40 Years Ago: The Rolling Stones Release ‘Emotional Rescue’

It was 40 years ago Saturday (June 20th, 1980) that the Rolling Stones' Emotional Rescue album was released. The set, which followed the 1978 chart-topping Some Girls collection, was recorded throughout 1978 and '79 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. The album marked the fourth straight set produced by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards under their joint moniker “The Glimmer Twins.”

Emotional Rescue, which was the Stones' eighth U.S. chart-topper, hit Number One on July 26th, 1980, ending Billy Joel's six-week run at the top spot with Glass Houses. Emotional Rescue spent seven weeks at Number One and spawned two hit singles — the title track, which peaked at Number Three — and “She's So Cold,” which topped out at Number 26.

Three outtakes from the Emotional Rescue sessions made their way onto 1981's Tattoo You album — “Hang Fire,” “Little T&A,” and “No Use in Crying” — with a fourth track, “Think I'm Going Mad,” eventually finding a home as the B-side to 1984's “She Was Hot” single.

During a 1980 chat with Australia's Countdown, Mick Jagger was asked to describe exactly what an “emotional” rescue is: “It's 'rescue,' right? — as 'knight on a horse' — but it's mental. So, instead of rescuing the girl physically, you rescue her from her mental traumas.”

When asked if Emotional Rescue differed musically from the Stones' previous album, the 1978 chart-topping Some Girls: “No, it's not that much different. If you like Some Girls, you're gonna love this. It's got lots of different styles of music on it. There's kind of some reggae kinda track. And there's a bit of everything. It's a very mixed bag — or eclectic, you'd call it.”