What Are Your Top 10 Rolling Stones Songs? Here Are Mine.

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Mar 10, 2023

So my pal

is having some technical difficulties down at Casa de Kilgore this morning so I offered to step in again as a substitute in his delightful “Mike’s Music Morning” daily series.

Given that we’ve been chatting a bit about the Beatles lately thanks to the always delightful

Alec Joseph Ott

I thought it appropriate to present my preferred tracks from their darker counterpart, The Rolling Stones. Here, in order of preference are my 10 favorites, originally planned as 5 but then I just came across a few others I had to include:

10. 2000 Light Years from Home

What can I say? As one might suspect I am biased toward the psychedelic tracks and this one is among the gems from “At Our Satanic Majesties Request,” the Stones’ most psychedelic album, their answer to “Sergeant Pepper.”

9. Gimme Shelter

Just about every list of greatest Stones tracks needs this one, however it’s just no longer one of my tops on account of it being rather over-played at this point. Martin Scorsese has used it in at least 3 of his movies now! But its greatness can’t be denied!

8. Rip This Joint

Particular affection for this track due to its inclusion at the start of “The Way of the Gun,” a generally mediocre Tarantino-rip-off-type movie but that has a great opening scene, particularly since the ultra-annoying Sarah Silverman finally gets what’s coming to her. WARNING: ultra-intense levels of profanity here:

7. Start Me Up

I’m generally not as much of a fan of later Stones but this is a fun one.

6. Mother’s Little Helper

My particular affection for this track comes in its immortalizing of the hypocrisy of so many parents being horrified by their children’s drug use when they’re of course no better themselves.

5. Paint It, Black

Another core Stones classic that’s practically required on any best-of list.

4. She’s a Rainbow

This is another from their most psychedelic period and it’s just gorgeous, a delightful song to take in when you’re in love with your own Rainbow of a woman.

3. Street Fighting Man

Street-Fighting Man is of course the Stones’ most “political anthem” and perhaps their most badass song of all time.

2. Sympathy for the Devil

Yep, by far my favorite traditional Stones song - one that I’ve listened to more than any other.

1. God Gave Me Everything

So I of course know full well this isn’t technically a Rolling Stones song - it’s off of one of Jagger’s solo albums - but this is my list and I really don’t give a shit. It’s one of my absolute favorite songs period and given that it’s Jagger singing it might as well be a Stones track. Give it a listen!

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