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"Mr. Jimmy"


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On 6/12/64, the Stones played a concert at Danceland in Excelsior, Minnesota during their first ever US tour. At the time they were a little-known band, performed poorly and drunkenly, and got booed off the stage.

During this visit (in fact, the next morning), Mick went into Bacon Drug Store, an Excelsior store with a soda fountain, to get a prescription filled. Jimmy Hutmaker, a.k.a. "Mr. Jimmy", a "local color" guy who had met Mick at the concert then night before, and who has some mental difficulties (although is pretty lucid most days--he still wanders the streets of Excelsior every day visiting with everyone he meets, he's now around 75), was in the store in line in front of Mick at the moment, ordering a cherry coke. Problem--they were out of cherry juice. So the guy behind the counter gave Mr. Jimmy a regular coke. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, turned around to Mick, and commented that, "You can't always get what you want"--and a mega-hit was born.

This version of the song's origin is confirmed by both Mr. Jimmy and the pharmacist who made Jimmy the soda. The references in the song to Mr. Jimmy, Mick's prescription, a cherry coke, and others, are all believed to refer to this encounter. In fact, most people familiar with the story believe that there is no reference to Chelsea Drugstore in the song--it's just a misheard reference to Excelsior Drugstore (the middle two syllables of "Excelsior" sound a lot like "Chelsea", hence the misunderstanding).

--Bill Verkuilen

currently of Brooklyn Park, MN; formerly of Minnetonka (neighboring Excelsior), MN

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But . . . but . . . it sounds like Chelsea Drugstore to me. :unsure: And I always thought it was Jimmy Miller . . . . :unsure: :unsure:

Surely I can't be--wrong . . . :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

Just as surely I cannot speak to the authenticity of the story. It's just something I stumbled across. ;)

And it sounds like Chelsea to me as well. Perhaps if the story is true, Mick changed it to Chelsea to sound more English?

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But . . . but . . . it sounds like Chelsea Drugstore to me. :unsure: And I always thought it was Jimmy Miller . . . . :unsure: :unsure:

Surely I can't be--wrong . . . :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

Didn't The Who refer to the same Dr Jimmy on Quadrophenia ?

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Didn't The Who refer to the same Dr Jimmy on Quadrophenia ?

Not the same. The Mr. Jimmy in the Stones song was standing in line waiting to have his prescription filled as was Mick. Jimmy in Quadrophenia is the lead character (like Tommy was). The song refers to the Jekyll and Hyde swings of his personality when he gets messed up on drugs and alcohol. Hence, he only comes out when I drink my gin. ;)

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Not the same. The Mr. Jimmy in the Stones song was standing in line waiting to have his prescription filled as was Mick. Jimmy in Quadrophenia is the lead character (like Tommy was). The song refers to the Jekyll and Hyde swings of his personality when he gets messed up on drugs and alcohol. Hence, he only comes out when I drink my gin. ;)

"Dr. Jimmy and Mr. Jim

when i'm pilled you don't notice him

He only comes out when i drink my Giiiinnnnnnnnn"

You beat me to it, Ev.

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"Dr. Jimmy and Mr. Jim

when i'm pilled you don't notice him

He only comes out when i drink my Giiiinnnnnnnnn"

You beat me to it, Ev.

Somebody mention Gin ? :unsure::lol:

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