When The Whip Comes Down - Live

A song about a gay prostitute who works the streets of New York, this is about the closest The Stones came to punk rock. Another song on the album, "Shattered," also presents the seedy side of New York City.

Written entirely by Mick Jagger, the Stones frontman said: "I don't know why I wrote it. Maybe I came out of the closet (laughs). It's about an imaginary person who comes from L.A. to New York and becomes a garbage collector."

Mick Jagger on the song's homosexual nature (1978): "There is one song that's a straight gay song - 'When the Whip Comes Down' - but I have no idea why I wrote it. It's strange - the Rolling Stones have always attracted a lot of men (laughs). That sounds funny, but they're not all gay. And, of course, I have a lot of gay friends, but I suppose everyone does in New York City, and what's that have to do with the price of eggs?... I sure hope the radio stations will play 'When the Whip Comes Down.'"