Top 10 Rolling Stones Songs Of All Time

We’ve covered the Rolling Stones on this rock and roll site more than almost any other band in classic rock history. We’ve never attempted a straight Top 10 Rolling Stones list, mostly because it’s nearly impossible to do. Instead, we’ve explored the band decade by decade — Top 10 Rolling Stones Songs of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s — you get the idea.

Still, we figured, why not? Let’s go for it: a Top 10 Rolling Stones Songs of All Time list and see what happens. We’re probably going to catch some grief for this one — there are just too many classics we had to leave off. But hey, it’s only ten songs.

If we were stuck in a subway station during a blackout, and we could only listen to ten Rolling Stones tracks to get us through whatever came next (and yes, I’ve actually lived through that), then these are the ten we’d choose to ride it out with.

# 10 – Moonlight Mile – Sticky Fingers

Opening the list at number 10 is a track that quietly haunts the Stones’ catalog: “Moonlight Mile.” It may not be one of their commercial hits or a staple of classic rock radio, but among longtime fans and collectors, it holds a near-reverent place. It’s the kind of song that sneaks up on you — understated, introspective, and emotionally rich. Unlike the Stones’ more raucous, riff-driven anthems, “Moonlight Mile” is delicate and cinematic, full of longing and late-night solitude.

Originally released as the final track on Sticky Fingers in 1971, the song closes out what many consider to be the band’s greatest album. It’s a reflective ending to a record filled with swagger and grit, offering a glimpse of vulnerability that’s rarely heard with such clarity in their body of work. The arrangement is lush and textured — with Mick Jagger delivering one of his most nuanced vocal performances, Charlie Watts providing his signature restraint on drums, and Jim Price contributing the elegant piano line that gives the track its quiet gravitas.

Though “Moonlight Mile” was never released as a single and remains relatively obscure to the casual listener, it’s long been a favorite among die-hard Stones fans. That reverence comes not from repetition or ubiquity, but from connection — the kind of deep cut that feels like it was written for those late hours when you’re traveling alone, either across highways or within your own thoughts. That’s what makes it the perfect opener for this list: it’s not the most obvious choice, but it might be the most quietly powerful one.

# 9 – Beast Of Burden – Some Girls

Released in 1978 as the second single off Some Girls, “Beast of Burden” climbed to number eight on the U.S. charts and never really left the public consciousness. Keith Richards has since said that the song came out of gratitude — a quiet thank-you to Jagger for carrying the band during Richards’ years of chaos and addiction. He didn’t say it directly at the time, but the sentiment is woven through the chords. There’s no big chorus, no arena-sized hook — just a rolling groove, Jagger’s relaxed delivery, and two guitars weaving in and out of each other like smoke.

Recorded in late 1977, “Beast of Burden” stands out for its economy and restraint. There are no outside players here — just the Stones, locked in. Charlie Watts finds the pocket early and never lets it go. Bill Wyman keeps the bassline steady, allowing Richards and Wood the space to dance around each other. Wood plays the guitar solo, but you’d be forgiven for not noticing where one ends and the other begins. It’s that seamless.

# 8 – Honky Tonk Woman

“Honky Tonk Women” was released as a standalone single in July 1969, just one day after Brian Jones died. It immediately went to number one in both the UK and the US, and became one of the band’s most successful singles of the era. The version that most fans know — with its famous cowbell intro and bluesy swagger — was not included on a studio album at the time. Instead, a countrified version titled “Country Honk” appeared later that year on Let It Bleed.

The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while the two were staying at a ranch in São Paulo, Brazil. Inspired by their surroundings, the original version was conceived as a laid-back country tune. It was Keith who later credited Mick Taylor with shifting the track toward something heavier and more electric during the band’s spring 1969 sessions. Taylor, however, recalled joining the song after it was mostly finished, adding his guitar fills during overdubs.

Brian Jones was present for the early acoustic takes of “Country Honk” in March 1969. These would be his last sessions with the band. The song would be transformed in the weeks that followed into “Honky Tonk Women,” driven by Keith’s riff, Jimmy Miller’s cowbell, and a loose, slinky groove. Richards handled both rhythm and lead guitar, with Taylor adding fills. Bill Wyman played bass, Charlie Watts was on drums, and Nicky Hopkins contributed piano. The lyrics were altered slightly between the two versions — Memphis in the single, Jackson in the album cut.

The single version became an instant hit, staying at number one in the UK for five weeks and topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the US for four. Critics at the time praised the song’s raw edge and groove. Rolling Stone magazine called it “the strongest three minutes of rock and roll yet released in 1969,” and Record World highlighted it as “the Rolling Stones at their funky best.” It remains the last Stones single to reach number one in the UK.

The track has appeared on nearly every major compilation the band has released since 1969, including Through the Past, Darkly, Hot Rocks, Forty Licks, and GRRR!. It’s also a fixture of their live shows, appearing on albums like Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!, Love You Live, Live Licks, and Havana Moon. In some of the live performances, a different second verse — sometimes referred to as the “Paris verse” — has been added.

# 7 – Wild Horses

“Wild Horses” was first recorded by the Rolling Stones in December 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama but wasn’t released until over a year later due to legal delays involving their former label. It finally appeared on Sticky Fingers in 1971 and was released as a single in the U.S. on June 12 of that year, with “Sway” as the B-side. The single peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song originated during a songwriting session between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Richards came up with the riff and the chorus, and Jagger later completed the verses. Jagger has said that although people often assume the song was written about Marianne Faithfull, that period had already passed. He described it instead as a song he felt “very inside emotionally.” Richards called it another track about the strain of being on the road and missing home.

The Flying Burrito Brothers, featuring Gram Parsons, released their version of the song in 1970 — nearly a full year before the Rolling Stones version came out. Parsons had received a demo of the track directly from Richards. Handwritten lyrics for the song also appear in Parsons’ personal journals, confirming his early involvement.

The final Stones recording features Jagger on vocals, Richards on twelve-string acoustic and electric guitar, and Mick Taylor playing Nashville-tuned acoustic guitar. Jim Dickinson played tack piano, while Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts handled bass and drums. Ian Stewart declined to play piano on the track, reportedly due to his dislike of minor chords. The band tracked the song during the filming of the Gimme Shelter documentary.

“Wild Horses” has become one of the most covered songs in the Stones’ catalog. Artists who have recorded their own versions include Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, Susan Boyle, The Sundays, and Guns N’ Roses. Susan Boyle’s 2009 version charted in the U.S., UK, and several other countries, while The Sundays’ version gained visibility through placements in films like Fear and episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

# 6 – Jumping Jack Flash 

If you want to talk about seismic shifts in the Rolling Stones’ career, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is where the ground starts shaking. Released as a standalone single in 1968, this wasn’t just another hit — it was a full-force return to the band’s blues roots after a detour into psychedelia on Their Satanic Majesties Request. The track wasn’t part of a studio album at the time, but it didn’t need to be. It hit like lightning on its own, with a slashing riff, defiant lyrics, and a swagger that reminded the world exactly who the Stones were.

The band called it “supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London,” and they weren’t wrong. From the opening line — “I was born in a crossfire hurricane” — Mick Jagger and Keith Richards unleashed a song that sounded like it had clawed its way out of the dirt and into rock immortality. Richards constructed the track’s tight, iconic riff using a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar run through a Philips cassette recorder, layered with a high-strung Nashville-tuned acoustic. The result was a sound that felt raw and dangerous, yet razor-sharp and timeless.

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was written at Richards’ country estate, inspired in part by the thunderous footsteps of his gardener, Jack Dyer. That moment sparked the idea for the title, and what followed became one of the band’s most enduring creations. Jagger has described the lyrics as a metaphor for surviving the chaos of the late 1960s — getting out of the haze, finding clarity again. Brian Jones, still a presence at the time, called it a return to the “funky, essential essence” of the Stones.

Upon release, the song exploded. It hit number one in the UK, topped the Cashbox chart in the U.S., and became a staple of the band’s live shows — to this day, it remains the most performed song in their concert history, played well over 1,100 times. It’s shown up on nearly every major Stones compilation since its debut, including Hot Rocks, Forty Licks, and GRRR!. And it’s been captured live on albums like Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!, Flashpoint, Shine a Light, and Havana Moon.

What makes “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” so vital, though, is how it seems to distill everything the Rolling Stones stand for: grit, defiance, rhythm, rebellion. It’s a middle finger wrapped in poetry. It also carries some deep historical DNA — Richards has said the line about the “crossfire hurricane” referred to the air raids during World War II, when he was born in Dartford, England. So even in the bombast, there’s a trace of biography.

# 5 – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

No Rolling Stones list is complete without “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”  Released in the U.S. in June 1965, it became their first number one single in America, catapulting them from rising stars to international sensations.

Keith Richards reportedly came up with the song’s signature riff in his sleep, recording it on a bedside cassette player before drifting back off and letting the tape roll. That fuzz-drenched riff — run through a Maestro FZ-1 fuzzbox — would become one of the most iconic in rock history. Richards initially imagined it as a placeholder for a horn section, but the rest of the band — along with producer Andrew Loog Oldham — insisted it was perfect as-is.

The song’s success was immediate and overwhelming. In the U.S., it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, sold over a million copies, and earned the band their first gold record. It eventually hit number one in the UK as well, becoming their fourth chart-topper there.

“Satisfaction” is more than a hit — it’s a cultural landmark. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2006, making it the only Rolling Stones song in that collection.  Live, the song has become one of the band’s most enduring setlist staples, performed on nearly every tour since its release. Concert albums from Got Live If You Want It! to Hyde Park Live feature different versions of it, and even Stevie Wonder joined in on a hybrid performance of “Satisfaction” and “Uptight” during the Stones’ 1972 tour.

# 4 – Sympathy for the Devil

No song in the Rolling Stones catalog sparked more intrigue, controversy, and fascination than “Sympathy for the Devil.” Positioned as the opening track on Beggars Banquet in 1968, it set the tone not just for the album, but for a new chapter in the band’s evolution. This wasn’t the scrappy rhythm-and-blues group from the early Decca years — this was something darker, bolder, and infinitely more layered. The band took a risk stepping into such provocative territory, and they nailed it.

Mick Jagger sings from the point of view of the Devil, recounting history’s bloodiest atrocities with a casual, taunting elegance. The Russian Revolution, the trial of Jesus, the assassinations of the Kennedys — it’s all there, delivered with a seductive grin and a rhythmic pulse. The line “I shouted out, ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’ / When after all, it was you and me” remains one of the most chilling, introspective lyrics in their entire body of work. Jagger later explained that the song was partially inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, which was handed to him by Marianne Faithfull. The references to Baudelaire and Dylan were layered in too, resulting in one of the most literate and philosophically rich rock songs of the era.

From a cultural standpoint, the song did exactly what its creators intended: it challenged, provoked, and redefined how rock could interact with mythology, politics, and public perception. Religious groups accused the band of satanism, the media fanned the flames, and the Stones didn’t exactly go out of their way to douse the fire. Whether it was myth or marketing, it worked. Keith Richards later reflected on how the reaction to “Sympathy for the Devil” shifted the way people saw them — from rebellious musicians to something more dangerous, even supernatural.

# 3 – Memory Motel – Black And Blue

Even though this is a Top 10 Rolling Stones list, you can’t make a list like this without acknowledging the personal weight behind the songs. For me, being from New York and knowing exactly where that real hotel is — the one they’re singing about — made this one hit a little harder. It wasn’t just a song; it was a reminder of places I knew, lives lived in passing, moments that felt both distant and familiar. That’s what makes “Memory Motel” special — not just what it says, but what it unlocks in you when you hear it.

“Memory Motel” closes out side one of Black and Blue, the 1976 album that marked a major turning point for The Rolling Stones. This record introduced Ron Wood as the band’s newest official member, and while the album experimented with various sounds — including touches of reggae — it ultimately stood as a showcase for the Stones’ versatility, soulfulness, and musical curiosity. One of the defining features of Black and Blue was the presence of keyboard legends Nicky Hopkins and Billy Preston

There’s a softness to “Memory Motel” that sets it apart in the band’s catalog. It doesn’t chase a hook or swagger through a riff; instead, it takes its time, telling a story wrapped in late-night reflections and quiet regrets. The sincerity in Jagger’s vocal delivery feels unguarded, and that emotional honesty is what has helped the song endure for decades.

# 2 – Gimme Shelter – Let It Bleed

“Gimme Shelter” was recorded by the Rolling Stones in 1969 and released as the opening track on their Let It Bleed album on December 5 of that year. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Jimmy Miller. Though never issued as a single, it has become one of the most critically acclaimed and frequently performed songs in the band’s catalog.

The recording sessions took place at Olympic Studios in London in February and March 1969, with additional vocal sessions done in Los Angeles that fall. The track features vocals from Jagger and guest vocalist Merry Clayton, whose performance became one of the defining moments of the song. Clayton, who was pregnant at the time, was brought in late at night by producer Jack Nitzsche. Her vocal cracked audibly during recording, which remained in the final mix and became part of the track’s intensity. Shortly after the session, she suffered a miscarriage, which has been attributed by some sources to the physical strain of the performance.

The core lineup on the recording includes Jagger on vocals and harmonica, Richards on lead and rhythm guitar, Charlie Watts on drums, Bill Wyman on bass, and Nicky Hopkins on piano. Jimmy Miller contributed percussion using güiro and maracas. Brian Jones did not appear on the track. Richards played the main riff on a Maton SE777, an Australian-made hollow-body guitar, which reportedly fell apart during the final take. His riff, composed during a rainstorm while staying at Robert Fraser’s London apartment, became the foundation of the song.

“Gimme Shelter” became a fixture in the Stones’ live setlists beginning with the 1969 U.S. tour. Guitarist Mick Taylor, who joined the band shortly after the studio sessions, often performed extended solos during live versions. The song has been featured on multiple live albums, including No Security (1998), Live Licks (2004), Brussels Affair (2011), and Hyde Park Live (2013). It has also appeared in several concert films, such as Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, Bridges to Babylon Tour ’97–98, Four Flicks, and Totally Stripped.

Since 1989, the female vocal parts in concert have been handled by Lisa Fischer, Sasha Allen, and, most recently, Chanel Haynes. The Stones have also performed the song live with guest artists including Mary J. Blige, Florence Welch, and Lady Gaga. A version featuring Gaga was included on GRRR Live! in 2023.

The original recording appeared on several major compilations, including Hot Rocks 1964–1971, Forty Licks, GRRR!, and a 1971 U.S. compilation also titled Gimme Shelter. T“Gimme Shelter” has appeared in numerous films and documentaries, including Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed, all directed by Martin Scorsese. The 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter, which chronicled the Rolling Stones’ 1969 U.S. tour and the Altamont Free Concert, took its title directly from the song.

The track has been covered by a wide range of artists. Merry Clayton recorded her own version in 1970. Grand Funk Railroad included a cover on their Survival album in 1971. Other interpretations came from The Sisters of Mercy, U2 with Fergie and will.i.am, and Paolo Nutini. In 1993, several British artists recorded versions of the song for a benefit compilation for Shelter, a homelessness charit

# 1 – Can’t You Hear Me Knocking – Sticky Fingers

This is the closing song on our list of the all-time greatest Rolling Stones songs. It may not be the most popular or the biggest hit, but there’s something truly special about this one. It captures the entire band playing their hearts out with such intensity—that’s what made so many of us fall in love with the Rolling Stones in the first place.  First released on the 1971 album Sticky Fingers, the track was recorded in December 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. It runs for just over seven minutes and is divided into two distinct sections: a structured rock song followed by an improvised instrumental jam.

Keith Richards opens the song with a riff in open-G tuning. The first 2:43 of the track features Mick Jagger’s lead vocals, Charlie Watts on drums, Bill Wyman on bass, Richards on electric guitar and backing vocals, and Mick Taylor on rhythm guitar. The second half emerged spontaneously in the studio when the band continued playing after they believed the take had ended. Producer Jimmy Miller allowed the tape to keep rolling, capturing a full-length jam session that was kept intact on the final release.

Additional musicians on the track include Bobby Keys on tenor saxophone, Rocky Dijon on congas, Billy Preston on organ, and Jimmy Miller contributing additional percussion. Keys’ sax solo and Taylor’s extended lead guitar performance during the second half became defining elements of the recording. Taylor later stated that the jam was unplanned and done in one take.

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