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Rolling Stones songs: Star Star
STAR STAR: THE STONES’ NAUGHTIEST CLOSER The Rolling Stones ended Goats Head Soup with a song that was anything but sweet. Star Star is raw, raucous, and cheeky—Mick Jagger croons about wild nights, lusty thrills, and a groupie whose reputation travels faster than the band’s riffs. It’s not just romance; it’s scandal set to a Chuck Berry-style groove, making sure the album bows out in pure Stones fashion—loud, unapologetic, and dripping with rock ’n’ roll attitude.
Honey, I’m open to anything/ I don’t know where to draw the line…so
Also known as: Starfucker Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: Dynamic Sounds Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, Nov. 25-Dec. 21 1972; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, USA, Jan. 13-15 1973; Island Recording Studios, London, England, June 1973 Guest musicians: Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
Closing Goats Head Soup with a bang, the Rolling Stones didn’t just push boundaries—they tore them down. Star Star isn’t your everyday love song; it’s a wild, cheeky anthem that dives headfirst into the world of groupies and excess. The tale starts with a rock singer swooning over a lover who leaves him breathless, recalling steamy moments of legs wrapped tight and foam-filled fun. But the song doesn’t linger in romance—it shifts gears fast, spotlighting a woman whose talents are so infamous that “everyone wants to get their tongues beneath her hood” and scribble her name into their little black books.
By the time the final verse hits, Mick Jagger goes full throttle. The girl has moved beyond rockers and set her sights on Hollywood stars, and Jagger’s lyrics turn the volume up on scandal, swagger, and satire. No wonder the BBC couldn’t handle it.
Star Star: Controversy Hit The Rolling Stones (That’s Right, Once Again)
The Rolling Stones never shied away from trouble, but Star Star took things to a whole new level. Originally titled Starfucker, the track was simply too raw for Atlantic Records’ president Ahmet Ertegun, who insisted the name be softened on the album sleeve. Lyrics like “giving head to Steve McQueen” and “I bet you keep your pussy clean” left record execs panicking. Mick Jagger defended his work, saying he only wrote what he saw, and that starfuckers were simply part of the entertainment lifestyle. Steve McQueen himself? Rather than sue, he gave written permission after being sent the tape.
Atlantic still bristled, worried about lawsuits and the brewing anti-pornography laws in Congress. They ordered edits—Andy Johns muffled “John Wayne” in the mix, “pussy” was blurred out, and lyric sheets even swapped “starfucker” for “starbucker.” Ironically, a sampler EP snuck out with the unedited version, proving how inconsistent the censorship really was. Meanwhile, across the pond, the BBC outright banned the song.
Mick Jagger On Star Star And Women On Tour (1975)
“People always give me this bit about us being a macho band, and I always ask them to give me examples. ‘Under My Thumb’… Yes, but they always say Starfucker, and that just happened to be about someone I knew. There’s really no reason o have women on tour, unless they’ve got a job to do. The only other reason is to fuck. Otherwise they get bored, they just sit around and moan. It would be different if they did everything for you, like answer the phones, make the breakfast, look after your clothes and your packing, see if the car was ready, and fuck. Sort of a combination of what road manager Alan Dunn does and a beautiful chick.”
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