Released 12 May 1972 Label Rolling Stones/Virgin | Length 4:27 | |
Recorded 1971–72, Nellcôte, France and Sunset Sound Recorders, Los Angeles Genre Country blues, blues rock Writer(s) Mick Jagger/Keith Richards | ||
"Sweet Virginia" is the sixth track on the Rolling Stones' 1972 double album Exile On Main St.. It was also released as the b-side of the "Rocks Off" single in Japan.
Recorded between 1971 and '72, "Sweet Virginia" is a slow country inspired song, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The song features a harmonica solo by Jagger, and a saxophone solo by Bobby Keys. Charlie Watts plays a country shuffle rhythm. An alternate version without the backing singers was released on bootlegs.
After the release of Exile on Main St., Allen Klein sued the Rolling Stones for breach of settlement because "Sweet Virginia" and four other songs on the album were composed while Jagger and Richards were under contract with his company, ABKCO. ABKCO acquired publishing rights to the songs, giving it a share of the royalties from Exile on Main St., and was able to publish another album of previously released Rolling Stones songs, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies).
The song was performed by the Stones during their 1972 American tour, once on the Tour of Europe in 1973, their 1994 Voodoo Lounge Tour and their 2005 A Bigger Bang Tour. "Sweet Virginia" has also been covered by the band Phish and Old Crow Medicine Show in concerts.
A cover version was recorded by Ronnie Lane.
The song was used in the 1995 film Casino starring Robert De Niro.