#30. Rocking in Morocco
When The Rolling Stones visited Morocco in 1968, former guitarist Brian Jones traded his guitar for tribal drums and reed pipes to try new sounds. The guitarist went into the Rif Mountains to visit the Master Musicians of Joujouka.
These so-called masters of music are a group of bards that have been playing for almost 1,200 years, generation after generation. Brian Jones produced the album The Pipes of Pan there, which was the first album to be released under the Rolling Stones Records.
#29. Margaret Trudeau
One of the many guests that the band had on tour was Margaret Trudeau. Does her last name sound familiar? That is because Margaret is the wife of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and the mother of the current Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
Margaret made headlines because it was not usual to see a First Lady hanging out with a rock band, let alone going on tour with them. But Margaret was not only a huge fan, but also a good friend of Ronnie Wood, who joined the band in 1976. She toured with the band in 1977.
#28. Honky Tonk Women
Although they enjoyed a good amount of success before, the release of the song Honky Tonk Women was a turning point for the group. This was the last song played by Brian Jones before leaving the band.
The song was intended to be a country ode in the minds of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. But the new incorporation to the band, guitarist Mick Taylor, said that the song should have groovy, thumping guitar licks, which is why the song sounds the way it does.
#27. Diaries
Before bassist Bill Wyman joined the band, he had served in the Air Force was married and had a baby. He also was known for keeping journals of all the important events of his life ever since he was a child, and he wrote several journals documenting his time with the band.
His journals are so important for him that he never forgave his mother when she threw away his childhood journals. Because of that, Bill became determined to document his whole life completely. He even included parts of his diary in his autobiography.
#26. Urban Jungle Tour
The Urban Jungle Tour brought the band to Czechoslovakia for the first time, right when its inhabitants were overthrowing the Communist regime that had governed and oppressed them throughout the past decades. The posters that advertised the concert in Prague read: "The Rolling Stones roll in, the Soviet army rolls out".
This concert was so important for the Czechoslovakians that the newly-elected president, Vaclav Havel, gave the band a personal tour of the Prague Castle. It was a very powerful show for both the band and the fans.
#25. Brazil
During the Brazilian leg of the A Bigger Bang tour, they decided to have a concert for free in Copacabana Beach, one of the most famous beaches in Rio de Janeiro.
The epic concert took place on February 18, 2006, and it coincided with the famous Rio Carnival. It is estimated that two million people were in attendance. Can you imagine how big that was?
#24. In Cold Blood
Famous novelist Truman Capote was tasked with reporting on the Rolling Stones. He covered the 1972 American tour, but it turns out that the band and the novelist did not get along at all.
One day, guitarist Keith Richards shattered a bottle of ketchup in Capote's hotel room door, as a subtle reference to the writer's novel In Cold Blood.
#23. Brown Sugar
The song Brown Sugar is supposedly inspired by actress Marsha Hunt, who is said to have had an affair with Mick Jagger while she appeared in the musical Hair. However, Mick has another story.
According to Mick, he wrote the song while he was starring in a historical film about an infamous bushranger by the name of Ned Kelly.
#22. Tequila Sunrise
Fans of the band know that the Rolling Stones have a special place in their heart for Tequila Sunrise. Mick Jagger famously drank it and brought it to popularity. In 1972, the band dubbed their tour the Tequila Sunrise Tour because of Mick's love for the drink.
The drink was first served to the band at the Trident Hotel in San Francisco, at a private party and they all loved it instantly.
#21. Logo
Before the release of the band's first album, Sticky Fingers Mick Jagger looked for an artist to design a logo for the band. Mick had always shown interest in the imagery of the Hindu goddess Kali, who is depicted by having her tongue out of her mouth.
John Pasche was hired to do the job. His inspiration was not a Hindu goddess, but the singer himself. The logo of the band is the mouth of Mick Jagger, and it is now one of the most recognizable logos in the world.
#20. Fireball
During a concert held in Sacramento, California, on December 3rd, 1965, Keith Richards' guitar touched the microphone stand and a fireball erupted, causing Keith to trip and fall over while being shocked by a power surge.
It was later confirmed that he was saved because his shoes had very thick soles that absorbed the current. The following night, he was playing again. Nothing can stop him!
#19. Cover Art
Beggars Banquet was released in 1968 and the cover caused a lot of problems for the band. The original album art featured a toilet and a wall covered in graffiti. The toilet was photographed in a mechanic shop in Hollywood Boulevard, and the band really loved the final product.
However, not everyone was happy with it. The album's release was delayed by the battle between the Rolling Stones and the record company regarding the cover. In the end, they chose a simple wedding invitation for the cover.
#18. Jumpin' Jack Flash
Jumpin' Jack Flash is one of The Rolling Stone's most famous songs, so much so that it was also covered by Aretha Franklin. Not only that: the song's title was also used for a film in which Whoopi Goldberg starred.
One day, when Mick Jagger was at Keith Richards' house in the countryside, they were awakened by the stomping boots of the gardener, Jack Dyer. Keith then informed Mick that the gardener was also known as Jumpin' Jack, and this inspired them to write the song.
#17. Sailors
The song It's Only Rock and Roll is remembered by its promotional video where the band members are wearing sailor uniforms. The song and video were recorded in Ronnie Wood's house before he joined the band.
The promotional video shows the band members splashing around in a room filled with laundry detergent. It is said that they chose such outfits not to ruin their other fabulous clothes. If they wanted to show that they could rock and roll in every outfit possible, the did it!
#16. Inspiration
For the residents of the city of Excelsior, Minnesota, their local celebrity is an ordinary man that goes by the name of Jimmy Hutmaker. This man claims that he was the inspiration behind the Rolling Stones' hit You Can't Always Get What You Want.
Story goes that in 1964, Mick Jagger went into Jimmy's drugstore one day after a concert and complained that the cherry Cola he ordered was a plain Cola. Hutmaker joked and said, "You can't always get what you want, sir", which allegedly inspired Jagger.
#15. Dark Secrets
The recording of their double album Exile on Main Street was done while the band and the crew stayed in the picturesque Villa Nell in the south of France. However, it appears to be that the studio was actually hiding a dark secret.
What the band did not know before going there was that during World War II, the estate had been taken over as a local Nazi headquarters when the Germans were occupying France. Allegedly, the band found Nazi insignia on the floorboards in the basement of the Villa.
#14. Far East Tour
As part of their Far East Tour in 1965, the Rolling Stones played in Singapore for the first time. When they arrived at the airport, they knew that their fans would be completely excited. However, they encountered one big problem: the concert coincided with the Chinese New Year.
The band was not prepared and did not expect to share the show with the sound of firecrackers and gongs that sounded outside. Minutes before the show was going to start, a gate collapsed outside the venue while the police tried to keep everyone back.
#13. Gimme Shelter
Gimme Shelter is one of the band's most memorable songs. Perhaps you didn't know that the amazing vocals heard in the chorus belong to singer Merry Clayton, who has a really powerful voice.
Clayton received a call from Mick Jagger to record at the Los Angeles Studio in the middle of the night! At that time, she was pregnant but she did not doubt going to the studio for a minute. After she arrived, she gifted one of the most incredible performances of her time, and even Mick Jagger was surprised.
#12. Studies
Everybody knows the story about how Jagger met Richards on a train going to University, right? Jagger was studying Economics and Richards studied Art. Interestingly, there was another member of the band on that train, drummer Charlie Watts, although he was studying something completely different.
Charlie Watts was a graphic designer and worked both in the United Kingdom and in Denmark. The drummer was the last member to join the band in 1963, and he designed the cover art for the back of the Between the Buttons album.
#11. Hotels
When they arrived in New York City as part of their 1966 summer tour, the Rolling Stones already had a reputation for partying hard. In the city, they encountered a really big problem: they could not find any hotel that wanted them!
As a matter of fact, fourteen different hotels denied lodging for the whole band, due both to the habits they had with room service, and the cost that the hotel would have to pay in order to protect them from their insatiable fans.
#10. Rock And Roll Circus
Rock and Roll Circus was a film created by the Rolling Stones and had guests like The Who, John Lennon, and Eric Clapton, among a lot of other guests. Also, it was the last time that Brian Jones performed live.
Sadly for the fans, Led Zeppelin dropped out last minute because Mick Jagger heard their demo tape and believed it to be too heavy for the Circus. So they selected a new band, Jethro Tull, to play instead of Led Zeppelin.
#9. Sympathy For The Devil
Did you know that the song Sympathy For The Devil, covers a lot of topics? From the Russian Revolution and World War II to the Kennedy Assassination and Jesus Christ's crucifixion. In fact, it was inspired by a Russian political satire.
In his novel The Master and Margarita author Mikhail Bulgakov imagined two incredible alternate scenarios: the Devil himself visiting the Soviet Moskow, and a retelling of the trial of Jesus in Jerusalem. When Mick was gifted with the translated book, he was extremely inspired by it.
#8. United States
The first time that the Rolling Stones set foot in the United States was in June 1964 and while they had a good time, not everything was perfect. One of the things they were not really fond of in the United States was one celebrity host on the tour: Dean Martin.
During a live show, Martin, made a series of jokes at the band's expense regarding their long hair, their music, and a couple of other things. He even said that the band "picked fleas" out of each other while backstage. Even Bob Dylan said that the host should apologize!
#7. Moves Like Jagger
Jagger is famous for his incredible dance moves. When asked about where his style came from, he would say that his mother taught him, but in reality, another rockstar can take credit for it: Tina Turner.
In the 1960s, Ike Turner, husband of Tina, joined The Rolling Stones for the UK tour. She stated that she and her backup dancers had several things to teach Mick, and that's how he got his moves.
#6. Unimaginable Friendship
There were many great artists that rose to fame in the '60s, not just The Rolling Stones of course. Even though The Rolling Stones and The Beatles competed constantly for the spotlight, they were all good friends and worked together many times.
Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the 1963 song I Wanna Be Your Man in the company Keith and Mick in the Rolling Stones studio. The Stones did their own version and later The Beatles released theirs.
#5. Lyrical Problems
The Rolling Stones always had trouble when it came to their lyrics, as many deemed them inappropriate. A very famous television show The Ed Sullivan Show was known for making artists change their lyrics before playing live to make them audience-friendly.
Ed Sullivan in person had an argument with Mick Jagger over the song Let's Spend the Night Together, and they were forced to change it to Let's spend some time together in other to play on the show.
#4. Trouble With The Law
A day before the Rolling Stones had a concert in Boston, Jagger and Richards were arrested after having an altercation with a photographer that was following them. As a consequence, the mayor of Boston feared that if the band did not play, the fans would cause a riot.
In order to avoid that, the mayor of Boston paid the their bail and sent them to the city which was 45 miles away, with a full limousine escort. Even though they started the concert at 12.45 AM, the crowd was incredibly happy they finally appeared.
#3. Angie
One of their best songs is Angie. Rumor has it that the song was dedicated to David Bowie's first wife, Angie Bowie, who claimed that her husband cheated with Mick Jagger, so the song is a kind of apology to her.
According to Keith Richards, that story is not true, and he says that the song was inspired by his daughter, Dandelion Angela. Years later, Keith said that the song's name was chosen randomly, way before his daughter was born. One way or another, we are glad the song was made!
#2. Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction is such a famous song that even those who do not particularly like Rock n' Roll still enjoy it. It is interesting to know that the song was almost not released as a single at all.
It is believed that after Keith Richards wrote the song he fell asleep and snored while the tape recorder was still running. When he woke up a few moments later, he and Mick Jagger were impressed by the song. Then, it was put up to a vote, and everybody said yes to it!
#1. Exercise
For those of you who go to the gym every day, you should try to keep up with Mick Jagger. Even though he is 75 years old, the lead singer keeps on exercising every day, and that is demonstrated in each of the band's performances.
According to some statistics made by fans, everything that the leader of the Rolling Stones does on stage equals about twelve miles. imagine being in such great shape at that age!