Mick Jagger / Keith Richards / 3:32
Musicians
Mick Jagger: vocals, rhythm guitar
Keith Richards: lead guitar
Charlie Watts: drums
Ron Wood: bass
Recorded
AIR Studios, Montserrat: March 29–May 5, 1989
Olympic Sound Studios, London: May 15–June 29, 1989
Technical Team
Producers: Chris Kimsey, the Glimmer Twins
Sound engineer: Christopher Marc Potter
Assistant sound engineer: Rupert Coulson
Mixing: Michael H. Brauer
Despite the passing years, the Stones continued to have faith in Chuck Berry–style rock ’n’ roll. “Hold on to Your Hat” exudes an energy not dissimilar to that of “Rip This Joint,” recorded seventeen years earlier, during the torrid Exile on Main St. sessions. The lyrics also sound like a return to the good old days, taking up the recurrent theme of the jaded lover and the breakup of a relationship. The narrator has had enough of the woman he shares his bed with, and tells her so in no uncertain terms, effectively ordering her to get out of his life and adding: I’ve had it up to here with your yackety-yack. By the way, “Yakety Yak” was the title of one of the Coasters’ biggest hits (number 1 on the pop and R&B charts in 1958).
“Hold on to Your Hat” is a curious track that gives the listener a sense of déjà vu (or rather déjà entendu), despite what is, for the Stones, an unusual musical color. This impression of a new sound is due mainly to the lead guitar, with Keith playing solo licks of a speed and phrasing never previously heard from him. In doing so, he reveals a hitherto unsuspected hard rock side. One could be forgiven for wondering whether he really did write the song, but the credit in the liner notes leaves no room for doubt. Was he perhaps struck by Guns N’ Roses fever, despite not exactly going easy on them around this time? Questions could also be asked about the recording method. Might Keith have recorded his solo on a slowed-down tape recorder? However, the sonority of his guitar does not give this impression. Moving away from Keith, Mick plays the main rhythm guitar part, on an instrument presumably tuned in open G. As Bill was absent, Ronnie is on bass, his playing sadly lacking weight and doing little to support the rhythm. Charlie hammers his drums conscientiously, injecting a dose of high energy that gives the track a significant boost. And while on the subject of power, Jagger falls back into his bad habits of Dirty Work, with his voice strained and devoid of nuance, constantly walking a tightrope. From a harmonic point view, “Hold on to Your Hat” is not particularly successful, and despite the best of intentions, it is one of the weaker songs in the track listing. This is a shame, especially after the first three tracks on the album give rise to such hope.