1978 Rock Ballad, Written as an Apology to a Bandmate, Remains a Classic Soft Rock Anthem

The fate of the Rolling Stones was unclear in the late 1970s as Keith Richards was in the throes of drug use that would lead him to pen the soft rock anthem “Beast of Burden” and was rumored to have been an apology toMick Jagger.

“Beast of Burden” was recorded in the last months of 1977, but at the beginning of the year, Richards was in trouble. He and his partner, Anita Pallenberg, had been arrested in Toronto, Canada, for heroin and cocaine possession. It was an offense with up to seven years in prison, and would gloom over the rest of the year and the band’s future.

As a result, keeping the band together and shouldering responsibility was left to Jagger. The Rolling Stones would find themselves in the recording studio by the end of the year, with Richards having jump-started the track after coming up with the title.

“All I did was throw out the phrase ‘beast of burden’ to Mick,” said Richards, according to UDiscoverMusic, “and I played him the music, and then he took it off by himself and did a beautiful job on it.”

“Beast of Burden” was well-received by critics for its seductive lyrics and as a ballad with guitar licks they were known for. The track landed at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 12 on the Rock Singles Best Sellers chart, with it having been released as part of their Some Girls album.

The track’s backstory has some differences depending on Richards’ or Jagger’s version. Jagger once commented that the track’s lyrics weren’t “particularly heartfelt in a personal way,” and instead were a “soul-begging song” and an “attitude song.” On the other hand, Richards once revealed it was his way of apologizing to Jagger because of the trouble he caused with his drug use.

“I was trying to say sorry to Mick for passing on the weight of running this band,” he explained. “I was trying to say, ‘OK, I’m back, so let’s share a bit more of this power, share the weight, brother.’”

The theory led many fans to interpret the track’s lyrics of “All your sickness, I can suck it up/Throw it all at me/I can shrug it off” as part of it played out on Jagger’s end. He laughed off the theory, stating the lyrics were something he “made up.” Richards would admit years later that the track is “undecodable.” Regardless, “Beast of Burden” became a comeback for the band after a year of turmoil.

“It was a rejuvenation,” Keith confirmed, “surprisingly for such a dark moment, when it was possible that I would go to jail and the Stones would dissolve. But maybe that was part of it. Let’s get something down before it happens.”

Related: 1971 Rock Ballad, Written While on Tour, Remains a Timeless Classic 55 Years Later