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The Rolling Stones' final single release of the '70s was 1978's "Shattered," from the album "Mean Girls."
"Shattered" was an ugly look at life in New York City at the time: For every success story, there was a story about crime, drugs, poverty...or a mixture of all three--or even all four!
Mick delivered his vocals in a style called "sprechgesang," which is a mixture of speaking and singing similar to operatic recitative, or Broadway musical patter songs.
(Example: "You Got Trouble" from "The Music Man.").
Billboard felt "Shattered's" frenetic vocals "translated New York's neurotic energy to music." Cashbox said that "the unique rhythmic undercurrents and Mick Jagger's harrowing chant-like vocals of life in the big Apple make this a top pop winner.
They were right, sort of.
Because the song was so NYC-centric, it was not a hit everywhere--not even kin the US, where it peaked at #31 on the Top 40.
However, "Shattered" was one of many songs that received far more airplay on FM album rock stations that, in the 70s,
had little influence on mainstream charts.
We can call it like it was: a "Great Album Cut" of 1978--and yet another "Great Song" by The Rolling Stones!
Tomorrow: Leonard Bernstein weights in...
Coming June 1: Great Songs of the '80s!
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