The Beatles song that made Mick Jagger “sick”
Without The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, the fabric of the music industry would look unimaginably different. The British musical exports transformed rock ‘n’ roll from an underground phenomenon to the preferred genre of the masses. As Mick Jagger would attest, they needed one another to exist.
Although the surviving members of the bands are close associates, they all still maintain their respective bands as the superior act. During an interview with Howard Stern in 2020, Paul McCartney eloquently explained the difference between the two groups but couldn’t resist concluding, “The Beatles were better”.
McCartney also highlighted how The Beatles went psychedelic for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band before The Stones went down a similar sonic route on Their Satanic Majesties Request. Nevertheless, he let his feelings on his peers known by remarking, “We were great friends, still are kind of. We admire each other. The Stones are a fantastic group. I go see them every time they’re out. They’re a great, great band.”
It was a mutually beneficial relationship fuelled by a competitive spirit to be the world’s best band. Each group knew they could not rest on their laurels because the other would be waiting to pounce at their opportunity to gain pole position. Furthermore, the rivalry, which primarily played out in the press, allowed the groups to gain attention on a broader scale and only enhanced the intrigue surrounding their work.
The influence of the two bands transcends music, placing them as pivotal pop culture figures who affected not only rock ‘n’ roll but society at large. Although they could enjoy a drink together in private and bond over their shared appreciation of Chuck Berry records, they could also get cold-blooded when necessary. Naturally, while Jagger couldn’t help himself from enjoying the latest release courtesy of the Fab Four, he occasionally wished he had written them himself and felt green with envy at their irresistible magnificence.
Jagger remembered one particular track that knocked him for six when he had the honour of inducting the Fab Four into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. By then, enough time had passed for him to make the admission, which provides an intriguing insight into how he viewed The Beatles and followed their every move with a competitive spirit.
In truth, the rivalry between The Beatles and The Stones wasn’t built out of intense personal hatred for one another. Instead, it was quite the opposite, and the need to be best in class made both artists up their game.
The fact that Jagger was elected to induct The Beatles into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame proves there was a foundation of love below the rivalry. He was the perfect choice to have the honour of installing the Fab Four into the exclusive club, as he had a front-row seat for their history-making tenure. Additionally, the very existence of The Rolling Stones’ fame can be partially credited to George Harrison. After Decca Records infamously missed the opportunity to sign his band, he warned them not to make the same mistake twice and implored them to give The Stones their first record deal in 1963.
The two bands also shared material when The Stones recorded ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, originally written by The Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The hit, which got The Stones to 12th place in the charts, showed a level of respect between the contemporaries.
Many bands owe their careers to The Beatles, but typically, this is in an indirect fashion, as they grew up listening to their records, which led to them forming a band. In the case of Jagger, the Fab Four handed him his first record deal and first hit song.
Before Jagger was made aware of The Beatles, he instantly thought his band were unlike anybody else, stating at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, “We were doin’ Chuck Berry songs and blues and things, and we thought that we were totally unique animals. And then we heard there was a group from Liverpool, and they had long hair, scruffy clothes.”
At this stage, he had yet to hear anything by The Beatles, but that all changed with ‘Love Me Do’. It was a song that made his world crumble, and suddenly, he was forced to cope with the possibility that there were other bands around better than The Stones. Jagger bravely admitted: “But they had a record contract. And they had a record on the charts, with a bluesy harmonica on it, called ‘Love Me Do.’ When I heard the combination of all these things, I was almost sick.”
‘Love Me Do’, released in 1962, was the first track by The Beatles to receive nationwide attention and make them the country’s new heartthrobs. While Beatlemania was still yet to get underway, the writing was on the wall, and Jagger could sense the pandemonium building in the air.
In contrast, The Stones had yet to secure a record deal, and despite being teenagers, the frontman felt fearful that their time would never come due to the emergence of The Beatles. Thankfully, as time proved, there was enough room for both acts to thrive and collectively redefine rock ‘n’ roll.
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