About The Song
Who is “Jack Flash”? His name is Jack Dyer, and he worked as Keith Richards’ gardener. Richards explained to Rolling Stone in 2010: “The lyrics originated during a gray dawn at Redlands. Mick and I had been awake all night, with rain pouring outside. There was the sound of boots near the window, and they belonged to my gardener, Jack Dyer. This woke Mick up, and he inquired, ‘What’s that?’ I replied, ‘Oh, that’s Jack. That’s Jumping Jack.’ I began to work on the phrase on my guitar, which was in open tuning, singing the words ‘Jumping Jack.’ Mick suggested ‘Flash,’ and suddenly we had this phrase with a fantastic rhythm and resonance.”
Bill Wyman contributed to this song, although it was officially credited only to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which never sat well with Wyman. He explained, “Once, we arrived early at the studio, or perhaps it was a rehearsal studio, not a recording studio. It was just myself, Brian, and Charlie – the Stones never arrived at the same time, you know – and Mick and Keith hadn’t shown up yet. I was simply playing around and sat down at the piano, playing this riff, da-daw, da-da-daw, da-da-daw, and then Brian picked up the guitar, and Charlie joined in with a rhythm. We toyed with it for about 20 minutes, just passing the time, and then Mick and Keith walked in. We stopped, and they asked, ‘Hey, that sounded really good, continue, what is it?’ The next day, we recorded it. Mick crafted excellent lyrics, and it turned out to be a highly successful single.”
Mick Jagger mentioned that this song is about “enduring difficult times and breaking free. It’s essentially a metaphor for escaping from the effects of drugs.”
As Richards revealed in Rolling Stone, he takes great pride in his guitar contribution to this song. He said, “When you come up with a riff like ‘Flash,’ it fills you with a sense of elation, a delightful wickedness. Every time I play ‘Flash,’ I can feel the entire band launching behind me; there’s this extra turbo overdrive. You latch onto the riff, and it guides you. Levitation is probably the closest comparison to what I experience.”
An early music video, essentially a promotional film, was created featuring The Stones performing this song while adorned in body paint and extravagant costumes. This use of paint and costumes later became a trend in the ’70s with bands like Kiss.
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” signaled a shift to guitar-driven rock for the Rolling Stones. Initially, they were more rooted in blues, reflecting the influence of their founding member, Brian Jones. They ventured into psychedelia with their prior album, “Her Satanic Majesties Request,” but by 1968, Jones had less impact on the band, and they shed his influence. In 1969, they parted ways with Jones, who tragically passed away in his swimming pool less than a month later. With Mick Jagger and Keith Richards taking the reins, they achieved tremendous success with stadium rock anthems like “Brown Sugar” and “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll.”
“The Stones truly became the guitar-oriented band we recognize today after Brian left,” remarked Danny Garcia, director of the documentary “Rolling Stone: Life and Death of Brian Jones.” “Throughout the ’60s, the band evolved from an R&B act to a pop outfit to a psychedelic group until they discovered their signature sound with ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ in ’68.”
In the United States, Aretha Franklin had a hit with this song in 1986. Her version was produced by Keith Richards, who also played guitar on it. It reached the 21st position on the charts.
The title was used for a Whoopi Goldberg movie in 1986, and Aretha Franklin’s rendition was featured in the film.
Originally intended for the album “Beggar’s Banquet,” the band decided to release it as a single because they were immensely pleased with the outcome.
Rumors circulated that this song was about drugs, with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” supposedly being a reference to injecting heroin into the tear ducts. Some also believed it alluded to speed, the same pills described as “mother’s little helpers.”
Keith Richards discussed his guitar work on this track, saying, “I used a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic tuned to open D, six strings. It was either open D or open E, which are essentially the same with the same intervals, but the tuning was slackened down a bit for D. There was also a capo on it to achieve that tight sound. Another guitar was layered on top, but it was tuned to Nashville tuning. I learned that from a member of George Jones’ band in San Antonio back in 1964. Both acoustic guitars were recorded through a Phillips cassette recorder. You simply jam the microphone right into the guitar and play it back through an extension speaker.”
Don McLean referenced this song in “American Pie” with the lyrics “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candlestick, ‘Cause fire is the Devil’s only friend.” The “Devil” was rumored to be Mick Jagger.
This song is featured in the 1973 movie “Mean Streets” when Robert De Niro’s character makes an entrance. Director Martin Scorsese played the song from its original album to give it a rawer sound.
In 2004, Chevy used this song in a commercial for their Corvette, but the ads were swiftly removed due to objections from viewers. The advertisement depicted a young kid driving the car recklessly, intending to convey the child’s dream of owning the car. However, many people interpreted it differently.
This track served as the finale in the rhythm-action game “Elite Beat Agents” for the Nintendo DS. It was the second half of a two-part scenario, with the first half being “Without a Fight.” In the game’s story, evil aliens known as the Rhombulans invade Earth and ban music, prompting the game’s characters to summon the Elite Beat Agents. In “Without a Fight,” the Elite Beat Agents free prisoners in the Rhombulans’ concentration camp while creating music to disrupt the Rhombulan guards. They eventually intercept a massive laser beam to save the liberated prisoners. As “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” begins, the stone statues of the Elite Beat Agents crack, allowing them to break free. They proceed to sing and dance, leading Earth’s population in a celebratory event resembling a high-school prom. At the end of the song (“Jumpin Jack Flash is a gas”), the agents and the people harness the power of music to fire a colossal laser at the lead Rhombulan UFO, obliterating it and saving the planet.
This is the Rolling Stones’ most frequently performed song. The band has included it in every tour since its release in 1968.
In his autobiography, “Life” (2010), Keith Richards reflected on the mystical allure of this song: “I adore ‘Satisfaction,’ of course, and everything, but those chords are fairly standard in songwriting. However, ‘Flash’ is particularly intriguing. It’s all right now. It’s almost reminiscent of Arabic or very old, archaic, classical music, the chord progressions you might only find in Gregorian chants or something of that nature. It’s this strange blend of genuine rock and roll and, at the same time, an eerie echo of very, very ancient music that you can’t quite place. It’s much older than I am, and that’s incredible! It’s like a distant memory of something, and I don’t know where it came from.”
Video
Lyrics
I was born in a crossfire hurricane
And I howled at my ma in the driving rainBut it’s all right now, in fact, it’s a gas
But it’s all right, I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash
It’s a gas, gas, gasI was raised by a toothless, bearded hag
I was schooled with a strap right across my backBut it’s all right now, in fact, it’s a gas
But it’s all right, I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash
It’s a gas, gas, gasI was drowned, I was washed up and left for dead
I fell down to my feet and I saw they bled, yeah yeah
I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread, yeah yeah yeah
I was crowned with a spike right through my head, fuck my headBut it’s all right now, in fact, it’s a gas
But it’s all right, I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash
It’s a gas, gas, gasJumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, it’s a gas