The Rolling Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’ Inspired the Name of a Restaurant Chain Even Though the Founder Wasn’t a Fan
Mick Jagger had a strong opinion on The Rolling Stones‘ song “Ruby Tuesday.” Notably, a businessman used the name of the tune for his Ruby Tuesday restaurants even though he wasn’t a fan of The Rolling Stones. Listeners in the United States and the United Kingdom had reactions to the song.
What Mick Jagger felt about songs from The Rolling Stones’ ‘Between the Buttons’
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger commented on songs from The Rolling Stones’ album Between the Buttons. “They sounded so great, but then, later on, I was really disappointed with it,” he said. “Isn’t ‘Ruby Tuesday’ on there or something? I don’t think the rest of the songs are that brilliant. ‘Ruby Tuesday’ is good. I think that’s a wonderful song.”
Jagger explained why he liked “Ruby Tuesday” so much. “It’s just a nice melody, really,” he opined. “And a lovely lyric. Neither of which I wrote, but I always enjoy singing it. But I agree with you about the rest of the songs — I don’t think they’re there. I don’t think I thought they were very good at the time, either.”
The founder of Ruby Tuesday restaurants named the chain after the song because of a suggestion from a fraternity brother
The Rolling Stones released “Ruby Tuesday” in 1967. The restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday was founded by Samuel E. Beall III in 1972. According to The New York Times, the chain was named after the song — but not because Beall was a fan.
Beall chose the name because one of his investors suggested it. Interestingly, the investor was also one of his fraternity brothers. He explained he wasn’t a big fan of The Rolling Stones because he was never very “hip.”
The way the world reacted to The Rolling Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’
Regardless of what Beall thought of “Ruby Tuesday” or The Rolling Stones’ music in general, the song was a massive hit. The track spent 12 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was on top of the chart for one of those weeks. Meanwhile, Between the Buttons was popular too. Between the Buttons hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 47 weeks.
“Ruby Tuesday” became a minor hit in the U.K. According to The Official Charts Company, a live version of the song reached No. 59 and stayed on the chart for two weeks. The U.K. version of Between the Buttons, which did not include “Ruby Tuesday,” was a bigger hit. It reached No. 3 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for 22 weeks.
“Ruby Tuesday” is also notable because many famous artists covered it. Rod Stewart, Marianne Faithfull, and John Lennon‘s son, Julian Lennon, performed versions of the track. The song had an impact on other artists and on casual dining.
