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Rolling Stones Songs: Mona (I Need You Baby)
Yeah can I out come out on the front/ And listen to my heart go bumpety bump…
More about The Rolling Stones’ version of Mona (I Need You Baby)
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
The Rolling Stones and Mona: A Diddley Beat Reimagined
Before they were the world’s biggest rock band, The Rolling Stones were devoted disciples of the raw American blues and R&B that shaped their sound—and Bo Diddley was right there at the center of it all. His track Mona (I Need You Baby), first released in 1957 as the B-side to Hey! Bo Diddley, was soaked in the iconic Diddley beat—syncopated, hypnotic, and impossible not to move to. Though Bo Diddley never got as many Stones covers as Chuck Berry, Mona stands as a standout. The Stones first performed it live in the early ’60s and released their own take on their 1964 UK debut album. Their version thickened Diddley’s fuzzy guitar lines into a wild, exotic shimmer, with Mick Jagger’s sultry vocals and Charlie Watts’ pounding drums laying down a groove that was part dancefloor, part voodoo séance.
Bo Diddley’s Blueprint and Brian Jones’ Secret
Bo Diddley, born Ellas McDaniel, was a cornerstone of the Stones’ early sound. As Keith Richards put it, no one ever really nailed the Bo Diddley thing—except, perhaps, Brian Jones. Diddley himself was stunned by Brian’s grasp of his unique rhythm, calling him the only guy who had cracked it. That beat—born deep in the Mississippi Delta and electrified by Chess Records—became the spiritual heartbeat of early Stones records. While only Mona made it onto an official studio release in the ’60s, the Stones were deep into Diddley’s world, covering Diddley Daddy, Road Runner, and more on BBC sessions and early demos. Mona (I Need You Baby) has since been covered by everyone from the Grateful Dead to Quicksilver Messenger Service, but it’s the Stones’ version that still sounds like a love letter to Bo—with mystery, swagger, and grit baked into every note.
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