What was the last Rolling Stones single to get to number one?
As one of the most successful rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones secured their fair share of number one hits. From the moment they released their debut single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s ‘Come On’, the Stones quickly became familiar with the UK charts. Their first track peaked at 21, a promising start, and it would only take the band a year and six more singles before they secured their first number one hit.
By the summer of 1964, the Stones were still focusing their efforts on covers of the rock and rollers who had come before them. They took on Bobby Womack’s ‘It’s All Over Now’ and released it as a single in late June. The Rolling Stones rendition quickly climbed the charts in their home country, finding its way to the top. Though it remained there for just one week, it did stay in the charts for several months. It also kickstarted a series of number ones for the Stones.
In November of the same year, they achieved their second chart-topping single with a cover of ‘Little Red Rooster’ by Willie Dixon. Then, in early 1965, they achieved their first UK number one with a self-penned song. ‘The Last Time’ was released in late February and topped the charts in early March, spending three weeks in the top spot. It was the first of three number one singles that year for the Stones, followed by the iconic ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Get Off My Cloud’.
1966 would produce just one chart-topping single for the Stones: their signature track, ‘Paint It Black’. With an iconic sitar part and lyrics that charted grief and darkness, the song stormed the charts and became one of the band’s most successful offerings. In fact, the legacy of the song extends beyond the Stones. It’s one of the most well-known and well-loved songs of all time.
By 1966, the band had six number ones to their name, but they weren’t done yet. The summer of 1968 saw them collect a seventh with the blistering ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, another track that would become integral to their catalogue. It also marked their penultimate time topping the charts.
So, what was the last Rolling Stones single to top the charts?
Just over a year after the success of ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, the Rolling Stones returned to the top spot of the UK charts one last time with ‘Honky Tonk Women’. Released on July 4th, 1969, the song paired a gentle cowbell beat with the band’s hard rock sound. The lyrics sang of the honky tonk women, often recognised as girls in cowboy bars, and the “honky tonk blues” they induced.
“I met a gin soaked barroom queen in Memphis,” frontman Mick Jagger sang in the opening lyrics, “She tried to take me upstairs for a ride.” The playful percussion and rocking twangs punctuate his words as he delves into the honky tonk chorus. “It’s the honky tonk women,” he sings, “Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues.”
The song took audiences by storm and quickly climbed the charts. It immediately took the number one spot and proved to have some staying power. ‘Honky Tonk Women’ remained in the top spot for just over a month, with five weeks at number one and 17 in the charts. It would be the last Rolling Stones single to claim that position.
That’s not to say that the Stones didn’t release some equally iconic singles in the years that followed. There was ‘Brown Sugar’, which was released just a couple of years later but only managed to climb to the number two spot. There was ‘Miss You’ in the late 1970s, which earned a respectable spot at number three. But nothing would top the charts again after ‘Honky Tonk Woman’.
