Parachute Woman

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Parachute Woman" is a blues song and is one of the Beggars Banquet songs recorded on a cassette player and double-tracked for effect. Bill Janovitz comments in his review of the song:

The result is a raw and murky but atmosphere-filled blues track that spotlights Mick Jagger's mumbled sexual boasts and intense harmonica playing. With barely veiled innuendo – just enough to make it comical – Jagger makes like a modern-day Muddy Waters: "Parachute woman will you blow me out?/My heavy throbber's itching just to lay a solid rhythm down."[1]

Mick Jagger is on lead vocals and Keith Richards is on electric lead guitar, and Brian Jones plays acoustic rhythm guitar (this and his famous slide from No Expectations are his only guitar contributions on the album).[2] Both Mick Jagger and Brian Jones play harmonica (Brian plays through the song's verses, while Mick's comes in at the end of the song). Charlie Watts provides drums and Bill Wyman plays the bass.[1] This song can be considered Brian Jones second biggest contribution after his slide guitar solo from No Expectations, but here he plays two important instruments... rhythm guitar and the lead harmonica.

"Parachute Woman" was only performed live by the Rolling Stones twice. The first performance was during the 1968 Rock and Roll Circus (Brian Jones plays rhythm but can hardly be heard, so that version is mostly Keith's staccato fills held up by the rhythm section) and appears on the subsequent album. It would also be performed once during the 2002 Licks Tour, more than 30 years after its initial live debut.

• Mick Jagger – vocals, harmonica (coda)
• Keith Richards – electric guitar
• Brian Jones – acoustic guitar, harmonica
• Bill Wyman – bass
• Charlie Watts – drums