Every number one song by The Rolling Stones that were covers
Rock bands come and go like the changing of the tides, but certain groups seem immune from the ravages of time. Well over 60 years since they first got together, The Rolling Stones still stand out on the map, like a fantasy citadel of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. While their lasting presence in music results from myriad factors, the fact of the matter is that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have penned some of the most iconic rock and roll songs of all time. Such quality and raw rock energy cannot disappear overnight.
Although, in the modern age, the band are best-known for their unparalleled repertoire of rock and roll standards, including the likes of ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, and ‘Sympathy for the Devil’, this was not always the path envisioned by the band.
Back in 1962, when multi-instrumentalist and dedicated blues devotee Brian Jones first got the band together, the idea was simply to perform old-school blues tracks. Indeed, for the first few years of their existence, The Rolling Stones’ setlists were composed almost exclusively of blues standards and the odd rock and roll cover.
This all changed when Keith Richards and Mick Jagger started writing their own songs together, spurred on both by manager Andrew Loog Oldham and by the success of their friends and pseudo-rivals Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The blues covers were gradually phased out of the band’s setlists in favour of original compositions by the singer and guitarist.
It goes without saying that the Jagger-Richards songwriting partnership had its teething problems, and it would take a few years before the pair landed on groundbreaking hits like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’. Even still, the band never forgot their roots covering old-school blues songs and have continued to carry those influences throughout their time together.
Despite their reputation among the greatest rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones always tended to work better through the medium of albums rather than singles. As such, the group have only achieved eight number one songs during their time together, and of those eight, three were covers. Harking back to their origins as a blues cover band, these hit singles are perhaps not the band’s most memorable tracks, but they form an essential part of their history nonetheless.
In fact, the band’s very first number one single was a cover song, seeing The Rolling Stones take on ‘It’s All Over Now’, originally penned by Shirley and Bobby Womack. Reportedly, the Stones heard the song, released by The Valentinos in early 1964, while on tour in America and quickly set about recording their own version. Although Womack was initially unhappy with that prospect, the Stones’ version hit the top of the UK singles chart in June, leading to a pretty convincing royalty cheque for the soul singer.
Only a few months later, The Rolling Stones once again found themselves top of the pops, this time with a version of the blues standard ‘Little Red Rooster’. Credited to Willie Dixon, the song was first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in 1961, and the Stones were immediate fans.
Wolf was a major influence on the band, and ‘Little Red Rooster’ was a regular feature of the band’s live performances, so it made sense for the group to release a studio version of their take on the blues classic.
‘It’s All Over Now’ and ‘Little Red Rooster’ are The Rolling Stones’ only number one singles to be officially recognised as cover songs, but their 1965 hit ‘The Last Time’ should certainly be considered, too. Although the track is credited to the songwriting partnership of Jagger-Richards, its melody and lyrics are identical to ‘This May Be The Last Time’, a 1954 recording by The Staple Singers rooted in a traditional gospel song. ‘The Last Time’ is, in that sense, a cover song, and it reached number one in February 1965.
Cover songs are often looked down upon by rock purists, but The Rolling Stones’ hit cover songs each added new layers to the original recordings, exemplifying their broad range of influences in addition to their bold new blues rock sound. The songs mentioned in this article might not have the lasting power of something like ‘Paint It Black’, but they nevertheless form inarguable highlights within the Stones’ discography, spurring them on to create more original material.
