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She's the Boss
Studio album by Mick Jagger
Released	19 February 1985
Recorded	May–November 1984
Studio	Compass Point Studios (Nassau, Bahamas) Power Station (New York City, New York)
Genre	Dance-rock hard rock
Length	43:09
Label	Columbia
Producer	Mick Jagger Bill Laswell Material Nile Rodgers
Mick Jagger chronology
She's the Boss (1985) Primitive Cool (1987)
Singles from She's the Boss
"Just Another Night" Released: February 1985 "Lucky in Love" Released: April 1985 "Hard Woman" Released: December 1985

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Robert Christgau	C
Rolling Stone	link

She's the Boss is the debut solo album by English singer Mick Jagger, released on 19 February 1985 in the US and 4 March 1985 in the UK.

When Jagger's group the Rolling Stones signed with Columbia/CBS Records in 1983, one of the options available to them was for individual projects, and Jagger eagerly began working on She's the Boss.

Background

Following the release of the Stones' 1983 album Undercover, Jagger began composing material for his first solo project. He obtained the help of various musician friends in the studio when recording began in May 1984. Contributors included Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Carlos Alomar, Herbie Hancock, Sly and Robbie and the Bahamas-based musicians known as Compass Point Allstars. Jagger would share production duties with Bill Laswell and Nile Rodgers.

Keith Richards, Jagger's longtime musical partner in the Rolling Stones, was not pleased that Jagger was pursuing solo work, feeling that their band should be first priority for both of them; Richards was especially upset because in 1983, Jagger had piggy-backed a three-album solo deal with Columbia onto the multi-million Stones deal without informing any of the other Stones. The increasing animosity between both musicians would publicly erupt in 1986 before they resolved their differences a few years later. In his 2010 memoir Life, Richards compared She's the Boss to Mein Kampf: "Everybody had a copy, but nobody listened to it."

She's the Boss was released in February 1985, preceded by its lead song "Just Another Night" as a single. Both album and single became worldwide hits, with "Just Another Night" reaching No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart and No. 12 on the US pop chart, and She's the Boss going to No. 6 in the UK and No. 13 in the US, where it went platinum.

The follow-up single "Lucky in Love" was a Top 40 US hit. The single version (which was also released on video) has been remixed considerably from the album version. The single version is 4:51 long.

The version of "Hard Woman" released as a single (with an accompanying video) is radically different from the album version. The single is titled "Hard Woman (New Version)". The video for "Hard Woman" extensively utilised a Cray X-MP supercomputer for its animation, making it one of the most expensive music videos made to that point in time. "Lonely at the Top" was recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1979 with altered lyrics and a less uplifting sound.

The success of the album – encouraged by Jagger's solo appearance at Live Aid that July and his rush-recorded duet hit cover of "Dancing in the Street" with David Bowie – influenced Jagger to record a successor, Primitive Cool, which would be released in 1987.

Although originally released by Columbia, She's the Boss was acquired and reissued by Atlantic Records in 1993, following the release of Jagger's third album, Wandering Spirit, also issued by Atlantic.

In 1986, Jamaican reggae singer Patrick Alley attempted to sue Jagger over the song "Just Another Night", which Alley claims he had recorded in 1979 and released on his 1982 album A Touch of Patrick Alley. Alley claimed that Sly Dunbar (who played drums on She's the Boss) also played on his recording. The case was cleared in 1988, with Jagger stating: "My reputation is really cleared. If you're well known, people stand up and take shots at you."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mick Jagger, with additional writers noted

Personnel

Musicians

• Mick Jagger – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 9), harmonica (3)
• Guy Fletcher – synthesizer (1, 7, 9)
• Herbie Hancock – organ (1), synthesizers (3, 7), Fairlight CMI (3, 4, 7), Yamaha DX1 (4), Hammond organ (4)
• Robert Sabino – acoustic piano (2), Prophet-5 (2, 4, 8), Roland Juno-60 (2, 8), Synclavier (2, 8)
• Jan Hammer – acoustic piano (5)
• John Bundrick – synthesizer (6)
• Ron Magness – synthesizer (6)
• Wally Badarou – Oberheim OB-Xa (7), Synclavier II (7, 9), synthesizer (9)
• Chuck Leavell – organ (7, 9)
• Jeff Beck – lead guitar (1, 3, 5, 6, 9), acoustic guitar (6), guitar (7)
• Eddie Martinez – guitar (1, 3, 9), lead guitar (2)
• Pete Townshend – guitar (1), acoustic guitar (5)
• Nile Rodgers – guitar (2, 4, 8)
• G. E. Smith – lead guitar (8)
• Bill Laswell – bass guitar (1), synthesizer (6)
• Bernard Edwards – bass guitar (2, 4, 8)
• Robbie Shakespeare – bass guitar (3, 6, 7, 9)
• Colin Hodgkinson – bass guitar (5)
• Michael Shrieve – drums (1)
• Steve Ferrone – drums (2)
• Sly Dunbar – drums (3, 6, 7, 9), Simmons drums (3, 6, 7, 9)
• Anton Fig – drums (4, 8)
• Tony Thompson – drums (5)
• Daniel Ponce – bata drum (3)
• Anton Fier – Simmons toms (6), metal percussion (9)
• Aïyb Dieng – shaker (6), water drums (7), talking drum (9)
• Ray Cooper – percussion (7), congas (9)
• Lenny Pickett – baritone saxophone (4)
• Paul Buckmaster – strings arrangement and conductor (5)
• Bernard Fowler – backing vocals (1, 7, 9)
• Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals (2)
• Alfa Anderson – ladies rap (4)

Production

• Mick Jagger – producer
• Bill Laswell and Material – producers (1, 3, 5-7, 9)
• Nile Rodgers – producer (2, 4, 8)
• Dave Jerden – engineer (1, 3, 5-7, 9)
• James Farber – engineer (2, 4, 8)
• Bill Scheniman – engineer (2, 4, 8)
• Steve Rinkoff – assistant engineer
• Sean Burrows – assistant engineer (1, 3, 5-7, 9)
• Dave Greenberg – assistant engineer (2, 4, 8)
• Eric Mohler – assistant engineer (2, 4, 8)
• Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
• Roger Trilling – administrator (1, 3, 5-7, 9)
• Budd Tunick – production manager (2, 4, 8)
• Peter Corriston – art direction, design
• Erica Lennard – photography
• Lynd Ward – woodcut
• Laurence Treil – model

Charts

Certifications

References

1. Tucker, Ken (24 February 1985). "Jagger wanted to create strong rock solo record". Boca Raton News. p. 12B. Working with producers Bill Laswell and Nile Rodgers, Jagger created an album with a bright, up-to-the-minute, dance-rock sound.
2. ^ Ruhlmann, William. Mick Jagger – She's the Boss (1985) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
3. Christgau, Robert (30 April 1985). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York: VV Publishing Corporation. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
4. "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
5. "BPI".
6. ^ Richards, Keith (2011). Life. Phoenix. pp. 513–518. ISBN 978-0-7538-2661-4.
7. Corliss, Richard (26 October 2010). "The Rolling Stones Guitarist Keith Richards' 'Life' Autobiography". TIME. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
8. "Computer as 'Artist' Captures the Imagination". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2 March 1986. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
9. "Rolling Stones Unreleased: 'Lonely at the Top' (1979)". 9 December 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
10. "U.S. Jury Says Jagger Did Not Steal Hit Song". The New York Times. 27 April 1988. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 153. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
12. "Austriancharts.at – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
15. "Charts.nz – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
16. "Norwegiancharts.com – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
19. "She's the Boss by Mick Jagger". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
20. "Mick Jagger Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
21. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
22. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
23. "Top Selling Albums of 1985 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
24. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1985". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
25. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
26. "Top Selling Albums of 1986 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
27. "International – Mick's Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 5 November 1988. p. 63. Retrieved 30 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
28. "Canadian album certifications – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Music Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
29. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Mick Jagger; 'She's the Boss')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
30. "New Zealand album certifications – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
31. "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music and Media. American Radio History Archive. 26 December 1987. p. 46. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
32. "British album certifications – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
33. "American album certifications – Mick Jagger – She's the Boss". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 August 2019.

• 1985 debut albums
• Albums produced by Bill Laswell
• Albums produced by Mick Jagger
• Albums produced by Nile Rodgers
• Atlantic Records albums
• Columbia Records albums
• Mick Jagger albums
• Albums arranged by Paul Buckmaster
• Albums recorded at Compass Point Studios