There was a movie out a few years ago called, “Twenty Feet from Stardom,” that told the story of backup singers who desperately wanted to be lead singers.
All of them are incredible talents.
We have heard them say important parts in music that spans generations.
There is a story told in the movie about recording one small line of the song, “Gimme Shelter.” The line is:
Rape, murder!
It’s just a shot away
It’s just a shot away
Mick Jagger says, “Well, it’d be great to have a woman come and do the rape/murder verse,’ or chorus or whatever you want to call it,” said Jagger. “We randomly phoned up this poor lady in the middle of the night, and she arrived in her curlers and proceeded to do that in one or two takes, which is pretty amazing. She came in and knocked off this rather odd lyric. It’s not the sort of lyric you give anyone–‘Rape, murder/It’s just a shot away’–but she really got into it, as you can hear on the record.”
Merry Clayon received a call.
“Well, I’m at home at about 12–I’d say about 11:30, almost 12 o’clock at night. And I’m hunkered down in my bed with my husband, very pregnant, and we got a call from a dear friend of mine and producer named Jack Nitzsche. Jack Nitzsche called and said you know, Merry, are you busy? I said No, I’m in bed. he says, well, you know, There are some guys in town from England. And they need someone to come and sing a duet with them, but I can’t get anybody to do it. Could you come? He said I really think this would be something good for you.”
She arrived in the studio and met Keith Richards.
I said, Well, play the track. It’s late. I’d love to get back home. So they play the track and tell me that I’m going to sing–this is what you’re going to sing: Oh, children, it’s just a shot away. It had the lyrics for me. I said, Well, that’s cool. So I did the first part, and we got down to the rape, murder part. And I said, Why am I singing rape, murder? …So they told me the gist of what the lyrics were, and I said Oh, okay, that’s cool. So then I had to sit on a stool because I was a little heavy in my belly. I mean, it was a sight to behold. And we got through it. And then we went in the booth to listen, and I saw them hooting and hollering while I was singing, but I didn’t know what they were hooting and hollering about. And when I got back in the booth and listened, I said, Ooh, that’s really nice. They said, well, You want to do another? I said, well, I’ll do one more, I said and then I’m going to have to say thank you and good night. I did one more, and then I did one more. So it was three times I did it, and then I was gone. The next thing I know, that’s history.
Folks, when the text arrives, when the phone rings, when you read the email, you will never know that is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Would you take the call at 11:30 PM?
Would you get out of bed?
Would you go out to the studio and record the session?
Would you miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime?
Opportunity doesn’t announce itself and shout, “here it is?”
It arrives in a moment and disappears.
As the story tells others turn down the opportunity but Merry took it.
Would you answer the phone?
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2020
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1700 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.
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