Spawning out of the British capital in the early 1960s, The Rolling Stones wholly embraced and embodied the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle. Led by a formidable full-time frontman and part-time sex symbol Mick Jagger, the London-born band would carve out a legacy for themselves as one of the most important groups in the entire history of music.
The central songwriting partnership between Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards is now one of the most lucrative of all time. But long before they penned future all-time greats like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Sympathy for the Devil’, the Stones relied on the work of others to get their start. Borrowing from their rock and roll predecessors, the band began playing covers rather than originals.
The Stones’ debut album, which was released in 1964, featured their own renditions of rock and R&B classics by the likes of Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and Bo Diddley. They would continue to incorporate covers onto their studio records for two years until the release of Aftermath in 1966, which saw them finally committing entirely to original material.
Although they may have gradually moved away from covers in those early years, they would still remain an essential part of the Stones’ success. From ‘Susie Q’ to ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, the band put out some iconic takes on existing tracks. The art of the cover would also remain an essential part of their live show, though there are some songs they have revisited more often than others.
Perhaps expectedly, a Chuck Berry track makes an appearance on the Stones’ most covered songs live. As the progenitor of rock and roll, the Stones were completely indebted to Berry, who they have often paid tribute to with their take on his 1958 track, ‘Little Queenie’. With twinkling keys and swinging strums, the track clearly endeared itself to the Stones, who have played it on-stage 162 times.
While this is a huge number of plays to have afforded the Berry track, it’s not quite enough to win ‘Little Queenie’ a silver medal. The second place position actually goes to a track by folk-rock legend Bob Dylan, who has a mutual respect for the rockers from across the Atlantic. Fittingly, the Stones have played his track, ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, 176 times live. They even played it a few days ago in Las Vegas.
Although the track is one of the Stones’ most long-standing covers, perhaps due to its connection to their own name, it can’t quite beat the consistency of their love for ‘Not Fade Away’ by Buddy Holly’s The Crickets. Released as a single in their early years, the track has decades worth of touring behind it, amassing almost 200 live outings. The Stones have played the tack 198 times.
Covers were an essential part of the Stones’ early success, a medium that allowed them to figure out their sound through their predecessors’ work, but they would maintain their importance even as the band ventured into more original territory. Decades after they first covered the Crickets and Berry, those songs still remain a staple in their live set. Perhaps as an ode to their origins, those songs still find their place amidst classic hits like ‘Start Me Up’ and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’.
