Coverinfo
Bruce covered the song 2 times:
Always together with Alejandro Escovedo
2012-03-14 Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX
Bruce makes a surprise appearance at the conclusion of the 30th annual Austin Music Awards, joining Alejandro Escovedo and his band along with Joe Ely for four songs, including Escovedo's "
Always a Friend", Garland Jeffreys joins in on "
Blowin' Down This Road" and an extended rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Beast Of Burden".
Songinfo
"
Beast of Burden" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, featured on the 1978 album Some Girls. A "beast of burden" is an animal, usually domesticated, that labors for the benefit of man, such as an ox or horse. The music and some lyrics were primarily written by Keith Richards. In the liner notes to the 1993 compilation disc Jump Back, Richards said Beast of Burden "was another one where Mick (Jagger) just filled in the verses. With the Stones, you take a long song, play it and see if there are any takers. Sometimes they ignore it, sometimes they grab it and record it. After all the faster numbers of Some Girls, everybody settled down and enjoyed the slow one." In those same notes, Jagger says, "Lyrically, this wasn't particularly heartfelt in a personal way. It's a soul begging song, an attitude song. It was one of those where you get one melodic lick, break it down and work it up; there are two parts here which are basically the same." The song can be seen as allegorical, with Richards saying in 2003, "When I returned to the fold after closing down the laboratory [referring to his drug problems throughout the 1970s], I came back into the studio with Mick... to say, 'Thanks, man, for shouldering the burden' - that's why I wrote "Beast of Burden" for him, I realise in retrospect."
Other cover versions
- In 1984, the song was covered by Bette Midler. The music video was made for this version that started out with Bette and Mick Jagger talking in her dressing room before she comes out and performs the song with him on stage. As the song ends someone throws a pie at Mick, and Bette laughs at it until she gets hit with a pie herself. The video ends with a picture of both of them covered in pie in a newspaper with the headline "Just desserts".
Bruce on the artist
Bruce covered 21 songs of the Rolling Stones and had 3 performances with them :
Bruce joins The Rolling Stones on the World Stage at the "Rock in Rio" Festival, performing "
Tumbling Dice" together.
Bruce's last public action in 2012 is a scheduled appearance as a special guest with The Rolling Stones on their 50th anniversary tour in Newark. A somewhat starstruck Bruce shares lead vocals with Mick Jagger. This is the first time Springsteen has played "Tumbling Dice", from the Rolling Stones' 1972 album Exile On Main St.
1989-01-18 Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, NY
Springsteen attends the fourth Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremonies. The night's inductees are The Rolling Stones. Bruce jammed with an all - star band, including The Stones.
Lyrics
I'll never be your beast of burden
My back is broad but it's a hurting
All I want for you to make love to me
I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles my feet are hurting
All I want for you to make love to me
Am I hard enough?
Am I rough enough?
Am I rich enough?
I'm not too blind to see
I'll never be your beast of burden
So let's go home and draw the curtains
Music on the radio
Come on baby make sweet love to me
Am I hard enough?
Am I rough enough?
Am I rich enough?
I'm not too blind to see
Oh little sister
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girls
Uh you're a pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girl
Pretty, pretty, such a pretty, pretty, pretty girl
Come on baby please, please, please
I'll tell ya
You can put me out
On the street
Put me out
With no shoes on my feet
But, put me out, put me out
Put me out of misery, yeah
All your sickness I can suck it up
Throw it all at me
I can shrug it off
There's one thing baby
I don't understand
You keep on telling me
I ain't your kind of man
Ain't I rough enough, ooh baby
Ain't I tough enough
Ain't I rich enough, in love enough
Ooh, ooh please
I'll never be your beast of burden
I'll never be your beast of burden
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never be
I'll never be your beast of burden
I've walked for miles, my feet are hurting
All I want is you to make love to me
Yeah
I don't need the beast of burden
I need no fussing
I need no nursing
Never, never, never, never, never, never, never be