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Mick Jagger: vocals, tambourine Keith Richards: rhythm guitar, backing vocals Brian Jones: harmonica Bill Wyman: bass Charlie Watts: drums
Long before hidden tracks and deluxe reissues became standardFortune Teller was already the kind of song fans loved to hunt down. Written by Allen Toussaint, it began as a smart, playful New Orleans R&B tune before landing in the hands of The Rolling Stones during their explosive early years.
What makes this recording so fascinating is not just the music, but the mystery around it. Planned as an early Stones single, later shelved, then reappearing in different forms, it became one of the most intriguing near-misses in the band’s catalog. It’s the sound of a young group sharpening its identity.
With Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman turning a witty story song into something darker and tougher, Fortune Teller remains a must-hear gem. If you love lost chapters of rock history, this one delivers plenty of magic.
More about the Rolling Stones’ take on Fortune Teller
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
Fortune Teller and the road not taken
Before it became one of the more curious hidden gems in The Rolling Stones catalog, Fortune Teller had already lived several lives. Written by Allen Toussaint under the pseudonym Naomi Neville, the song first appeared in 1962 when Benny Spellman released it as the B-side of Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette) The original carried the easy swagger of New Orleans R&B, but when the Stones grabbed it the following year, they reshaped it into something sharper, darker, and more guitar-driven. For a brief moment, it was even lined up by Decca UK as the band’s second single after Come On. A catalog number was prepared, plans were moving, and then—suddenly—it vanished. That cancellation only deepened the mystery. Instead of becoming an early hit, the song drifted into the shadows, where it would remain one of the band’s most fascinating almost-famous recordings.
A witty story with a twist
Part of the song’s charm lies in its clever little screenplay. A young man visits a fortune teller, eager to hear what fate has planned. She predicts that he is about to fall in love with the very next girl he meets. The next day comes and goes, but no magical romance appears. Frustrated, he returns to accuse her of deception. Then he looks into her eyes and realizes the prophecy was true all along. He has fallen for her. It is a compact, humorous narrative, filled with the playful touch that made Allen Toussaint such a gifted songwriter. Instead of heartbreak or tragedy, the tale ends with romance and a grin. Even better, the lovestruck customer now gets his fortune told for free.
The Rolling Stones remake the mood
Where Benny Spellman offered warmth and bounce, The Rolling Stones turned the atmosphere colder and more urgent. Their arrangement accelerated the tempo and leaned into rock attitude rather than New Orleans looseness. The opening descending guitar riff immediately gave the track bite, returning throughout the verses like a warning bell.
Recorded on July 9, 1963, under the supervision of Michael Barclay, the session captured a young band rapidly gaining confidence. Mick Jagger sounded assured on lead vocals, while Keith Richards added backing vocals and rhythm guitar on his Harmony H70. Brian Jones, playing a green Gretsch Anniversary, shared the guitar attack. The rhythm section of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman drove everything forward with precision—Charlie on his new Ludwig Super Classic Blue Pearl kit, Bill on his Dallas Tuxedo bass.
The production also carried that distinctive early-Stones studio mood: echo around the harmonica and voices, giving certain moments an oddly ghostly edge. Brief vocal passages without words floated through the track, strange and memorable, almost surreal beside the pounding beat.
Lost, found and disguised as live
Despite its strengths, the track never became the single it might have been. Why it was dropped remains uncertain. Perhaps the band wanted something else. Perhaps the label hesitated. Whatever the reason, Fortune Teller was shelved. Its first public appearance came not as a major release, but on the obscure Saturday Clubcompilation LP from Decca in early 1964. Then, in 1966, the song resurfaced again on Got Live If You Want It! (US)—except listeners were led to believe it was a concert performance.
It was not. Like several cuts on that album, it was a studio recording dressed up with audience screams and crowd noise. Around mid-October 1966 Glyn Johns helped add the fake live atmosphere. Extra tambourine parts and double-tracked vocals were likely added then as well, creating the illusion of stage chaos. The result was clever marketing, if not exactly documentary truth.
From obscurity to cult favorite
The clean studio version eventually reached a wider audience in the early 1970s when it appeared on the More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies) 2-LP compilation, where many fans finally heard the song without the manufactured concert noise. In the UK, its reputation also grew through that release.
Meanwhile, the song had developed a parallel life among British groups. The Merseybeats cut it for their debut single in 1963. Tony Jackson, The Downliners Sect, and even The Who performed it during the era, proving the tune was hardly unknown in Britain.
TodayFortune Teller stands as more than an abandoned single. It is a snapshot of the early Stones in transition—still honoring American rhythm and blues roots, yet already forging the tougher sound that would define them. Some songs become hits. Others become legends because they almost did.
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