The Rolling Stones’ 1st Hit Song Was Written by Chuck Berry
The Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry gave the world some of the most famous classic rock songs of all time. Berry even wrote The Rolling Stones’ first single. During an interview, Mick Jagger discussed what he thought of Berry compared to Elvis Presley.
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger had mixed feelings about Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley
During an interview with Paul Du Noyer’s website, Jagger tried to name his greatest hero. “There was Elvis, I suppose, though he was so ghastly in other ways and you somehow knew it,” he said. “Plus, he didn’t write, and the other people who were influential, say Chuck Berry, were all writers, who would inspire you to be a writer and influence your style. Chuck Berry was a very good inspiration because he was a writer and a performer and a guitar player.”
Subsequently, Jagger revealed he had mixed feelings about Berry’s lyricism. On one hand, he said Berry didn’t display the lyrical depth of Muddy Waters. On the other hand, he felt Berry’s lyrics worked well for teenage audiences. Jagger opined Berry had a gift for telling funny stories through his music. Regardless, The Rolling Stones released a cover of Berry’s “Come On” as their first single.
Why Mick Jagger said The Rolling Stones stopped recording blues songs
During a 1968 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger said The Rolling Stones’ cover of “Come On” introduced Berry’s music to many listeners who were unfamiliar with his songs. “They never knew anything about it and that’s why we stopped doing blues,” Jagger revealed. “We didn’t want to do blues forever, we just wanted to turn people on to other people who were very good and not carry on doing it ourselves.
“So you could say that we did blues to turn people on, but why they should be turned on by us is unbelievably stupid,” Jagger added. “I mean what’s the point in listening to us doing ‘I’m A King Bee’ when you can listen to Slim Harpo doing it?”
The way the world reacted to the 2 versions of ‘Come On’
The Rolling Stones’ version of “Come On” did not hit the Billboard Hot 100. The band initially released “Come On” as a non-album single. They later included it on the compilation album GRRR! The album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, remaining on the chart for 20 weeks.
The Rolling Stones’ rendition of “Come On” became popular in the United Kingdom. The Official Charts Company reports the track peaked at No. 21 in the U.K., lasting on the chart for 14 weeks. Meanwhile, GRRR! peaked at No. 3 in the U.K., staying on the chart for 38 weeks. While Jagger wasn’t a huge fan of his band’s early covers, the world seemed to enjoy their version of “Come On.”
