Insurrectionists are finding out that their little cosplay coup has produced repercussions IRL. Should have listened to Mick and the boys, though I suppose this song, originally the B-side of “The Last Time,” isn’t a high-rotation song on classic rock radio. It should be. If it’s not a better song than “Angie,” at least its tone of nastiness and menace is a more believable pose for Mick Jagger than a supposedly regretful farewell to a girlfriend (though credited to the entire band, “Angie” was written almost entirely by Keith Richards, whose daughter was named Angela).
“Play With Fire” was recorded in Los Angeles the day before the Stones left for a tour of Australia, with Jagger and Keith Richards the only band members, though not the only musicians, involved. What sounds like a bass is Phil Spector playing a tuned-down electric guitar, and Jack Nitzsche handled the harpsichord.
