Top 20 Rolling Stones Songs
#20: “Ruby Tuesday” (1967)
Eric Fernandez Ruby Dave Rawlings Machine Cover
It speaks largely to the permeative cultural influence of The Rolling Stones that one of their songs could go on to influence the title of an international restaurant chain. It may seem strange, but The Stones have fans around the world, and with songs as good as “Ruby Tuesday,” it all seems to come together, right? The song is a ballad that doesn’t feel far removed from something the band’s contemporaries, The Beatles, could’ve written. There’s a baroque-pop sensibility to the arrangement that’s evocative and catchy; very much indicative of the Brian Jones-era of the band. “Ruby Tuesday” is in and out at just over three minutes, but its legacy as an early Rolling Stones classic remains secure.
#19: “Miss You” (1978)
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Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are indisputably two of the greatest songwriters in rock history, and “Miss You” proved that their magic was still going strong during the twilight of the 1970s. It’s taken from the “Some Girls” album, a Jagger-heavy LP that saw the singer’s growing influences from disco and reggae coming to the forefront. This song, as a result, is funky and groovy, hanging its hat on Charlie Watts’ dance floor beats. The harmonica echoes the infectious melody line, Bill Wyman pops on that bass guitar, and Jagger courts controversy with his cheeky lyrics. In other words: it’s typical Rolling Stones magic.
#18: “Shine a Light” (1972)
Izzo Blues Coalition The Messiah Will Come Again Shine On You Crazy Diamond Intro
The compositional history of “Shine a Light” is complicated, with most sources detailing its origins back to the late sixties. However, the version that was finally recorded and released on The Stones’ landmark “Exile on Main St.” LP enjoys one concrete designation: its subject matter of founding member Brian Jones. “Shine a Light” celebrates Jones’ legacy within the band, while also addressing his tragic passing. Billy Preston’s piano and organ contributions lends a elegiac, almost gospel-like feeling to “Shine a Light.” Then, when the song picks up for the finale? Well, it’s all joyous singing in remembrance of all Jones brought to table: a fitting coda for a musical icon.
#17: “Let’s Spend the Night Together” (1967)
The Rolling Stones - The Story & the Songs
“Let’s Spend the Night Together” was first released in The Stones’ native UK on a double A-sided single along with the aforementioned “Ruby Tuesday.” Both songs found their way onto American record stores shelves on the “Between the Buttons” LP, and immediately courted controversy with Jagger’s very suggestive lyrical choices. “Let’s Spend the Night Together” doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an ode to getting a partner into bed, and it does so with total pop-styled flirtation. The subject matter of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” was still getting The Stones into trouble as late as 2006, when they performed the song in China.
#16: “Street Fighting Man” (1968)
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There’s a smoldering, burning power present within “Street Fighting Man,” that served as yet another moment of controversy for one of classic rock’s most iconic bands. Specifically, the song’s lyrical themes of physical uprising and unrest perfectly tied into the tumultuous political landscape of the late 1960s. “Street Fighting Man” was the right song at the right time, an aggressive number that benefits greatly from the counterpoint raga instrumentation from Brian Jones. Jagger’s vocals are also cocksure and brash, like a fiery preacher or righteous political leader. “Street Fighting Man” just gets it all right.
#15: “Honky Tonk Women” (1969)
You gotta hand it to producer Jimmy Miller and drummer Charlie Watts’ cool-as-hell drum break-and-cowbell intro to “Honky Tonk Women.” It just sets up the perfect stage for what’s essentially a sleazy ‘n nasty barroom blues number with absolutely no pretensions. You can practically hear bands like Aerosmith taking notes as The Rolling Stones kick out a countified ode to getting it on with zero reservations or subtlety. “Honky Tonk Women” just wants to have a good time, and wants to take you along for the ride…if only for one night.
#14: “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” (1973)
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The full title of this Stones is rather unwieldy. But, ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, because this is one of their best - and most emotionally resonant - songs. The horn arrangements bolster the chorus of “Heartbreaker,” the wah-wah guitar and funk bass feel ripped from a Blaxploitation movie soundtrack, and Billy Preston’s clavinet holds it all together. It’s electricity personified, while the song’s lyrical content tells two tragic stories that feel “ripped from the headlines.”The Stones prove just how much they’re willing to put into their music, and we love “Heartbreaker” for all that it brings to the table.
#13: “Brown Sugar” (1971)
Cameron Brown - Technical Difficulties (Racer X Cover)
As with many songs from the heyday of rock ‘n’ roll, this is one that hasn’t aged great lyrically. In 1995, Jagger said he “never would write that song now.” And The Stones have even taken it out of their setlists in recent years. But while the song’s lecherous subject matter doesn’t always ring well with the social sensibilities of today, “Brown Sugar” is still undeniably significant to the Stones’ story. The specific inspiration is a bit of a mystery, as accounts differ as to who Jagger is referring to as the titular “Brown Sugar.” What IS known is that the song possesses an unconquerable groove; a slinky bit of guitar sleaze that feels like the best sort of bad idea.
#12: “Tumbling Dice” (1972)
It’s funny how history reframes certain albums. “Exile on Main St.” wasn’t celebrated by rock critics at the time of its release, but it’s largely seen today as one of the definitive Rolling Stones records. “Tumbling Dice” lends credence to this sentiment, a concert staple that seems ever-present in the band’s set list, while also being indicative of their blues roots. The song possesses a herky-jerky groove that’s difficult to pin down, a composition that’s both exciting and unique among many Stones classics. This is a Keith Richards showcase, for sure, a musical calling card that still sounds great today.
#11: “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” (1971)
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The Rolling Stones, as good as they are, don’t usually get associated with seven-minute jamming epics But then again, maybe that’s what makes “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” still sound fresh, so many years after its original release. This is a hard rocker with soul, anchoring on Keith Richards’ nasty opening riff, and it just builds from that point. You want saxophone licks? Bobby Keys’s got your saxophone licks. Some sick lead guitar trade-offs? Richards and Mick Taylor are more than willing to oblige. Heck, even Billy Preston is back to lend some awesome atmosphere with his organ. “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” just fires on all cylinders.
#10: “Start Me Up” (1981)
“Start Me Up” is one of those universally identifiable songs from The Rolling Stones; a tune that basically everyone knows by heart, even those weren’t around when it first dropped. This speaks largely to the song’s intrinsically hooky nature, an instantly recognizable opening riff that helps define it as a staple of classic rock radio. The skeletal structures of the song actually date back to the late seventies, but it wouldn’t be until 1981’s “Tattoo You” LP that “Start Me Up” would finally be recorded properly for a Rolling Stones album. The rest, as they say, is history.
#9: “Beast of Burden” (1978)
The “Some Girls” album often gets cited, rightfully so, as one of the band’s best. And it’s easy to see why that LP receives so many accolades, given that it contains songs like “Beast of Burden.” Keith Richards said, in the liner notes to the 1993 compilation “Jump Back,” that the song was written, “in retrospect,” to Mick Jagger, for “shouldering the burden” of keeping things in line while Richards was sorting out his substance use disorder. Ultimately, however, it’s the languid, easy pace of “Beast of Burden” that makes it stand out from the otherwise aggressive nature of “Some Girls” and its track listing. It’s a smooth, fun song to wind down to after a long day.
#8: “Angie” (1973)
What is it about songs with a person’s name in the titles that make us wonder so hard about whom they’re composed? “Beth,” “Layla,” the list goes on and on. Rolling Stones fans can add “Angie” to that list, a tender and beautiful ballad taken from the band’s ’ “Goat’s Head Soup” LP. The aforementioned “Jump Back” compilation from 1993 revealed that “Angie” is actually about Keith Richards’ daughter, but that didn’t stop fans in the seventies from musing whether or not the song was actually written about former “Police Woman” star Angie Dickinson! But at the end of the day, “Angie” will always have our hearts.
#7: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968)
The singles market has always contained its share of amazing non-album tracks, and The Rolling Stones released one banger example of their own back in 1968. The song was called “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and it would go on to not only become one of the band’s most popular tunes, but a set list staple that’s performed in concert to this day. The song possesses a refreshingly simple and rockin’ approach that critics saw as a return to form after The Stones went psychedelic with 1967’s “Their Satanic Majesties Request.” What’s particularly cool about the tune is how it exemplifies that The Stones can basically work within any musical framework they choose, and always make it sound great.
#6: “Wild Horses” (1971)
Cultural Vultures Wild Ones
Oops. The Rolling Stones probably shouldn’t have given away “Wild Horses” to the country-rock pioneers The Flying Burrito Brothers to record in 1970, before properly giving it a go a year later. Then again, it’s the Stones’ version that’s probably best remembered, so maybe their reconsideration doesn’t really matter in the end? What’s most important is how “Wild Horses’” simple, yet evocative arrangements lend it a beauty that endures among the minds of many Stones fans. This is a ballad that many consider to be one of the band’s best, and who are we to argue?
#5: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (1969)
Denny Somach on touring with The Rolling Stones
The international influence and profile of The Rolling Stones is as such that these top songs on our list are known by pretty much everybody. And “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is basically cultural DNA at this point, from the song’s opening choral vocals to that classic chorus that’s become a mantra for many fans around the world. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” has almost become more than a song. It’s become a way of life for Stones fans for whom the band’s music has meant so much over the years. It’s a song that you can listen to when you’re feeling down, up or somewhere in between. It’s pretty much perfect.
#4: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
The parenthetical titling of songs can sometimes feel arbitrary, but “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” actually makes the most out of this peculiarity. Let’s forget for a moment that EXPLOSIVE opening riff from Keith Richards. Mick Jagger’s staccato singing of the title for the chorus juxtaposes brilliantly against the smooth sexiness the singer brings to the verses. It makes that aforementioned parenthetical feel earned and intentional. Meanwhile, the arrangements just set the song on fire, from the “hey, hey, hey” section, to Keef’s electric guitar playing. This is mid-sixes beat-pop with rock ‘n roll swagger to spare, and we love it to pieces.
#3: “Paint It Black” (1966)
We’re continuing on the punctuation tip with our next killer cut, 1966’s “Paint It Black” was originally released with a comma in its title, an error courtesy of U.K. label Decca. But comma or not, . “Paint It Black” is one of those songs that helped influence the band’s occult reputation into the late sixties, an demonic-sounding rocker that featured Brian Jones on sitar. It’s the sort of song that feels tailor made for cinema, and it’s been used as such multiple times over the years. The Rolling Stones didn’t always deliver this kind of atmosphere with their music. But they owned it when they did.
#2: “Sympathy For the Devil” (1968)
Is there any rock singer in history better suited to sing a first-person diatribe from Satan than Mick Jagger? Probably not, and that’s just one aspect of what makes 1968’s “Sympathy For the Devil” work so well: then, now and forever. The arrangements aren’t heavy on traditional percussion, instead allowing the congas and backing vocals to peak out beneath Jagger’s bratty lyrics about Old Scratch’s trials and tribulations. A blistering guitar solo underlines the song’s sinister and Luciferian intentions, and “Sympathy For the Devil'' rides this wave all the way, as the bass guitar lifts up for the instrumental outro. To paraphrase fellow rock icons AC/DC, if this is hell: then hell ain't a bad place to be.
#1: “Gimme Shelter” (1969)
We have a theory on the songwriting session that crystalized 1969’s “Gimme Shelter” into existence. Hear us out. We think that aliens came to earth, gave The Rolling Stones four minutes and thirty-seven seconds of breathtaking music as an intergalactic offering, and then peaced out. Joking aside, how else can mere mortals explain the perfection that is “Gimme Shelter” and its stellar arrangements? There’s an apocalyptic feeling to the song’s grim melodies and shadowy chord phrasings. It’s an impossible power from Jagger and his collaborative muse, soul legend Merry Clayton, whose vocals cement “Gimme Shelter” as demonstratively powerful. Now, we’re not saying that our aforementioned alien theory holds any water, but we are saying that “Gimme Shelter” is the best Rolling Stones song. Ever. Are there any deep cut Stones songs you think should’ve made our list? Let us know in the comments!
