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Rolling Stones quotes: Keith Richards and Mick Jagger on the Stones’ reactions to the Beatles
Keith: “Brian wanted to be a pop star the minute he saw the Beatles. He got left behind in the crush and someone asked him for his autograph… Success went to Brian’s head immediately. And the more successful we became, the more he thought it interfered with his compatibility with the band, the more he thought he was involved in a competition with me and Mick.” Mick: “Keith liked the Beatles because he was quite interested in their chord sequences. He also liked their harmonies, which were always a slight problem to the Rolling Stones. Keith always tried to get the harmonies off the ground but they always seemed messy. What we never really got together were Keith and Brian singing backup vocals. It didn’t work, because Keith was a better singer and had to keep going, oooh, ooh ooh (laughs). Brian liked all those oohs, which Keith had to put up with. Keith was always capable of much stronger vocals than ooh ooh ooh.”
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, as founding members of The Rolling Stones, have often been asked about their relationship with The Beatles, both in terms of their musical rivalry and their personal connections. Over the years, they’ve spoken candidly about the way the Stones reacted to the Beatles’ success and how it impacted their own careers, as well as how their paths crossed, both professionally and socially.
In the early 1960s, The Beatles were a massive force in the music world, and their rise to fame helped to define the sound of the British Invasion. For Mick and Keith, who were both heavily influenced by blues and rock ‘n’ roll, the Beatles’ success was an undeniable benchmark. However, instead of seeing them purely as competition, they recognized the Beatles’ influence on the music scene, while also developing their own distinct sound.
Keith Richards has often reflected on how The Beatles’ success pushed The Rolling Stones to be better, more innovative, and to carve out their own identity in the music world. In interviews, he has said that, when The Beatles released their groundbreaking albums, the Stones felt they had to keep up, but this was never a source of animosity. “We didn’t compete with the Beatles; we simply went our way,” Keith said in an interview. “They were brilliant, but we always knew we were doing something different.”
Mick Jagger, on the other hand, has expressed a similar sentiment. While acknowledging the Beatles’ massive cultural influence, Jagger has also mentioned that the Rolling Stones’ music was always coming from a different place. The Beatles were often seen as the more cerebral, experimental group, while the Stones projected a grittier, rawer image. “The Beatles were always more intellectual, their music more about harmony and melody. We were the wild ones, the bad boys, doing things our way,” Jagger remarked.
Despite their different musical approaches, Jagger and Richards were both keenly aware of the competition between the two bands in the public eye. They knew that the media and fans saw them as rivals, especially after both groups emerged in the same time frame, contributing to the shifting landscape of popular music. However, both Mick and Keith have downplayed any suggestion that this rivalry led to bitterness or jealousy. Instead, their response to the Beatles’ success was to maintain their own authenticity and focus on evolving their music.
The Rolling Stones often embraced the fact that their image and sound were more provocative and rebellious, positioning themselves as the “bad boys” of rock and roll, in contrast to the Beatles’ more clean-cut appearance in their early years. This distinction became more pronounced as both bands grew into cultural phenomena. The Beatles’ transition into experimental music, especially with albums like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, stood in stark contrast to the Stones’ embrace of blues, rhythm and blues, and their increasingly edgy sound, which earned them a loyal following.
While many fans and critics pitted the two groups against each other, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have always emphasized that the rivalry was largely a creation of the media. They both recognize that the Beatles played a major role in shaping the music landscape, but they are equally proud of the Stones’ legacy. According to Richards, the Rolling Stones’ music was rooted in a different set of influences, particularly the blues and rhythm and blues, which gave them their unique sound.
As both bands evolved and changed, their paths inevitably diverged. The Beatles, after achieving worldwide fame and pushing the boundaries of popular music, disbanded in 1970, while the Rolling Stones carried on. The longevity of the Stones’ career, particularly in the 1970s and beyond, is something Mick and Keith often reflect on as a testament to their perseverance and commitment to their craft. Their success wasn’t just about competing with the Beatles; it was about doing what felt true to their musical instincts.
Ultimately, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have always acknowledged that The Beatles were an essential part of their own musical development, even if their paths were different. For them, the success of The Beatles was something to respect, but it didn’t dictate how the Rolling Stones would shape their own identity. Their reaction was always to keep evolving, stay true to their roots, and push forward, knowing that the Stones were just as much a part of rock history as the Beatles, even if their approach was different.
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