Holy crap! Today, legendary rocker Mick Jagger, one of the most unique and talented voices in rock history, turns 70. Yes, I said 70! Although the man is old (and rich) enough to kick back, relax and watch the sun set over the Assawoman Bay for the rest of his life, he is still writing music and even continues to tour worldwide with The Rolling Stones.  As I jam out to Stones songs all day and wish I had half of the stage presence that Mick Jagger still has today, I’d like to share with you my seven all time favorite songs of The Rolling Stones. 

 

From the album: Undercover (1983)

And we start with the most unorthodox, but still very awesome, Rolling Stones song. “Undercover of the Night” is known for its politics-inspired lyrics (about corruption in Central and South America at the time), but I love the song because of its funky beat and focus on electronic sounds that fit right in with much of the music recorded in that decade. According to guitarist Ronnie Wood, the song went through many changes as it was being written and there was an acoustic version that was never released, though Wood thought it was the best. Although we may never hear the acoustic version, there is a raw early recording of the song on YouTube that features Wood’s excellent guitar skills much more prominently than on the final recording.

 

From the album: It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (1974)

This song is one of my favorites because of its humorous tone. Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics as a response to journalists and fans who had seemingly become bored of the band’s music, saying each new release was good, but not as good as their previous works. Paying attention to the lyrics, you can hear Jagger sarcastically plead to his audience of how he can find new ways to impress them, singing, “If I could stick my pen in my heart and spill it all over the stage, would it satisfy ya, would it slide on by ya, would you think the boy is strange?” Continuing with the hilarity, guitarist Keith Richards later admitted that why the studio and live versions of the songs are in different keys. Only after the band started playing the song live, did they realize they recorded it in the wrong key while in the studio.

 

From the album: Aftermath (1966)

This song is famous for one reason, and one reason only; the sitar. A heavily used instrument in India, the sitar didn’t become popular in the west until the late Ravi Shankar, known as one of the instrument’s most skilled players of all time, started associating with the Beatles and other big acts in the 60s. Stones guitarist and band leader at the time Brian Jones got caught up in the instrument’s popularity and learned how to play the sitar from his friend… George Harrison. The sitar was the defining sound of the song and “Paint iIt, Black” remains one of the most unique rock songs of its era.

 

From the album: Out of Our Heads (1965)

The Rolling Stones sure do love their parenthesis, don’t they? Now we’re getting into the meat of the classic Rolling Stones sound. A classic example of the band’s blues rock sound, the song’s famous three note guitar riff almost had an entirely different tone. When Keith Richards first wrote the riff, his original plan was to have a horn section play the notes. When practicing the song, Richards used a distortion device to make the fuzz tone represent the horn’s sustained sound. The band, including producers and their manager, loved the guitar sound so much, they decided to opt out of the horn section idea. The decision would prove beneficial to the manufacturers of the distortion device, as all stock of the actual unit, the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox, was sold out by the end of the year after the song was released. 

 

From the album: Beggars Banquet (1968)

Another song meant to make a statement towards critics, “Sympathy for the Devil” was The Rolling Stones’ coming out party concerning their love of Satan. Or so that’s what middle aged Christian moms in the 60s thought. Already receiving flack for sexual content in some lyrics, there were concerns that the band members were Satanists after their latest album, Their Satanic Majesties Request, was released (even though the songs on the album had no mention of Satan). So, Jagger decided to have some fun with the speculation and write a song from the point of view of Lucifer, himself, judging the actions of mankind throughout history and asking for some sympathy for his actions.

 

From the album: Let It Bleed (1969)

An attack on the horrific events of the Vietnam War, this is one of the most emotional songs the band ever recorded. There’s a little bit of interesting trivia about the recording process that many people don’t notice, even though you can hear it easily once it’s pointed out. About 2:59 into the song, when guest singer Merry Clayton continues to crush her powerful lyrics, her voice starts to crack. After the second crack on the word “murder,” you can hear Jagger yell “Whoo!” as a reaction to her powerful and emotional delivery. I know, this isn’t a mind blowing piece of information, but I love hearing about little gems like this that aren’t planned during the recording process. And I hope you do, too.

 

From the album: Let It Bleed (1969)  

I might polarize fans here, but to me, this is The Rolling Stones’ most emotional song to date. After writing the bulk of the song, Jagger had an idea to incorporate a choir on the track. Talking to band mates and others about it, someone recommended hiring the London Bach Choir, a London-based group that has existed since 1875. The response? “That will be a laugh.” Sure enough, the London Bach Choir would sing with the band and contribute to one of the most emotional song endings in rock history. “You can’t always get what you want; but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.”