"Beast of Burden" by Bette Midler

Song#:  1787
Date:  02/11/1984
Debut:  90
Peak:  71
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Although her album No Frills was not a big success, it managed a feat that no other Midler album was (or would be) able to do. Three singles from the album made it to the Pop chart, including this last one. However, like the album, none of them were major hits. "All I Need to Know" did the best at AC getting to #39 (#77 Pop), while this single ended up being the best charting of the three at Pop. Although the song tanked in the US, it was a Top 10 hit in several European countries including Norway and Sweden where it peaked at #2. The video for this song, which featured a guest appearance by Mick Jagger (see below), ended up doing quite well and nabbed three MTV Music Video Award nominations.

ReduxReview:  Of course, no one is going to top the Stones' original (see below), but I think Midler does a damn fine job here. She has genre-hopped throughout her career, but the one area she could have explored more was rock. She burned up some fine rock/blues tunes for The Rose and this song certainly fit her like a glove, but other than that, she remained in the pop/AC world. I think she had the right voice and attitude to carry off some hefty rock. It was a missed opportunity for her. She could have easily pulled off a gritty rock album and it's the one thing that is missing from her discography. Luckly, she did a few teaser gems like this one.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  This is a remake of a song first recorded by The Rolling Stones. Their original version appears on the band's 1978 album Some Girls. It was released as the second single from the LP, following up the #1 "Miss You," and it got to #8 on the Pop chart. Mainly written by Keith Richards, Midler took a few liberties and made some minor changes to the lyrics. Mick Jagger joins Midler for the comedic video where the pair are a couple and Jagger announces he is ready for a breakup due to all the publicity.

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