will I Be Loved,’ or by going with another song by the Everly Brothers, or by Linda Ronstadt, or anything else that you think fits. I decided to go with the song “Time is On My Side” from The Rolling Stones.

The Rolling Stones released this song in 1964, and for the past 59 years I thought this song was written by Mick Jagger and/or someone else on The Rolling Stones. But today, writing this post, I learned that I was wrong. According to Wikipedia, the song was written by Jerry Ragovoy (using the pseudonym “Norman Meade”). It was first recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his orchestra in 1963. Winding’s version was mostly instrumental with just the lyric “time is on my side” sung by the background trio of Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Dee Dee Warwick.

The first fully vocal version was recorded by the New Orleans soul singer Irma Thomas. It was released in June 1964. The Rolling Stones released their version of the song in the U.S. on September 26, 1964, and it became their first Top 10 hit in America.

Who knew? Did you know that “Time is On My Side” was not a Rolling Stones original? I didn’t.

In this song, Mick Jagger has lost his girl, but he knows it’s just a matter of time until she returns. After all, he’s got “the real love, the kind that you need.”

Time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is
Now you all were saying that you want to be free
But you'll come runnin' back (I said you would baby)
You'll come runnin' back (like I told you so many times before)
You'll come runnin' back to me, yeah

Time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is
You're searching for good times but just wait and see
You'll come runnin' back (I said you would darling)
You'll come runnin back (spend the rest of life with ya baby)
You'll come runnin' back to me

Go ahead baby, go ahead, go ahead and light up the town
And baby, do anything your heart desires
Remember, I'll always be around
And I know, I know like I told you so many times before
You're gonna come back
Yeah you're going to come back baby
Knockin', yeah knockin' right on my door, yeah

Time is on my side, yes it is
Time is on my side, yes it is
'Cause I got the real love, the kind that you need
You'll come runnin' back (I knew you would one day)
You'll come runnin' back (baby I told you before)
You'll come runnin' back to me, yeah

Time, time, time is on my side, yes it is, I said
Time, time, time is on my side, yes it is, I said
Time, time, time is on my side

Interesting factoid: Irma Thomas was touring in England when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards caught one of her shows and heard her sing the tune. They told her they loved it and planned to record it with their band. By early December, the Stones’ cover was a big hit in the U.S. Thomas grew so tired of explaining to people that she recorded the song first, she quit singing it altogether for nearly 30 years. She only relented when her friend Bonnie Raitt invited Thomas to sing it with her for a 1992 New Year’s Eve broadcast from New Orleans.

Here are Kai Winding’s and Irma Thomas’ recordings of the song. Which one do you like best?