Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / 3:43
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals
Keith Richards: rhythm and lead guitar
Bill Wyman: bass
Charlie Watts: drums
Ron Wood: rhythm, lead, and slide guitar
Nicky Hopkins: synthesizer
Sugar Blue: harmonica
Michael Shrieve: percussion
Max Romeo (?): timbales
Recorded
EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France: June 27–October 8, 1979
Electric Lady Studios, New York City: November–December 1979, April 1980
Technical Team
Producers: The Glimmer Twins
Associate producer: Chris Kimsey
Sound engineer: Chris Kimsey
Assistant sound engineers: Sean Fullan, Brad Samuelsohn, Ron “Snake” Reynolds, Jon Smith
“Send It to Me” is predominantly a Mick Jagger song, developed in conjunction with Charlie Watts. The protagonist seeks to overcome his solitude by sending letters to those who are dear to him. It is clear that he is ready to go to any lengths to find romance, to finally be loved by a woman, regardless of whether she is Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Australian, or the Alien, sings Jagger—not without humor—in the last verse. “Send It to Me” attests to the growing influence that Jamaican rhythms had been exerting on the Rolling Stones ever since Goats Head Soup.
Although superficially seductive, “Send It to Me” is ultimately disappointing. Despite successful mixing, excellent arrangements, and an appealing melody, it lacks a certain spark. The song’s strong point is its locomotive-like rhythm, launched by Charlie Watts with excellent work on his Gretsch kit, and supported by Michael Shrieve’s percussion: most likely the shekere, the tambourine, and the timbales, although Max Romeo has been suggested for the latter. Bill Wyman is on bass (although to tell the truth the playing is reminiscent of Ronnie), and Nicky Hopkins marks his return with an organ sound on the synthesizer. Sugar Blue’s harmonica is sadly buried in the mix, although it can be made out at various moments, in particular around 1:42. In the intro, Keith and Ronnie play a guitar lick in harmony, which was most probably an idea of Ronnie’s. As is his custom, the former Faces man plays a combination of rhythm and lead, and also takes the solo slide parts beginning around 2:03, using the MXR and its analog delay throughout to achieve a more airy sound. Keith answers him with a solid rhythm part very much in the reggae mold (stereo right). Mick, for his part, gives a very good vocal performance with a touch of humor, and a fairly pronounced delay has been added to his voice, probably during mixing. In spite of everything, Keith did not want to include “Send It to Me” on the album: “I thought ‘Emotional Rescue’ and ‘Send It to Me’ were just a little too similar—not necessarily musically, just in the sound—that mid-tempo sort of…”11