Time Is on My Side

"Time Is on My Side" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy (using the pseudonym "Norman Meade"). First recorded by jazz trombonist Kai Winding and his orchestra in 1963, it was covered (with additional lyrics by Jimmy Norman) by both soul singer Irma Thomas and the Rolling Stones in 1964.

"Time Is on My Side"
Single by Kai Winding
A-side"Baby Don't Come On with Me"
ReleasedOctober 3, 1963 (1963-10-03)
GenreRhythm and blues
Length3:05
LabelVerve
Songwriter(s)Norman Meade a.k.a. Jerry Ragovoy
Producer(s)Creed Taylor

Kai Winding

Session arranger Garry Sherman contacted friend and colleague Ragovoy after Winding had expressed an interest in going in a more commercial and rhythmic direction. Ragovoy had thought of no lyrics for the song other than "time is on my side". Produced by Creed Taylor and engineered by Phil Ramone, and including background vocals by Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Dee Dee Warwick, the recording was released on the Verve Records label in October 1963.

Irma Thomas rendition
"Time Is on My Side"
Single by Irma Thomas
A-side"Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)"
ReleasedAugust 1964 (August 1964)
GenreRhythm and blues
Length2:50
LabelImperial
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Eddie Ray

In early 1964, Irma Thomas recorded a R&B cover of the song as the B-side for her single "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)", released on Imperial Records. Songwriter Jimmy Norman was enlisted by the arranger H. B. Barnum to create some more lyrics for the song, which at that time consisted only of the words "Time is on my side" and "You'll come runnin' back."[1] He managed to finish moments before Thomas entered the studio to record it. Produced by Eddie Ray, Thomas' version of "Time Is on My Side" provided the inspiration for the title of her 1996 greatest hits release Time Is on My Side.

Rolling Stones versions
"Time Is on My Side"
Single by the Rolling Stones
from the album The Rolling Stones No. 2
B-side"Congratulations"
ReleasedSeptember 25, 1964 (1964-09-25) (US single version)
RecordedJune 24–26, 1964 (US single version)
StudioRegent Sound, London
Genre
Length2:50
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Andrew Loog Oldham
The Rolling Stones American singles chronology
"It's All Over Now"
(1964)		 "Time Is on My Side"
(1964)		 "Heart of Stone"
(1964)

The Rolling Stones recorded two versions of the song in 1964. The first version (a looser arrangement featuring a briefer, organ-only intro), recorded in London in June 1964, was released as a single in the US, on September 25, 1964,[2] and was included the following month on their US album 12 X 5. The second version (more tightly arranged and featuring guitar in the intro), recorded in Chicago on November 8, 1964, was released in the UK on January 15, 1965,[3] on The Rolling Stones No. 2. The later recording is the version that receives airplay and appears on most "best of" compilations. Both versions incorporate elements of Irma Thomas's recording, including spoken-word interjections in the chorus, a monologue in the middle of the song, and distinctive lead guitar.

The single peaked at number six on the US Billboard Pop Singles Chart to become the Rolling Stones' first top ten hit in the US. Their previous single, "It's All Over Now", had peaked at number 26.

A live version of the song from the band's 1982 live album, Still Life, reached number 62 in the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1964–65) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 5
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 3
Germany (Official German Charts)[7] 28
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 6
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[9] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 6

Recordings by other artists

"Time Is on My Side" has since been covered by artists such as Indexi, Michael Bolton, Cat Power, Hattie Littles, Blondie, Wilson Pickett, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, the O'Jays, the Pretty Things, Lorraine Ellison, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Kim Wilson, Tracy Nelson, Patti Smith,[11] Andrés Calamaro (for his "El Salmón", a CD with 103 songs), and the Moody Blues (in 1965 and on the 1985 re-release of The Magnificent Moodies).

Pop singer and pianist Vanessa Carlton recorded a version of the song for a Time Warner digital video recorders commercial, which also served as promotion for her second album, Harmonium (2004), and received heavy rotation on US television during early 2005.[12] The newspaper Metroland reviewed her rendition of the song negatively, and wrote, "we tend to think time is most definitely not on her side — how else to explain the near-universal apathy to the release of her second album, Harmonium?"[13] Harmonium was not re-issued to include the song.

In 2004, Jimmy Norman, who wrote the lyrics to "Time is on My Side" but whose name was eventually removed from credits,[1] recorded it for the first time as the last track on his album Little Pieces.

In 2007, British soul singer Beverley Knight recorded a version of the song featuring Ronnie Wood for her fifth studio album, Music City Soul.

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References
  1. Sisario, Ben (2004-11-03). "The songs (with a bumpy detour) never end". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  2. Elliott, Martin (2012). The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2012 (50th anniversary ed.). London: Cherry Red Books. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-901447-77-4.
  3. Elliott, Martin (2012). The Rolling Stones Complete Recording Sessions 1962-2012 (50th anniversary ed.). London: Cherry Red Books. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-901447-77-4.
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 467/8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. "Ultratop.be – The Rolling Stones – Time Is on My Side" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4677." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – Time Is on My Side". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Rolling Stones – Time Is on My Side" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. Flavour of New Zealand, 4 February 1965
  10. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  11. "Patti Smith Group - Ask The Angels / Time Is On My Side (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. 1976-10-21. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  12. "Time Warner's DVR is on your side!". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  13. "Anna Cheek CD-Release Party". Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2016.


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