It took the Rolling Stones nearly a decade to finish 'Waiting On A Friend.' Although released on 1981's 'Tattoo You,' the song was started in Jamaica during the recording of 1973's 'Goats Head Soup.'

Appropriately, the midtempo song feels tropical, with lilting piano, loping grooves, understated guitar licks and breezy saxophone from jazz legend Sonny Rollins.

It's also full of feel-good sentiments centered around the importance of friendship, not hellraising or lust: 'I'm not waiting on a lady / I'm just waiting on a friend.'

The video for 'Waiting On A Friend' was popular during MTV's early days. The clip features reggae legend Peter Tosh and was filmed at the same building that's on the cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti.'

 

Watch the Rolling Stones Perform 'Waiting on a Friend'

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