The 10 Best Rolling Stones Songs of All Time

The Rolling Stones are easily the most enduring band of all time. The band was formed in 1962 and is still going strong to this day with founding members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and late-joiner Ronnie Wood. The band’s major successes were in the 60s and 70s, with hits such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Paint It Black”, earning the group the nickname “The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World”. For this article, I’ve hand-picked The Rolling Stones’ 10 ‘best’ songs, based on cultural importance, legacy, and obviously, personal preference!

10. Ruby Tuesday

I start this list with “Ruby Tuesday”. Keith Richards wrote the beautiful song – with help from Brian Jones – about his break-up with Linda Keith. Mick Jagger had nothing to do with the song, but admitted it’s a ‘wonderful song’. “It’s just a nice melody, really. And a lovely lyric.” “Ruby Tuesday” was released as a B-side single in the US, but nevertheless topped the US Billboard Hot 100.

9. Start Me Up

“Start Me Up” is sometimes hailed as the last great Rolling Stones tune. The rock song was originally a dismissed reggae song titled “Never Stop”, which was recorded during the sessions of the band’s 1978 album Some Girls. It wasn’t until engineer Chris Kimsey started skimming through the band’s archive in 1981 that the track resurfaced. Amidst 50-some reggae versions of the song, he found a rock and roll version that would serve as the base track of “Start Me Up”. The song eventually became the lead single of the band’s 1981 album Tattoo You and was a big hit.

8. You Can’t Always Get What You Want

The Rolling Stones released “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” on their eighth studio album Let It Bleed. “It’s a good song, even if I say so myself,” Jagger said about the song. “It’s got a very sing-along chorus, and people can identify with it: No one gets what they always want. It’s got a very good melody. It’s got very good orchestral touches that Jack Nitzsche helped with. So it’s got all the ingredients.” Over the years, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” became a staple in the band’s repertoire.

7. Brown Sugar

It took Mick Jagger about 45 minutes to write the lyrics to “Brown Sugar”. “He wrote it down as fast as he could move his hand,” Richards wrote in his biography Life. The lyrics of the song are controversial and rumored to be inspired by Claudia Lennear and/or Marsha Hunt. In 2021, The Rolling Stones announced they would omit the song from their setlist due to its lyrical themes and they haven’t played the song ever since.

6. Angie

Since acoustic songs are a rarity in the band’s repertoire, the beautiful “Angie” counts as an atypical Stones record. The song is rumored to be about David Bowie’s first wife Angela Barnett, but Richards and Jagger have repeatedly denied that rumor. Keith Richards, who came up with the song’s title, said the song wasn’t about anyone in particular. “Angie” was released as the lead single of the band’s 1973 album Goats Head Soup and marked yet another number 1 hit for the Stones.

5. Paint It Black

We’ve reached the point where any song left on this list could fit as the ‘greatest Rolling Stones song’, starting with “Paint It Black”. The song features Brian Jones’ most famous contribution to the band, who plays the iconic sitar part on the track. The sitar adds to the dark atmosphere of “Paint It Black”, which discusses themes of grief and loss.

4. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” is without a doubt one of the most iconic and recognizable songs of all time. The fact that it only ranks number 4 on my list of greatest Rolling Stones songs only showcases the greatness of the band. Keith Richards wrote the iconic hook in his sleep. After waking up, he recorded the riff on a cassette player, before falling asleep again. “When I woke up in the morning, the tape had run out,” Richards said. “I put it back on, and there’s this, maybe, 30 seconds of ‘Satisfaction,’ in a very drowsy sort of rendition. And then it suddenly—the guitar goes ‘CLANG,’ and then there’s like 45 minutes of snoring.”

The song was released as a single in June 1965 and became the first number-one hit for the Stones in the US.

3. Wild Horses

Together with “Angie”, “Wild Horses” is the best The Rolling Stones have to offer on the softer side of their repertoire. And in my opinion, “Wild Horses” is the greatest. According to Keith Richards, “Wild Horses” is the perfect example of him and Jagger working together. “It was one of those magical moments when things come together,” Richards said. “It’s like Satisfaction. You just dream it, and suddenly it’s all in your hands.” The result is an incredibly moving song about the extreme powers of love.

Read more: The Story Behind “Wild Horses” by The Rolling Stones

2. Sympathy for the Devil

“Sympathy for the Devil” follows an incredible groove, accompanied by great lyrics, an extraordinary guitar solo, and about 124 woo-woos. The song was never released as a single, but nevertheless became one of the band’s most acclaimed songs. And is, in my opinion, their second-best song!

1. Gimme Shelter

In my opinion, “Gimme Shelter” is the ultimate Rolling Stones song. The tune, mostly written by Keith Richards, is evocative from start to end. “It was a very moody piece about the world closing in on you a bit”, Jagger said to NPR. “When it was recorded, early ’69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that’s reflected in this tune.”

The inspiration behind the song was a storm in London.”I was sitting in Mount Street and there was this incredible storm over London,” Richards wrote in his biography Life. “So I got into that mode … looking at all these people with their umbrellas being blown out of their grasp and running like hell. And the idea came to me… My thought was storms on other people’s minds, not mine. It just happened to hit the moment.”

So, that wrap’s up my list of the 10 greatest Rolling Stones songs. I certainly forgot to mention songs that could’ve easily ranked on this list. I’m thinking about “Miss You”, “Beast of Burden”, “Under My Thumb”, and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, among others. What are some of your Rolling Stones favorites? Let me know in the comments down below!