Paint It Black: The five best punk covers of The Rolling Stones
Punk rock sought to burn down the rock and roll establishment, building a DIY utopia of fresh and groundbreakingly modern music from the ashes. When the previously underground punk scene of cities like New York and London broke into overground during the mid-1970s, few bands represented the rock and roll mainstream quite like The Rolling Stones. On the flip side, though, the Stones were essential in laying the early rebel-rock foundations, which would eventually lead to the punk rock explosion.
When the rowdy gang of youthful blues obsessives first got together in 1962, they were perfectly poised to take advantage of the budding music scene of swinging sixties London. Representing the apogee of Britain’s angry post-war youth, The Rolling Stones quickly captured the imaginations of listeners across the nation, inspiring countless young people to grow out their hair and rebel against the stuffiness of the country’s older generation. In that sense, The Rolling Stones represented the spirit of punk prior to the phrase ever being coined.
Nevertheless, by the time punk bands like the Sex Pistols or the Ramones began to establish themselves, The Rolling Stones were firmly on the upper echelon of rock and roll. Sitting around in mansions, surrounded by mounds of royalty cheques and the products of rock and roll excess, the band represented the exact opposite of what punk was trying to achieve. Still, records like Exile on Main Street were essential in carving out the sounds that would eventually become punk.
Given this unique relationship between punk and the Jagger-Richards-fronted outfit, it is no surprise that various different punk groups have covered the Stones over the years. Either as a faithful homage to a band that inspired them during their early days or as a tongue-in-cheek parody of a group who were on the opposite end of the spectrum to punk, these covers drastically range in quality. Everybody from Ramones to The Sisters of Mercy have taken on the sound of the Stones at one point or another, but certain covers have definitely risen to the top.
Five best punk covers of The Rolling Stones:
5. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – ‘Let It Bleed’
Much like The Rolling Stones, who started out as youthful rebels before becoming elder statesmen of rock and roll, Joan Jett first established herself during the punk age with The Runaways before moving closer to a mainstream rock sound. It makes sense, therefore, that Jett would pay homage to the Stones by covering their 1969 track ‘Let It Bleed’ from the iconic album of the same name.
In typical fashion, Jett managed to breathe a wealth of new life and energy into the classic song, imbuing the Stones’ work with her own distinctive attitude. Although Jett doesn’t alter the core composition of the Jagger-Richards composition too much, her usual sneering delivery and abrasive rock style certainly updated the 1969 track for 1990s audiences. Upon listening to the cover, the impact of The Rolling Stones on establishing the inherent sounds of early punk rock becomes increasingly obvious, with its lyrical content and structure not being worlds apart from various other Blackhearts efforts.
4. Dead Boys – ‘Tell Me’
During the early days of The Rolling Stones, their setlists were defined by covers of Motown singles and old blues standards. The very first single to be credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards themselves was 1964’s ‘Tell Me’, making the pop ballad a vitally important moment within the history of the band, even if it is not their most popular. Continuing on that legacy of youthful rebellion and self-determination, rowdy Ohio punks Dead Boys covered the song in 1978, at the peak of punk’s relevancy.
Timing is everything in music, and the release date of this amphetamine-fueled cover of ‘Tell Me’ is crucial in its significance. By 1978, punk rock had firmly established itself as the de facto sound of the world’s angry and despondent youth. By releasing a cover of a band like The Rolling Stones at that time, Dead Boys were affirming that the old ways of rock and roll were dead and buried, and the new generation are here to stay. What’s more, the Stiv Bators-fronted outfit managed to give the 1964 track an endearingly distorted new lease of life.
3. The Meteors – ‘Get Off Of My Cloud’
Of all the different subgenres that spawned from the original wave of punk rock, psychobilly has to be among the most enjoyable. Blending elements of old-school rockabilly with the fuzzy, grimy tones of punk rock, the subgenre has produced a wealth of weird and wonderful groups, including The Meteors. From their formation in 1980, the London band were essential in pioneering psychobilly, but one of their earliest triumphs came in the unlikely form of a Rolling Stones cover.
Featured on their stunning debut album In Heaven, the band’s reimagining of the Stones’ ‘Get Off Of My Cloud’ sees the classic 1965 track awash with elements of neo-surf rock and the distinctive psychobilly delivery of P Paul Fenech. Not only is the song one of the finest Rolling Stones cover versions of all time, it is also among The Meteors finest moments. Perfectly encapsulating the spirit of punk and psychobilly while also highlighting the adaptability and timeless nature of Jagger and Richards’ songwriting.
2. The Feelies – ‘Paint It Black’
Originally released in 1966, ‘Paint It Black’ is among The Rolling Stones’ most diverse and enduring efforts. Furthermore, the atmosphere and lyrical content of the song are pretty well-aligned with the inherent ethos of punk: reject the phoniness and complacency of mainstream life and paint it all black. Inevitably, ‘Paint It Black’ was ripe to be given the punk treatment, and New Jersey post-punk heroes The Feelies happily obliged, releasing their excellent cover of the track in 1990, both as a single and on reissues of their seminal debut album Crazy Rhythms.
Expectedly, for a band as important as The Feelies, their version of ‘Paint It Black’ is a masterclass both in performance and in constructing enjoyable cover versions. The New Jersey band managed to retain the captivating sounds and inherent atmosphere that made the original version so beloved while also imbuing the classic song with their own sound and influences. Not only does their version of ‘Paint It Black’ reflect the punk potential of the Stones’ original, but it allows listeners to realise the revolutionary power of both outfits.
1. Devo – ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’
Devo’s cover of The Rolling Stones’ defining hit, ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, is not only the greatest cover of a Stones track, it might just be one of the greatest cover songs of all time. Completely transforming the iconic rock sounds of the original, the Ohio outfit immersed The Rolling Stones into their strange, synth-led world of devolution. Awash with an angular, almost industrial quality, Devo are certainly not bound by the apparently sacred nature of the original recording.
Before a wave of gatekeeping, safety-pin-riddled punks arrive to question the credibility of Devo as being a punk band, the band always maintained their roots in the art rock and punk movement of the 1970s. Although they rarely subscribed to the three-chord, fuzz-pedal, heroin-addicted sound of punk’s first wave, the band’s staunch DIY ethos and revolutionary take on music creation makes them more punk in spirit than most other groups of that era.
Given that Jagger and Richards first penned the song as an ode to adolescent alienation, Devo was the perfect group to cover the track, with the Mark Mothersbaugh-fronted group often positioning themselves towards the outcasts and music nerds of society. Their cover of ‘Satisfaction’ is a great example of Devo’s diverse appeal. To this day, they sound unlike any other group, and the cover spelt that fact out for listeners. It is no shock that Mick Jagger himself gave the cover his seal of approval back in 1977.
