Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / 4:47
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals
Keith Richards: acoustic guitar, slide guitar, vocals
Bill Wyman: bass
Charlie Watts: drums
Nicky Hopkins: piano
Watts Street Gospel Choir: backing vocals
Recorded
Olympic Sound Studios, London: May 1966
Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles: July 1968
Technical Team
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Sound engineer: Glyn Johns
Assistant sound engineer: Phill Brown
The salt of the earth refers to a passage in the Bible: the Sermon on the Mount as told in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew. “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” In other words, people can become the “salt of the earth” by following the precepts of Jesus Christ, which promote a taste for life itself. In this case, the “salt of the earth” represents the “best of humankind,” what could be called the elite. Over the course of the centuries, however, the expression has taken on a different meaning, and is now used to denote those who are engaged in a struggle: the workers against the bosses, the exploited against the exploiters, and the weak against the strong.
Mick Jagger raises his glass to the hardworking people, to the lowly of birth. He prays for the common foot soldier, for his wife and his children who burn the fires and who still till the earth. He spares a thought for the wavering millions who need leading but get gamblers instead, for the stay-at-home voter his empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows and a parade of the gray-suited grafters. The cynicism of the Rolling Stones’ singer is rivaled only by that of society itself.
“‘Salt of the Earth,’ I think I came up with the title of that and had the basic spur of it, but Mick did all the verses,” reveals Keith in Life. “This was our thing. I’d spark the idea… and after that, Mick, it’s all yours. Halfway through he’d say, where do we break it? Where do we go to the middle? Where’s the bridge?” 2 It is worth noting that the working title of this song was “Silver Blanket.”
Musically, “Salt of the Earth” is one of the most ambitious tracks on the album. The Stones chose to bring Beggars Banquet to a close with a mixture of country, blues, and gospel. Keith strums the intro on his Gibson Hummingbird. He also plays slide on a second guitar, his Les Paul Black Beauty (presumably with open-E tuning). Keith can then be heard singing the first verse in a voice that is simultaneously fragile, “rock ’n’ roll,” and moving. Mick takes up the baton for the second verse, which he sings equally credibly—it is his specialty, after all. Nicky Hopkins accompanies him with some excellent piano that is one of the main tones on the track. Indeed, the acoustic guitar/piano combination could be described as one of the key strengths of this album, with the playing of the two musicians complementing each other. Another duo whose work is inseparable from the sound and dynamic of the Stones is that formed by Charlie and Bill, who are absolutely impeccable in their rhythmic support. In the second refrain (2:15), Mick is accompanied by the wonderful Watts Street Gospel Choir. The singers were recorded in July while the Stones were mixing and adding the final overdubs to the album at the famous Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The choir’s contribution is of a high caliber and brings a spiritual dimension to the song. Mick and Keith could occasionally be better in tune on the vocal harmonies, particularly at 2:32, but it does not really matter… it is the emotion that counts.
Like “Stray Cat Blues,” “Salt of the Earth” is made up of two parts: the first part sung and the second part instrumental. The break between the two occurs at 3:17 and is marked by Keith on his acoustic guitar. The number then develops a totally gospel feel that gradually gathers tempo, generating a spiritual atmosphere in which one expects to hear Mick Jagger launch into a sermon at any moment. Mick remains in the background, however, and the band finishes the number by itself, without choir, led by Charlie’s highly effective shuffle and Bill’s funky bass.