Brown Sugar

I didn't really know what song to pick for this blog, so I just sort of listened to my iPod on shuffle while doing other things until I found something that might work. This song is by the Rolling Stones and kind of inapporpriate in content, and it also doesn't necessarily have to do with love and relationships, so I hope it is okay. At a first listen, this song just sounds like a white guy having sex with a black woman. After doing some research and reading through the lyrics I noticed this song is actually about black slaves being sold off and raped by their masters. The song was initially going to be named "Black Pussy," until they realized that was far too direct. There are several devices that the Rolling Stones used to enhance the sound and effect of their song including: end rhyme, metaphor, and repetition. I have tried to delve deeper and find a hidden meaning, but all I can really come across is that Mick Jagger liked having un-consensual sex with African American women.

(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiFpP9QuJ1YzpdFrvDwXvp0ge1pIhyxt4ZzLn9QqgPKCsyJT7hcMILoMRe-kdh7MAAVfjL2RAm00nT1Qluiw3-wZlZuHEjD3HeamN8rrU-s_nWGRFJ-7cFG0ygifUxdICovm8i7d94SHs/s1600/the-rolling-stones-brown-sugar-rolling-stone.jpg)

The song has an AABB rhyme scheme which makes the song go faster and sound better even though it is very subtle just listening to the song (I didn't notice until I read the lyrics). It seems like the subject matter switches when the rhyme changes from A to B. In the first 4 lines, it changes from the slaves on the boat to the slaves being whipped. An extended metaphor is used throughout the song in the form of "brown sugar." The black women are referred to as brown sugar and are only addressed in that way. I believe the Rolling Stones did this in order to express how they feel about their women. Brown sugar is well liked by most people and so are the women. "Brown Sugar how come you taste so good, Brown Sugar just like a young girl should" (again I apologize for the lyrics). The words 'Brown Sugar' and 'Just around midnight' are repeated numerous times throughout the song. The only reason I can think of doing this is to emphasize the importance of both phrases. Brown Sugar repeatedly has a positive connotation regarding black women. I'm not sure the importance of 'just around midnight' except that all of the whippings and sex happened at about midnight. I really like this song but am regretting choosing it for this blog, it is very controversial and disturbing once you read all the lyrics.