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In this thread I rank my favorite Rolling Stones songs: 204-1: Four Musketeers Get Their Ya-Yas Out (1 Viewer)

158. You Gotta Move

Year: 1971

US Album: Sticky Fingers

Songwriter: Traditional (attributed to Fred McDowell)

“You may run, can't be caught
You may hide, can't be found
Brother when God gets ready, you got to move”

Our first foray into Sticky Fingers, a record many consider to be their best. This traditional spiritual blues song gives Mick another chance to sing in a southern dialect, this one more of a black southerner. Keith plays on the acoustic guitar and adds some great backing vocals while the other Mick plays a magnificent slide guitar.

 
157. Talkin' About You

Year: 1965

US Album: December’s Children (And Everybody’s)

Songwriter: Chuck Berry

Another Chuck Berry cover, there’s nothing groundbreaking here but in many ways it shows the Stones at their best. Charlie and Bill proving that steady rhythm with some biting solos from Brian and Mick playing it cool out front. The Wyman bass-line is particularly impressive on this one.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
158. You Gotta Move
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Dr. Octopus said:
157. Talkin' About You
Click to expand...
OK, it just got real.

You are hereby officially forbidden, by the Great Tongue in the Sky, to post any turkeys the rest of the way because, while i may concede that these songs deserve their placement in this range, these are both songs that made it into my gen's vernacular and therefore may only be pushed back by excellence and/or relevance in extremis. You have been warned.

Every junkie, speedballer and cripplingly hungover Boomer has sung the former to himself as getTFU inspiration and the latter was the flat-out COOLest way to respond to girls in school who gave you the rank, the pinchy face, the hairy eyeball.

 
zamboni said:
Really like this version, but as blasphemous as it sounds, I think Foghat's version is superior.
Click to expand...
It's very different - almost a totally different song. I prefer the Stones version but I don't see preferring Foghat's as blasphemous - they do a great version. 

 
156. Luxury

Year: 1974

US Album: It’s Only Rock and Roll

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“I want a real fine car, fly Miami too
All the rum, I want to drink it, all the whiskey too
My woman need a new dress, my daughter got to go to school
I'm working so hard, I'm working for the company
I'm working so hard to keep you in the luxury”

This ska-reggae original once again shows the band’s versatility. The tongue in cheek lyrics add to the island sound. The band plays it simple but

Maybe Bernie or OAC can use this as their campaign song somewhere down the line:

“Working on a Sunday in refinery
Make a million for the Texans, twenty dollar me”

oh and I get a feeling I may need to do this :scared:  after @wikkidpissah last post.

 
155. Blue Turns to Grey

Year: 1965

US Album: December’s Children (And Everybody’s)

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards (originally credited to Richards/Oldham)

“So now that she is gone
You won't be sad for long
For maybe just an hour or just a moment
Of the day”

This song was recorded by three different artists, **** and Dee Dee, The Mighty Avengers, and Tracey Day, before the Stones released it on their December’s Children album. However it was the Cliff Richard and the Shadows version in 1966 that became the biggest hit. Cliff Richard was so popular in England for a time that Keith Richards started going by “Keith Richard” for a brief time.

This is another song that only features the five members playing and was a different direction for the band at the time. It’s more soul/pop or even folk-rock than the blues or rock and roll that dominated their early catalogue.

 
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wikkidpissah said:
my first 'way too high'.
Click to expand...
Tell me more... 🍄

wikkidpissah said:
good excuse to spotlight Oldham - whose cat-wrangling thru the Stones' 1st decade may have have been as valuable to music as George Martin's studio craft - but there are some really good songs behind this
Click to expand...
...oh...nm...was expectin somethin else...  :kicksrock:

otb_lifer said:
GHS and IORn'R their "glam" period, so to speak? 
Click to expand...
Eyeshadow ... glam?  🤔

Dr. Octopus said:
158. You Gotta Move

Year: 1971

US Album: Sticky Fingers

Songwriter: Traditional (attributed to Fred McDowell)

“You may run, can't be caught
You may hide, can't be found
Brother when God gets ready, you got to move”

Our first foray into Sticky Fingers, a record many consider to be their best. This traditional spiritual blues song gives Mick another chance to sing in a southern dialect, this one more of a black southerner. Keith plays on the acoustic guitar and adds some great backing vocals while the other Mick plays a magnificent slide guitar.
Click to expand...
I really love this song. 

You may be high
You may be low
You may be rich, child
You may be poor
But when the Lord get ready
You gotta move

 
154. What to Do

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath (UK Version, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) in US)

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“There's a place where you get bored
That's what you make your money for
Drink and dance 'til four o'clock”

A lazy summer type song, that works for me. Nothing earth shatteringly original here lyrically or stylistically but a simple pop song that was so “cool” it would be covered by the Meat Puppets in the 80s.

 
153. You Can't Catch Me

Year: 1965

US Album: Rolling Stones, Now!

Songwriter: Chuck Berry

“Here comes old flat-top, he comes groovin’ up with me”

Another Chuck Berry cover from the early Stones, which means Keef is having a good time with it.

This is a tad bit slower version of Chuck’s shout out to the New Jersey Turnpike. The Beatles were famously sued by Berry for copyright infringement as their “Come Together” borrowed the melody and a brief lyrical snippet from this song. The suit was settled out of court.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
154. What to Do

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath (UK Version, More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) in US)

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“There's a place where you get bored
That's what you make your money for
Drink and dance 'til four o'clock”

A lazy summer type song, that works for me. Nothing earth shatteringly original here lyrically or stylistically but a simple pop song that was so “cool” it would be covered by the Meat Puppets in the 80s.
Click to expand...
Hide!

 
152. Let It Loose

Year: 1972

US Album: Exile on Main St.

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

@Man of Constant Sorrow may like this one:
 

“Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, “Let It Loose” is an emotional gospel blues ballad with a fervent religious feeling, the song being one of the band’s prominent forays into soul and gospel during the Exile era after Jagger had attended the services of the Reverend James Cleveland and remained deeply impressed by the singing of the gospel choir.[1]

A portion of the lyrics were lifted from the song "Man of Constant Sorrow". In an interview with Uncut magazine in April 2010, Jagger was asked about this song’s lyrical content; he replied: “I think Keith wrote that, actually. That’s a very weird, difficult song. I had a whole other set of lyrics to it, but they got lost by the wayside. I don't think that song has any semblance of meaning. It’s one of those rambling songs. I didn’t really understand what it was about, after the event.” However, in the same article Richards says “I would never take Mick’s recollection of anything seriously.”[2] “
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Believe it or not this song was featured in a Martin Scorcese  movie - a very rare occurrence for a Stones song.

 
151. Dancing With Mr. D

Year: 1973

US Album: Goats Head Soup

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Down in the graveyard where we have our tryst,
The air smells sweet, the air smells sick;
He never smiles, his mouth merely twists,
The breath in my lungs feels clinging and thick;
But I know his name, he's called Mr. D,
And one of these days, he's going to set you free”

Let’s get dark and funky. This gem opens with a Keith riff that permeates and builds the base of a song about dancing with the Devil (or maybe Death or maybe Keith).

This song features both Billy Preston (on clavinet) and Nicky Hopkins (on piano) and Mick Taylor playing both slide guitar and bass (despite Bill’s presence in the video). It’s funky New Orleans voodoo music – oooo scary.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
151. Dancing With Mr. D

Year: 1973

US Album: Goats Head Soup

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Down in the graveyard where we have our tryst,
The air smells sweet, the air smells sick;
He never smiles, his mouth merely twists,
The breath in my lungs feels clinging and thick;
But I know his name, he's called Mr. D,
And one of these days, he's going to set you free”

Let’s get dark and funky. This gem opens with a Keith riff that permeates and builds the base of a song about dancing with the Devil (or maybe Death or maybe Keith).

This song features both Billy Preston (on clavinet) and Nicky Hopkins (on piano) and Mick Taylor playing both slide guitar and bass (despite Bill’s presence in the video). It’s funky New Orleans voodoo music – oooo scary.
Click to expand...
remember them debuting this on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (or was it the Midnight Special?) ... anyways, Mick came creepin' out the fog, all glammed up - was a graveyard set straight outta "Plan 9 From Outer Space"  :lmao:

think they also did "Angie" later on - really gorgeous rendition  :thumbup: seem to remember roses on Mick and Keef's acoustics ..

but, yeah ... the "DWMr.D" opening was quite the sight back then. 

 
Dr. Octopus said:
152. Let It Loose

Year: 1972

US Album: Exile on Main St.

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

@Man of Constant Sorrow may like this one:
 

Believe it or not this song was featured in a Martin Scorcese  movie - a very rare occurrence for a Stones song.
Click to expand...
Wow - totally new info to me.

Dr. Octopus said:
A portion of the lyrics were lifted from the song "Man of Constant Sorrow".
Click to expand...
Maybe your best mates might think I'm stranger
Some face I'll never see no more, no more

Dr. Octopus said:
“I think Keith wrote that, actually. That’s a very weird, difficult song. I had a whole other set of lyrics to it, but they got lost by the wayside. I don't think that song has any semblance of meaning. It’s one of those rambling songs. I didn’t really understand what it was about, after the event.” 
Click to expand...
So - what is Mick say'n bout me here?  🤔

Great song - thanks for pointing out the lyrical connection.

Dr. Octopus said:
151. Dancing With Mr. D

Year: 1973

US Album: Goats Head Soup

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards
Click to expand...
@otb_lifer

Hiding in a corner in New York City
Looking down a forty-four in West Virginia Kentucky

 
150. Little By Little

Year: 1964

US Album: England’s Newest Hit Makers

Songwriter: Nanker Phelge/Phil Spector

“Well I try not to bear the buzz, a girl's gonna hitch a ride. Things ain't been the same since my mother died.”

You’ll see the name “Nanker Phelge” as a songwriter on a few of their earlier records. This was a pseudonym for songs that were credited to the entire group (including Ian Stewart). Phil Spector was also credited as a songwriter and plays some mean maracas on this one. Keith takes the lead guitar on this one and Mick plays harmonica with everyone else in their normal positions.

 
149. Money

Year: 1964

US Album: More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)

Songwriter: Janie Bradford/Berry Gordy

The Stones cover this Motown classic and do a great job. The Stones make it dirtier and heavier than all previous versions. The Beatles also covered this song (clearly inferior version) so we could do an apples to apples comparison to help settle the great debate. :cough: :cough: easy decision.

Bill crushes it on this song.

 
148. Mannish Boy

Year: 1980

US Album: Sucking in the Seventies

Songwriter: Muddy Waters/Mel London/Bo Diddley

“If you wanna dance with Billy on the piano, you can”

I’m not inclined to include live versions of songs on this list for a few reasons, but this is the only version of this song and is a well known part in their catalogue.

This is just raw blues right down to one of the most famous blues riffs known.

 
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Dr. Octopus said:
148. Mannish Boy

Year: 1980

US Album: Sucking in the Seventies

Songwriter: Muddy Waters/Mel London/Bo Diddley

“If you wanna dance with Billy on the piano, you can”

I’m not inclined to include live versions of songs on this list for a few reasons, but this is the only version of this song and is a well known part in their catalogue.

This is just raw blues right down to one of the most famous blues riffs known.
Click to expand...
i think Scorsese's best ever use of a Stones song was this one in "Goodfellas"  *snorts*

 
147. Slave

Year: 1981

US Album: Tattoo You

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Why don’t you go down to the Supermarket and get something to eat. Steal something off the shelf.”

This song doesn’t offer much lyrically outside of brief spoken word section by Mick and a chorus of “don’t wanna be your slave”, but is such a great groove and a showcase for legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Pete Townsend provides backing vocals on this song as well.

Billy Preston, Keith, Charlie and Bill really lay down a groove for Rollins to solo over. An underrated gem for sure.

 
145. We Had It All

Year: 2011

US Album: Some Girls (re-release with bonus tracks)

Songwriter: Troy Seals/Donnie Fritts

This song was recorded in the 70s but not released until the re-release of Some Girls in 2011 appearing as a bonus track. Written by Troy Seals and Donnie Fritts it was originally recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1973 and was covered by many artists including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan. This version is mostly just Keith and his acoustic guitar, Very raw. Very beautiful.

 
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144. Lady Jane

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Oh my sweet Marie, I wait at your eaves
The sands have run out for your lady and me”

This song showcases Brian Jones’ instrumental incorporation of baroque rock, an early innovation by Jones and the Stones. Jones’s plays the dulcimer which along with Jack Nitzsche on harpsichord are the main instruments in the track. There is no bass or drums on this song and hence no Bill or Charlie.

"Lady Jane" is said to exhibit influences of author Geoffry Chaucer, particularly in Jagger's vocal delivery and diction. Richards stated, "Lady Jane is very Elizabethan. There are a few places in England where people still speak that way, Chaucer English".

 
Dr. Octopus said:
144. Lady Jane

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Oh my sweet Marie, I wait at your eaves
The sands have run out for your lady and me”

This song showcases Brian Jones’ instrumental incorporation of baroque rock, an early innovation by Jones and the Stones. Jones’s plays the dulcimer which along with Jack Nitzsche on harpsichord are the main instruments in the track. There is no bass or drums on this song and hence no Bill or Charlie.

"Lady Jane" is said to exhibit influences of author Geoffry Chaucer, particularly in Jagger's vocal delivery and diction. Richards stated, "Lady Jane is very Elizabethan. There are a few places in England where people still speak that way, Chaucer English".
Click to expand...
Jonesy/baroque n' roll/harpsichord/Chaucerin English  :wub:

top 25 for me. 

 
Dr. Octopus said:
144. Lady Jane

Year: 1966

US Album: Aftermath

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Oh my sweet Marie, I wait at your eaves
The sands have run out for your lady and me”

This song showcases Brian Jones’ instrumental incorporation of baroque rock, an early innovation by Jones and the Stones. Jones’s plays the dulcimer which along with Jack Nitzsche on harpsichord are the main instruments in the track. There is no bass or drums on this song and hence no Bill or Charlie.

"Lady Jane" is said to exhibit influences of author Geoffry Chaucer, particularly in Jagger's vocal delivery and diction. Richards stated, "Lady Jane is very Elizabethan. There are a few places in England where people still speak that way, Chaucer English".
Click to expand...
Worth buying just for that awesome cover photo.

 
I think Keith's vocals work much better singing backup, but I kind of like the rawness/imperfections in his voice. I fully realize he's not a great singer though.

 
143. Dance Little Sister

Year: 1975

US Album: It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“On Thursday night she looked a fright
Her pricky hair all curled, oh what a sight
Dance, dance, little sister, dance”

Another rocker that’s typical of the Stones’ sound from this time period. Charlie and Bill shine on this one as it’s a very rhythm based song – with the other Mick and Keith injecting some Berry-esque leads.   

 
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142. Let Me Go

Year: 1980

US Album: Emotional Rescue

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Maybe I'll become a playboy hang around the gay bars and move to the west side of town."

On paper this song should probably much lower outside of some great drum work from Charlie the music is pretty “meh” including an uninspired solo from Keith – but subjectively I just always liked the laid back feel of this one and the brush off the narrator gives his girl telling her in so many ways to hit the road. Simple yet genius lyrics.

 
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Dr. Octopus said:
143. Dance Little Sister

Year: 1975

US Album: It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“On Thursday night she looked a fright
Her pricky hair all curled, oh what a sight
Dance, dance, little sister, dance”

Another rocker that’s typical of the Stones’ sound from this time period. Charlie and Bill shine on this one as it’s a very rhythm based song – with the other Mick and Keith injecting some Berry-esque leads.   
Click to expand...
very underrated foot stomper here - was a staple in the blow daze

 
141. You Got the Silver

Year: 1969

US Album: Let it Bleed

Songwriter: Jagger/Richards

“Hey babe, what's in your eyes? I saw them flashing like airplane lights You fill my cup, babe, that's for sure I must come back for a little more”

"You Got the Silver" was the last Stones recording with Brian Jones to be released. He plays autoharp, one of his two appearances on the album. It’s also the first song to feature Keith on lead solo vocal throughout the song – on his first two solo vocals (songs to appear later) he sung the choruses while Mick sung the verses on one and sang only the opening lines before Mick takes over on the other. Keith also plays a nice slide guitar on this gem.

 
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