Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!

*Click for MORE ROLLING STONES SONGS 1962-PRESENT
*Click for MORE DIGEST VERSIONS OF POSTS ABOUT SONGS

A Plea Wrapped in Gospel Soul

If You Really Want to Be My Friend finds the Rolling Stones exposing rare emotional vulnerability. “If you really want to be my friend, let me live it up like I used to do…”—with that line, Mick Jagger opens one of the band’s most soulful and reflective moments of the mid-1970s. The song pleads for understanding and space within love, capturing the push and pull between freedom and closeness that ran through much of It’s Only Rock’n Roll (1974). Wrapped in gospel warmth, the track becomes more than a love song—it’s a quiet reflection on independence, compassion, and the human need for release.

Want the full version with recording details, song background, history, trivia, and more? Discover the soulful depth behind this heartfelt Rolling Stones ballad.
Rolling Stones 1974: ‘If You Really Want To Be My Friend’

Blue Magic’s Heavenly Touch

The Stones’ collaboration with Philadelphia soul group Blue Magic elevates the track beyond its rock roots. Their smooth harmonies—courtesy of Keith Beaton, Theodore Mills, Richard Pratt, and the Sawyer brothers—surround Jagger’s vocal like a choir, giving his delivery a spiritual depth. Known for Sideshow and their velvet arrangements, Blue Magic brought a gospel sincerity that softened Jagger’s edges and turned the ballad into a glowing cross-genre experiment.

Musicianship Behind the Emotion

Nicky Hopkins’ piano glimmers beneath the harmonies, while Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts build a tender rhythm foundation. Mick Taylor’s elegant guitar solo adds grace without overpowering the mood. Though If You Really Want to Be My Friend doesn’t strike with the raw impact of the Stones’ harder tracks, it shines as a moment of soul-searching beauty—a gospel-infused plea for connection and understanding.

Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!

COPYRIGHT © ROLLING STONES DATA
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE IS COPYRIGHT OF ROLLING STONES DATA. ALL CONTENT BY MARCELO SONAGLIONI.
ALL SETLISTS AND TICKET STUBS TAKEN FROM THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THE ROLLING STONES. 
WHEN USING INFORMATION FROM ROLLING STONES DATA (ONLINE OR PRINTED) PLEASE REFER TO ITS SOURCE DETAILING THE WEBSITE NAME. THANK YOU.