The Rolling Stones Rock ‘Around and Around’ (1964)

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on May 19, 2025

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Rolling Stones songs: Around and Around

But they kept on rocking/ Goin’ round and round…

Written by: Chuck Berry
Recorded: Chess Studios, Chicago, USA, June 10-11 1964
*Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012

*Click for MORE ROLLING STONES SONGS 1962-PRESENT

More about ‘Around and Around’ by The Rolling Stones

*By Marcelo Sonaglioni

rolling stones songs around and around 1964

Jagger’s First Steps with a Classic

Before they were global legends, The Rolling Stones had their first real taste of rock and roll glory through a Chuck Berry number—Around and Around. In a pivotal 1962 moment, Mick Jagger sang the song alongside Keith Richards while sitting in with Blues Incorporated. This performance marked a quiet beginning to something historic. That same year, the Stones recorded their first-ever version of the track, though it remained unreleased. It wasn’t until 1964 that they returned to the song, giving it a new life for their 12 x 5 album. Berry’s raw energy clearly left a mark on the band’s DNA—especially on Keith Richards, who once said Berry was “the epitome of rock and roll playing.” For the young Stones, covering Berry was not just homage; it was initiation. And Around and Around would go on to follow them as a defining thread in their early musical journey.

Chuck Berry’s Midnight Inspiration

Chuck Berry wrote Around and Around during a jam session just before going on stage. “One of the riffs we struck upon never left my memory and I waxed in the tune with words about a dance hall that stayed open a little overtime.”, Berry recalled in his autobiography. The lyrics, inspired by a dance hall that lingered open past hours, reflected his storytelling genius. Rather than the clichéd “’til’ the early morning,” Berry opted for the more poetic “’til’ the moon went down.” The track would become the B-side of his No. classic Johnny B. Goode, released by Chess Records in March 1958.

Breaking Through on Ed Sullivan

When The Rolling Stones performed Around and Around on The Ed Sullivan Show in October 1964, they were still virtually unknown in the U.S. But that night changed everything. Their performance helped rocket their other song Time Is On My Side into the Top 10—marking their first American breakthrough.

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