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Rolling Stones songs: Fortune Teller
Said she’d take a look at my palm/ She said “Son, you feel kinda warm”…
Fortune Teller: A Song’s Journey from Obscurity to Cult Classic
Sometimes, the charm of a song isn’t in how high it climbs the charts—but in how far it travels through time. Fortune Teller, written by legendary New Orleans songwriter Allen Toussaint (under the alias Naomi Neville), started off quietly when Benny Spellman recorded it in 1962. Despite its catchy rhythm and quirky storytelling, the track didn’t make much noise commercially. But that wasn’t the end of its tale.
The real magic of Fortune Teller lies in its offbeat plot: a young man consults a clairvoyant, is told he’ll fall for the next girl he meets, and returns the next day realizing he’s fallen in love—with the fortune teller herself. It’s this playful twist that caught the attention of rock’s biggest names. Though Spellman’s version faded quickly, the song found new life in covers by The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Hollies, and even Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, whose Grammy-winning Raising Sand included it.
Fortune Teller: From Voodoo Vibes to Rock ‘n’ Roll Lore
Though the Nenny Pellman version barely made a ripple on the charts, the song had an irresistible spark that refused to die out. A few months later, The Rolling Stones picked it up, recording two different versions—one featured on the BBC’s Saturday Club, the other on their live album Got Live If You Want It!(actually a fake live studio recording from 1963 with screams overdubbed for the live album)—and gave the tune a second life in the world of rock.
At its core, Fortune Teller is a cheeky love story. A guy visits a clairvoyant who tells him he’s about to fall in love. When nothing happens, he storms back—only to realize she is the one he was meant to fall for. It’s a fun twist, perfectly in line with Allen Toussaint’s gift for crafting culturally resonant, commercially appealing songs.
While the mystical theme may hint at voodoo or blues magic rooted in African American tradition, the idea of the fortune teller leans more on European lore—tea leaves, Tarot cards, and crystal balls. Back then, even guys sought insight from mystics. Toussaint’s playful storytelling tapped into that fascination and left a legacy still being covered today.
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