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Rolling Stones songs: Time Is On My Side
Go ahead, go ahead and light up the town/ And baby, do everything your heart desires/ Remember, I’ll always be around…
Mick Jagger: vocals, tambourine Keith Richards: guitar, backing vocals Brian Jones: guitar, backing vocals Bill Wyman: bass, backing vocals Charlie Watts: drums Guest musicians: Ian Stewart (organ)
More about The Rolling Stones’ version of Time Is On My Side
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
Time Is on My Side: A Reimagined Story of Its Journey From Jazz Cut to Rock Classic
The story of Time Is on My Side is one of those rare musical journeys where a simple composition travels across genres, cities, and decades before earning iconic status. Long before The Rolling Stones made it their first U.S. Top 10 hit, the song had already lived several lives: born in a jazz session, reshaped by soul, and eventually electrified by British rock. What began as a modest attempt to broaden a trombonist’s audience would morph—almost unexpectedly—into a landmark of the British Invasion. The creative spark started with Jerry Ragovoy, working under the pseudonym Norman Meade, and passed through the hands of gospel vocalists, New Orleans royalty, British teenagers hungry for American vinyl, and—much later—two legends reuniting onstage in New Orleans. This evolution captures not only musical transformation but the shifting cultural energy of the early 1960s.
Origins and early versions
Before The Rolling Stones ever heard the tune, arranger Garry Sherman had approached Jerry Ragovoy to write something that could help jazz trombonist Kai Winding appeal to a wider audience. Ragovoy delivered Time Is on My Side, credited under the name Norman Meade, and Winding recorded it on October 3, 1963. Though the track featured exceptional gospel vocals from Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and Cissy Houston, it failed to make a commercial impact. Still, it sparked immediate interest among soul musicians, and in 1964 Irma Thomas, heralded as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans” recorded her own version as the B-side to Anyone Who Knows What Love Is. Thomas brought emotional intensity, a bluesy edge, and a bold rejection of a wayward lover—elements that would prove irresistible to the next group who encountered the song.
The Stones discover the song
The Rolling Stones stumbled across Thomas’ version while crate-digging in Soho record shops that specialized in U.S. imports. Drawn to her powerful delivery and to the song’s gospel-soul structure, they began experimenting with it almost immediately. Within days of hearing it, the band recorded theirfirst versionat London’s Regent Sound Studios in June 1964, relying heavily on organ and stripping away the horn arrangement featured in earlier interpretations. Mick Jagger leaned into Thomas’ phrasing and ad-libs, translating her emotional force into a more ragged, rock-leaning performance. Released as a U.S. single on September 25, 1964 and included on 12 x 5, this rendition climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard chart, becoming the band’s first American Top 10 hit. Cash Box celebrated it at the time as a “throbbing rhythm affair,” capturing its restless energy.
Two studio versions, two identities
What many casual listeners never realized is that The Stones recorded two distinct studio versions of Time Is on My Side. The first, sometimes attributed to the band’s June 10 session at Chess Studios in Chicago—or alternatively to sessions in late June in London—opened with Ian Stewart’s gospel-styled Hammond B-3 intro. Jagger’s pleading vocal feels drenched in reverb, and Keith Richards plays both rhythm and lead lines on his Epiphone Casino, applying a phrasing reminiscent of the Irma Thomas version even if the execution occasionally wavers. Imperfect backing vocals and a somewhat unruly tambourine line give the track a scruffy charm characteristic of the band’s early years. This version was the one released in the United States and holds the distinction of being the first Stones song to break into the U.S. Top 10.
By contrast, the second version, recorded on November 8, 1964 at Chess Studios, presents a far tidier performance. Keith replaces the Casino with his 1959 Gibson Les Paul, delivering a crisp guitar intro and a remarkably clear solo through his Fender Showman. The mix is drier, Jagger’s vocals more recessed, and the backing harmonies more accurate. Bill Wyman’s bass—played with a pick on a Framus Star plugged directly into the console—anchors the track with solidity, while Charlie Watts ensures a cleaner rhythmic foundation. Despite a misaligned tambourine overdub, the band achieves a more mature sound. Brian Jones moves from his earlier Gretsch Anniversary arpeggios to his Vox “Teardrop,” subtly reshaping the guitar texture.
Credits, performances, and legacy
Interestingly, early pressings of 12 x 5 and The Rolling Stones No. 2 miscredited the song to “Norman, Meade” implying two writers instead of Ragovoy’s single pseudonym. The error was later corrected, restoring Jerry Ragovoy’s authorship.
Time Is on My Side also marked one of the band’s earliest high-profile television appearances when they performed it on their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan, unimpressed by their unkempt look and long hair, publicly declared that they would never be invited back—only to walk back that promise soon after as the band’s popularity soared.
The song’s influence lingered well beyond the 1960s. A live version released on the 1982 album Still Lifecharted in the UK, and Irma Thomas—who once avoided performing her version out of frustration over lack of recognition—eventually reclaimed it. In a full-circle moment, the Stones and Irma Thomas performed the song together on May 2, 2024, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, marking the first time The Stones had played it live since 1998. More than sixty years after its creation, Time Is on My Side continues to prove that sometimes, music really does wait patiently for its moment.
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