The 50 Best Rolling Stones Songs by Duffy part. 3

21. Play with Fire
Penned by the entire group and credited to their collective “Nanker Phelge” pseudonym, “Play with Fire” actually only features two Stones—Jagger on vocals and tambourine and Richards on acoustic guitar. The sparse instrumentation gives the lyrics room to breathe as Jagger eerily warns a spoiled brat of a lover not to cross him.


22. Midnight Rambler
“Midnight Rambler” was one of many examples of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ collaborative partnership as co-songwriters. The former took on vocals and the song’s signature harmonica riffs, while the latter played all the guitars on the recording. Together, along with the help of Wyman, Jones and Watts, they assembled this six-and-a-half minute rollicking Lumber



23. She Said Yeah
It’s kind of hard to understand how “Let’s Spend the Night Together” was deemed too naughty for TV when the Stones performed this equally suggestive Larry Williams cover on the air two years earlier in 1965. The band speeds up the pace (the song clocks in under two minutes) and swaps out the original’s saxophone parts for some much more rock ’n’ roll-sounding distorted guitars while Mick coos, “She said yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, c’mon daddy, I wanna make love to you too”—and the result sounds positively sinister.



24. 19th Nervous Breakdown
Part of what makes “19th Nervous Breakdown,” an ode to a spoiled ex-girlfriend with a delicate temperament, so genius is the fact that it sounds exactly like what it’s describing. The quick tempo threatens to fly off the rails at any moment, and the guitar fill after “look around” conjures up visuals of anxious young ladies craning their necks to peer over their shoulders. Finally, it all comes unhinged at the end with Bill Wyman’s classic dive-bombing bass line




25. Miss You
In competing with punk’s rise during the late ‘70s, The Rolling Stones had been put on notice. They returned with Some Girls—a New York-centric album featuring Ronnie Wood’s Stones debut. Between disco-inspired elements and Jagger’s nonchalant song-speak, this album revitalized the band’s career—with “Miss You” at the center of the sea change




26. Paint It, Black
The Rolling Stones originally tried a funky, funnier take. After reworking the track into a more somber version, Jagger added lyrics about a girl’s funeral—adding to its darker musical themes. But “Paint It, Black”— one of their most popular and covered songs—remains brilliant for its experimentation, including Brian Jones’ most prominent use of the sitar, Bill Wyman’s bass overdubs and Keith Richard’s guitar work.



27. Angie
It’s hard to decide what’s more heartbreaking: Mick Jagger’s somber lament or Nicky Hopkins’ evocative accompaniment on piano. The two go hand-in-hand throughout “Angie”—the band’s standout on their 1973 record Goat’s Head Soup. Angie’s identity remains unclear—guesses have ranged from David Bowie’s first wife, Angela, all the way to a drug euphemism. But the song remains one the band’s best songs post-1972.




28. Sweet Virginia
“Dead Flowers” gets more recognition as the Stones’ finest country song, but this Exile track is another stellar example of the honky-tonk-inspired magic they’re capable of. The titular Virginia is presumably a woman, but close your eyes when you listen to this one and you’ll swear that Mick and company hail from the Southern state of the same name




29. Factory Girl
“Factory Girl” shows off the British rockers’ folksier side, ditching the electric guitar and bass for acoustic guitar, conga drums, fiddle, mandolin samplers and tabla. Like on their country efforts (see “Dead Flowers”), The Rolling Stones did an impressive job stepping outside their usual rockers to create this folk number. It’s simple, stripped-down and gets the job done.




30. Love in Vain
Fabled bluesman Robert Johnson’s influence on The Rolling Stones is immense, and on this Let It Bleed track, they take his 1937 original and add some country flair. Ry Cooder’s mandolin is the driving force behind this gem