Paul McCartney reveals his favourite songs by The Rolling Stones
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were two of the biggest bands to emerge from the 1960s, forming part of the British Invasion that dominated the music industry. Whereas the Fab Four often donned matching suits and haircuts, The Stones were marketed as the bad boys of rock and roll, framed by headlines such as “Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?”
The two bands were always pitted as rivals, although in Mick Jagger’s speech at the 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he explained: “We went through some pretty strange times. We had a sort of a lot of rivalry in those early years and a little bit of friction, but we always ended up friends.”
The Beatles gave The Rolling Stones a headstart in 1963, with the latter’s second single, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The track, which appeared on With the Beatles, was a hit for the Stones, peaking at number 12 in the UK Singles Chart. Within two years, Jagger and his crew had amassed legions of fans and worldwide fame, scoring a number one with their second record, The Rolling Stones No. 2, in January 1965.
Despite their status as rival bands, the members have never exactly hated each other. McCartney admires the Stones’ work, telling Esquire his favourite tracks he’d want to see most if watching them perform. The first is their iconic hit ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, released in 1965. The track gave the band their first number-one hit in the United States, propelling them to unknown heights.
According to Jagger, “It was the song that really made the Rolling Stones, changed us from just another band into a huge, monster band … It has a very catchy title. It has a very catchy guitar riff. It has a great guitar sound, which was original at that time. And it captures a spirit of the times, which is very important in those kinds of songs … Which was alienation.”
McCartney also enjoys ‘Honky Tonk Women’, which was first released in 1969. The track, with its sexually suggestive lyrics, was another number one hit for the Stones in several countries, including the United States and their home turf. Inspired by Hank Williams’ ‘Honky Tonk Blues’, the band initially fleshed out the song in a country style before turning it into a more commercially viable rock hit. Keith Richards explained in a promotional interview, “Mick and I were sitting on the porch of this ranch house, and I started to play, basically fooling around with an old Hank Williams idea. ‘Cause we really thought we were like real cowboys.” The Stones put their country version of the track, ‘Country Honk’, on Let It Bleed.
Finally, another of McCartney’s favourite songs by the Rolling Stones is ‘Ruby Tuesday’, yet another American number one for the band. Although the song was meant to be a B-side for ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’, the sexual nature of the A-side meant that ‘Ruby Tuesday’ often got played by radio stations instead, allowing it to become an unexpected success. The song features Brain Jones on the recorder, one of his many musical talents. Richards told Rolling Stone, “He was a gas. He was a cat who could play any instrument. It was like, ‘there it is, music comes out of it. If I work at it for a bit, I can do it.'”
Paul McCartney’s favourite Rolling Stones songs:
- ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’
- ‘Honky Tonk Women’
- ‘Ruby Tuesday’
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.