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The Rolling Stones didn’t exactly arrive with a bang—they kind of sneaked in through the back door with Come On their 1963 debut single that even the band would later treat like an awkward first date. Released after a rushed studio session and a fair bit of label panic, the track was more polite Chuck Berry tribute than fully formed Stones chaos. Still, it did its job: got the name out, sparked arguments behind the scenes, and hinted at something bigger brewing. Their take on Come On may not be their loudest statement, but it’s where the story officially starts turning.
Every time the phone rings it sounds like thunder/ Some stupid guy tryin’ to reach another number…
Written by: Chuck Berry Recorded: Olympic Sound Studios, London, May 10 1963
Mick Jagger: vocals Keith Richards: rhythm guitar Brian Jones: harmonica, backing vocals Bill Wyman: bass, backing vocals Charlie Watts: drums
More about The Rolling Stones‘ take on Come On
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
A Debut Built on Doubts
In early May 1963 Eric Easton and Andrew Oldham secured a three-year management deal with Brian Jones, establishing the framework for The Rolling Stones’ first serious push into recording. Then on May 10 the group entered Olympic Sound Studios on Carlton Street in London’s West End for their debut official session, a booking arranged by Oldham since May 2 at a cost of £40 for three hours. Engineer Roger Savage later recalled the night as almost informal, even if he was paid £5 per hour, as the band cut four songs quickly. Among them was a strong version ofDust My Blues with Brian Jones on slide guitar, though Come On, a Chuck Berry track, was selected as the A-side, while Willie Dixon’s I Want to Be Loved became the B-side, aiming for broader appeal in early form.
Andrew Oldham: “The Stones’ attitude toward the record was, ‘Yeah, it’s okay’. The record was like two poles meeting in the middle. It didn’t fit their heroes and it didn’t fit mine, which were radio play and success. It wasn’t Willie Dixon, and it wasn’t The Ronettes.”
Recording Session
The May 10 Olympic recordings immediately exposed both promise and friction inside the young band’s setup. Andrew Oldham, still learning the studio environment, pushed for speed and usable material rather than perfection, while the musicians leaned instinctively toward raw blues authenticity. Although several tracks were completed efficiently, the label response was uncertain, prompting internal debate over production quality and commercial viability. Dick Rowe of Decca Records reportedly questioned whether a more experienced producer should step in, a suggestion that challenged Oldham’s authority and confidence. As a result, the group returned to Decca’s West Hampstead studios on May 16 or 18 to rework the material, effectively recording the single again under tighter scrutiny. Ian Stewart did not participate in the final cut, having already been edged away from the official lineup, reinforcing the shifting internal structure of The Rolling Stones at the time.
Keith Richards (2003): “The first single was Chuck Berry’s ‘Come On‘. It was middle ground, but it was also very, very pop. We threw it in along with a couple of Bo Diddley songs and I think it was chosen because it was so obviously more chart-orientated. We did listen to Decca‘s feedback, obviously – not that it was particularly interesting. It might have been Andrew Oldham along with a few people like Dick Rowe making the decision. It really didn’t matter to us; we just wanted to put it out. Then the record did so much better than we had expected and suddenly we were being told to wear the houndstooth check jackets. That one track did it.”
Production
The final version of Come On reflected a compromise between urgency and control rather than the loose blues energy the band preferred. Bill Wyman anchors the track with a sharp, percussive bass introduction on his Dallas Tuxedo, setting a structured foundation. Keith Richards builds a reverb-heavy rhythmic layer using his Harmony H70 Meteor, giving the track its slightly distant sheen. Brian Jones pushes the arrangement forward on Hohner harmonica, adding a tone often compared to early John Lennon phrasing in its raw attack. Mick Jagger delivers a confident, double-tracked vocal supported by backing harmonies from Bill and Brian, reinforcing the pop-oriented direction. Charlie Watts keeps the tempo tight and restrained, while Ian Stewart is notably absent, later admitting he disliked the song enough to sit out entirely.
Release and Reception
Come On was released in the UK on June 7, 1963, marking the Stones’ official debut in the singles market, let alone the very recording business. It entered the charts modestly, eventually reaching number 21 by July 31, a respectable but not explosive start. The B-side, I Want to Be Loved, reinforced the band’s deeper blues identity, even if it remained secondary in promotion. Television exposure on Thank Your Lucky Stars on July 7 increased visibility, though the group was required to mime the performance while dressed in stylized houndstooth jackets, an image they quickly came to dislike. Mick Jagger’s vocal alteration of a Chuck Berry lyric added a subtle identity shift, while manager Andrew Oldham actively purchased copies of the single to push chart performance. Despite this effort, the band themselves rejected the song for live shows, clashing with Oldham over its continued promotion.
Legacy and Later References
Over time Come On became more significant as a historical marker than as a favored track in The Rolling Stones’ catalogue. It later appeared on compilations including the More Hot Rocks: (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) (1972) and Singles Collection: The London Years (1989) compilations, situating it within the band’s early evolution rather than their creative peak. The single was notably never released in the United States at the time, only gaining wider circulation years later. Its contrast with contemporaneous British releases highlighted how quickly the Stones were sharpening their identity compared to peers. Decades later, in 2013, Mick Jagger briefly revisited the song during a Toronto performance on the 50 & Counting… Tour, marking its first live acknowledgement in nearly half a century and underlining its unusual, almost forgotten status in their performance history.
Keith Richards (1971): “We were always doing other people’s material but we thought we’d have a go at that – ‘Oh, it sounds catchy.’ And it worked out. At the time it was done just to get a record out. We never wanted to hear it. The idea was Andrew‘s – to get a strong single so they’d let us make an album which back then was a privilege.”
Mick Jagger (1974): “It was our decision to record it. Nobody else knew it and to the best of our knowledge nobody had done it. I don’t think it was very good, in fact it was shit… It really was shit. God knows how it ever got in the charts, it was such a hype. In fact we disliked it so much we didn’t do it on any of our gigs… Eventually we did it in the ballrooms and the people seemed to dig it.”
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