A real history lesson here. The lyrics aren't glorifying the devil, just pointing out that humans are responsible for these evil events. The Stones were not "demonic." This was at the Rock and Roll Circus; that's why they were dressed that way. Other artists present included John Lennon and The Who.
They are a UK group with a UK audience. The chances are that no one there was even thinking about good and evil or demons or possession before or after hearing this. Religion in the UK is far more laid back than in the USA.
Without doubt the greatest rock band in the history of music. Its not even up for debate. Gonna see them again next year in the Uk. I am 75 now, I never thought they would still be rocking in their late 70's but they are. Absolute Legends !!
This song is summarized by "We shouted out who killed the Kennedy's, when after all it was you and me". That's the whole point of the song. Lucifer is our scapegoat. Always has been. The Devil made me do it is the oldest excuse in the world.
"The Devil made me do it is the oldest excuse in the world." Compared to humanity, Christianity really hasn't been around THAT long... so I doubt your claim.
Same as parents never get credit for raising their kids well, instead people thank God and the church and government for policing right and wrong. But my main peeve is people thanking God and attributing success to prayer. I ended up being banned from a local community bulletin board app over an incident that happened last summer. A little girl was abducted from her campsite nearby my home and literally hundreds of people came from different states and even Canada to help track down this little girl. There were also lawyers volunteering their services and investigators searching through video tape and Records to try to figure out who took her. All of their hard work paid off and she was recovered traumatized but uninjured. I went ballistic on a woman who went on the app and said she thanked God for answering her prayers. I explained to her the cold hard facts that while she was on her knees saying prayers to God there were hundreds of people out there actually doing something about the missing girl and it had nothing to do with god. And her thanking a God for answering her prayers, giving that much power to imagining something in your mind rather than actually physically going out and making something happen just exploded my brain. Prayer is what people do to make themselves feel better about doing nothing and as has been said, gives a scapegoat to shift blame to when doing nothing is rewarded with nothing. If a person thinks through a problem while in the throes of praying and the decision that they come to end up being a failure they can blame God instead of taking credit for the consequences of Their Own actions.
the Rolling Stones have released 31 studio albums, 13 live albums, 28 compilation albums, 3 extended plays, 122 singles, 31 box sets, 51 video albums, 2 video box sets and 77 music videos. Throughout their career, they have sold over[1] 200 million records worldwide
He's saying basically that it's us that give "Lucifer" The power.. he's recalling The horrific moments in history because we as mere humans can't fathom anything other thana demonic force that caused these people to do the things they did.. because we can't even come close to understanding something that evil.. the devil will always have power as long as we continue to give it credit for the deeds of evil men.
@@JamesDimond-l7uThat’s a provocative, but dangerously over-simplistic reductive proposition to leave hanging. It’s definitely worth having a good-faith discussion on this topic… but in a more appropriate forum.
@@JamesDimond-l7u :D After 70 years considering the question of "gods" in general, I get the impression that "man" modeled his "gods" after himself and *not* the other way around. It's just a thought...
Spot on summation! We’re all fallen and dammed, Christ calls us to repent for salvation. Yet we continually sin and often, in our fallen state, fail to take responsibility for our action but rather blame others.
I always interpreted it as meaning that the devil was behind all these evil things that men have done throughout history, and how can people not have noticed it?
Context is everything. This was when rock‘n‘roll was dangerous, relevant and thought provoking. Jagger made a statement. No place for gods or devils. We are all Lucifer. Clever guy.
@@TheDopekitty You can believe what you want, some of the artist believe it's real, that's why they do it. I chose to follow Christ. I think most metal bands are not evil, I love Black Sabbath, I was always told they were evil, no way I said, just read the lyrics, (see the song After Forever) most of their songs are warnings of evil, not worship, some bands, not many, worship the Father of Lies, just read the lyrics.
The devil only presents temptations to us based on our desires for power, wealth and women. We are the ones who act upon those temptations and commit the atrocities chasing after those desires.
There's a story that the Stones were recording this song just before Robert Kennedy was shot - so they changed the line from "killed John Kennedy" to "killed the Kennedys" . . .
When he's saying have some courtesy and sympathy, he's referring to respecting and understanding that good can't exist without evil. Cops are criminals and sinners saints IMO is about how some masquerade as law abiding or godly but their hearts don't always have the best intentions and that all are tempted to do evil by him.
Mick Jagger is a very educated man. The novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov was his inspiration for this song. The original title was "The devil is my name", meant to be, like the book, a story about good and evil. While recording the song, all members of the band brought in their thoughts, like life isn't that easy. There were discussions like - when a president or king starts a war, who is to blame for all the killing, the president/king or the soldier who pulled the trigger? And at the end it is "you and me". Where two fight, two are to blame, and good isn't always good and evil not always evil. In France and in Russia, royals were killed because they lived in "wealth and good taste" while the rest of the country was starving. Who's the real devil in this? I guess the only right answer is -look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Hope you guess my name".
This book was about Stalinism in Russia. The devil appeared in Moscow and it turned out that the evil of this system was so great that even the devil seemed good against the background of the grim reality. I have read this book many times.
One of my favorites is "Waiting on a Friend" it's so iconic NYC in the 70's. They have tons of great songs that's why they're icons! "Angie" , "Wild Horses"
Paint it Black is one of those songs that immediately gets the "pump up the volume" treatment. Reminds me of Friday night tv watching w/my mom. It was the intro song for the VietNam centeted show Tour of Duty
It's songs like this that scared the hell out of the "older" generation in the 60's and the reason they hated the Rolling Stones.......side note: the song basically describes the evil that. man does and blames rhe devil for it...
The Rolling Stones formed 2 years after The Beatles and came to America during the British Invasion with the likes of The Who, Herman's Hermits, The Hollies and Dusty Springfield in 1964.
Black Pegasus, I am a 71y/o white woman, Christian, who is glad she stumbled upon your videos. I grew up with great R&R, and it's so nice to see how balanced you are and how you love your family. You have great instincts about this song. The devil doesn't dress in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork and announce himself. He's a subtle liar.
For the rock genre this is my number 1 favorite band and one of my favorite songs of theirs although they have TONS worthy of reacting to. I was born in 80 and the 70s music was heavy in my life early on. Love your reaction and variety of music ❤
"The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus," was a concert filmed on a makeshift circus stage in December 1968. The show, hosted by and featuring the Rolling Stones, also included performances from a number of famous acts of the time, and was intended for British television. Although recording of the performances began at about 2 pm on 11 December 1968, the production time was lengthy. So, the final performances took place at about 5 am on the 12th. By then, the audience and most of the Rolling Stones were exhausted. It was only due to Mick Jagger's sheer enthusiasm and stamina, and director Michael Lindsay-Hogg's patience and encouragement, that they kept going until the end. The Rolling Stones were the final act on the bill, and were introduced by John Lennon. Their set included "Jumping Jack Flash", "Parachute Woman", "No Expectations", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Sympathy for the Devil", and "Salt of the Earth". Unfortunately, Jagger was reportedly so disappointed with his and the band's performance that he cancelled the airing of the film, and kept it from public view. Btw, it was Brian Jones' last appearance with the Rolling Stones; he drowned some seven months later while the film was being edited....RIP The film was eventually released commercially almost 28 years later in October 1996.
@@freddyfleal Apparently Iommi had so little time with Jethro Tull that the guitar playing you heard was actually that of Mick Abrahams as the band mimed to a recording for much of their performance while Anderson sang.
@@freddyfleal I was just about to mention that. You got it right. That was my favorite part of the billing. And became a fan of Jethro Tull. Funny story about Jethro Tull was their first single released on on a forty five , had their name wrong on the inner label . It had their name as Jethro Toe and from what i heard , around four hundred got released to the public. That number is still in question though. .
I just watched the Rolling Stones in concert last night in all places Ridgedale, Missouri and Thunder Ridge Nature Arena. It is the last stop of the U.S Tour and not in the Hackney Diamond '24 tour schedule. The warm up was Samantha Fish who is absolutely amazing but the Stones blew me away with the energy of their performance and just having fun on stage jamming. Mick Jagger is 80 years old and his moves was on point. Keith Richards was WOW!!!! Ron Wood was ripping his Guitar.
Reminds me of a long time ago, I was 16-years old (more or less) delivering newspapers, and the article on the Entertainment page announced a Rolling Stones tour coming to town, and commented about how long Mick Jagger might be able to keep rocking, since he was already the ripe old age of 36 years old!
I forget her name sometimes. But every now and then I look it up and tell friends of mine, "what person's voice have we all heard and no one knows the name of the singer?" Then I say Merry Clayton and the song Gimme Shelter and everyone agrees after hearing that.
You can see what inspired Don Mclean to write this part of American Pie: "So, come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend Oh, and as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in Hell Could break that Satan spell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight The day the music died" 'him' on stage being Mick Jagger singing his 'satanic' music while one of the Hell's Angels stabbed and killed a man in the crowd.
The key line is "Who killed the Kennedys, when after all it was you and me" indicating that the devil is in all of us and we are all capable of committing evil acts.
I saw The Stones in the 70’s. Jagger wore a Superman cape. I always judge every concert I've ever been to before or since, to the experience of sitting house left near the speaker stack at a Stones concert. I could feel the music so deep indide, I vibrated with it. One helluva concert!
@@bkm2797 I know, right - that got a serious WTF response from me :-) conspiracies be everywhere - the depth of love between John and Yoko seems acceptable to debase even now. Very odd!
John was murdered by mark Chapman. I’ve always heard Yoko had something to do with the breakup of the Beatles. I heard Linda and Yoko bickered all the time which caused a rift between Paul and John.
Importantly for context, this live version does not include the final line of the album version - "I'll tell you one time - you're to blame". Reportedly Jagger wrote this after reading "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov which challenged soviet citizens beliefs towards religion by condemning their own behaviour in history.
I saw The Stones in concert in New Orleans, Louisiana, back in the 70's! There were 120,000 people in the Super Dome and they gave a great show! Still have my ticket stub .... $15! Mick Jagger's still going strong!!! Two of my old favorites are Time Is On My Side and As Tears Go By! They've got a treasure trove of great music!!! At one time, the radio stations banned their song, Let's Spend The Night Together! They finally gave in and we all know the rest of the story! LOL
A good preacher could turn this song into a sermon. Many people say Satan doesn't exist, but this song shows that he's been with us for a long, long time. He's telling you that if you're not prepared Satan can consume you. Have the whole armor of God on when you confront the evil one.
John Lennon and Yoko clapping and part of the audience is so cool. The message is simple throughout history humans have been way too evil instead of Love and Peace.
Another groundbreaking song of theirs is Painted Black. Anyone suffering a death of someone close WILL feel that song on a deep level. Absolutwly beautiful in it catharais.
Umm, just a correction here. Yoko Ono was not responsible for John Lennon's death. They were together romantically and had a son together-Sean Lennon. Yoko and John were walking from their vehicle to their home when a fan-Mark David Chapman who had gotten an autograph from John Lennon, shot John in the back twice and in the shoulder twice at close range. John Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital where he died around 11:15 p.m.(EST) on Dec. 8, 1980. Credit goes to John Lennon-Wikipedia. I was trying to make sure I got the facts correct. Yes, I skipped over some of the breakups and such but John and Yoko were back together when he was killed.
John Lennon was taken out in a hit. He had gained a real insight into some of the evil going on in Washington , especially around children and was openly talking about it. They tried all legal avenues to force him to leave the country and failed. Yoko did not force him to stay in the States and is in no way to blame him for his death. Just like Robin Williams was talking about the same things and then he just happened to "commit suicide". It is a very touchy subject and other notable people who have publicly looked into it have been suicided in the same way.
This performance of Sympathy For The Devil was from "Rock and Roll Circus," a British TV special The Stones taped in 1968 but never aired. During the performance, Jagger removes his shirt to reveal devil tattoos on his chest and arms. However, Jagger has claimed this song is about the dark side of man, not a celebration of Satanism. This sinister song perpetuated the image of the Stones as frightening bad boys, as opposed to the clean-cut Beatles. It was great marketing for the band, who got some press by implying an interest in the occult. Keith Richards said in 2002: "'Sympathy' is quite an uplifting song. It's just a matter of looking the Devil in the face. He's there all the time. I've had very close contact with Lucifer - I've met him several times. Evil - people tend to bury it and hope it sorts itself out and doesn't rear its ugly head. 'Sympathy For The Devil' is just as appropriate now, with 9/11. There it is again, big time. When that song was written, it was a time of turmoil. It was the first sort of international chaos since World War II. And confusion is not the ally of peace and love. You want to think the world is perfect. Everybody gets sucked into that. And as America has found out to its dismay, you can't hide. You might as well accept the fact that evil is there and deal with it any way you can. Sympathy for the Devil is a song that says, Don't forget him. If you confront him, then he's out of a job."
You were ALMOST there when you said they were giving the devil "too much credit" because "we have free will and choice." When you said that I was like "EXACTLY!" you got it. The song has that title because he's saying the devil is deserving of some sympathy for taking on the sins and blame of so many supposedly god fearing people throughout history. He gives example after exempt of MAN causing evil yet blaming the devil for the evils of war and suffering. I've always felt that this song was genius for pointing out the hypocrisy of mankind. The lyrics paint an image of the devil being like "How about you show some sympathy for laying the nastiness of your evil deeds on me, y'all know who was responsible." *holds mirror up in mankind's face* The devil has never had to do more then one thing to spread evil throughout history. That thing is now, and always has been, to "offer temptation" to man. And we have gleefully ran with it from there. As for your having a bit of a freak out over his taking off his shirt and revealing the "fake tatts" . YES, it was done for shock value and no he had never had them on his body. The was no cult, those" cultish outfits" were literally just the style, that part was fk'ing hilarious. Today doing something like that on the tv screen wouldn't cause people to even bat an eye but back then? Well, that was putting the entire performance/filming at risk of being tossed in the trash bin and never being aired. At that point in time our supposedly "free" governments had so much power, influence and muscle to flex than today because the People held so much more trust and belief in it than today. Considering how easy it was to "disappear" troublemakers dank them compared to now, they were brave to kick sand in the faces of so many powerful people. After all, governments being responsible for so much pain suffering and death the last thing they wanted was to have a mirror held up so the fact that this performance wasn't erased from history is actually the most shocking thing to me. Don't let YOUR fears trigger you AKA, don't be a brittle snowflake. The Stones certainly weren't holding devil worship ceremonies in dungeons somewhere. And even if they were? Who cares,? they shit is on them. Their religious beliefs hold no more power and influence over you and me than they would if they were worshipping any other God, Saviour or Saint. When was the last time you learned the religion of a great performer or idol of yours? And how many times did it convince you to switch your faith?
Two things: the weird outfits of the audience were not "the style" people wore in the 60's, they were ponchos given to the audience members to provide colour; and your point about the powers that be and their anger at the power of music in the UK then WAS focused on the Rolling Stones in particular; it's alleged that drugs were planted by police and that they were tipped off on when to bust the band. If you want to see a VERY interesting film about that time & these issues, it's called "Privilege".
@@MarthaAWellman Yes it was an orchestrated event with clothing provided for the performance where ponchos were distributed. You might find it hard to believe but I honestly paid no attention to them. Not sure why, but I thought he was referring to the clothing others were wearing in the audience who weren't donning them, not that I hadn't seen colorful ponchos a thousand times in various settings back then...but true, it would need to be orchestrated for so many to be present. I find it hilarious that I somehow/for some reason tuned their presence out. Not sure what that says about my subconscious take on the performance but it is what it is. Regarding the planting of drugs in the Stones. At that time the entire culture from performers with any form of celebrity to the average Hippie or Black Panther in society, they were ALL targets of various governments in one way or another. They represented revolution at the time. Perhaps the saddest thing of all is what so many of those young, rebellious youths turned into as they aged.....Close minded, fearful/fear-filled, easily scared and led masses screaming "get off my lawn" or "not in my backyard." Essentially becoming everything they supposedly hated in their youth. I would find a documentary covering how exactly something like that happened. Perhaps titled "How the powers that be quelled and converted an entire generation of Rebels." It would serve as a great warning lesson to any generation attempting to bring about similar change upon the world.
BPs heavily christian upbringing has done him a HUGE disservice when it comes to music. His parents filled his head with all the "Rock is devilmusic" nonsense and is deeply rooted in him.... He has a tendency to look for demons in metal and rock music.... -I am secretly waiting for the day he comes across the black metal music of norway and get to learn about Burzum and the churchburnings and killings... he is gonna freak out over that one! LOL
This song is used brilliantly in a Denzel Washington/John Goodman movie called The Fallen. It's almost like it was written for the soundtrack. Love Mick!! Thanks for reacting!
the stones music is a rabbit hole of all sorts ,,,not just a rock band ,,,just a real BAND, grunge hell that was the stones,,blues their first love, country, gospel , ballads and jazz (charlie), ..iconic and fashioanble , they drove a generation and still going,,60 years +....been a fan for 55 of them. dude is berating the devil for having infuences on all the early bad times...Jagger always is a showmen and you see how he takes his performances to the top,,...def not devil worshippers :), cheers
I like the song. It's not about satanism - I interpret it is as a view of the devil as being evil as it manifests through people's actions. I was a Rolling Stones fan and I assure you I was not a satanist (and neither was anyone else I knew who also loved the Stones). We blame the devil when it is the complexity of human beings we'd be better looking at.
I grew up listening to country music, rock and roll, southern rock, classical, soul, funk, pop, jazz…and the Stones were my favorite from the time I was about 7 years old. I sang the songs and danced, and I also sang and danced to Elvis gospel songs. None of the “sex and drugs and rock and roll” made me do anything bad (never even smoked)…but I loved the music, all of it. Making this song, or this band, or this genre a boogeyman for the bad things that people do is exactly what this song is about. We are all responsible for our actions.
I think the biggest misconception about rock bands, is that they are all about party & women, when in actuality a majority of them had very deep lyrics & meaning to their songs, but back in the day, there had to have double & triple entendre's to avoid being censored on the radio......some other songs you might like to check out by the stones are, Paint it black, I can't get no satisfaction, You can't always get what you want, & Brown Sugar 😊 I can see where you get the cultish thing, but I think if you look a little more into their catalog, you will see they are far from that, and when I heard Mick Jaggar talk about this song, it's meaning was, that the sympathy for devil because he keeps getting blamed for the things that humans do........
This I believe is how persons blame Satan too much for their actions like they don’t have free will. It’s like old saying the devil made me do it. The people are not cult members just rock fans.
Tell that to those who have had an NDE experience, they will tell you we are given free will, so forget what the Bible says. No excuses, we are spiritual beings having a human experience, we alone are responsible for our behavior!
user LOL, so you're telling me the Bible is🤣, who wrote it, a bunch of men serving up a bunch of Patriarchal Religious Dogma! I believe those who have had an NDE, plus I believe our real history and the Bible's tales are not at all about what you've been brainwashed to believe.
The last lines say it all. Balance of good and evil. He basically says, If you meet me have some respect, but remember what you were taught and avoid me or I will take your soul and lay it to waste and ruin.
I really like the point the Stones were making in the lyrics that we blame the devil for man's evil plus telling it from the perspective from the Devil was interesting. Also the music to this one is great!
Yoko had nothing to do with John's death. They genuinely loved each other. John let Yoko sing on several recordings, and if you ever heard her sing, you know he had to love her insanely bad to intentionally record her singing.
The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956
I found the Stones with their hit Miss You. I was in high school and my dad wouldn’t let me go to their concert. I had so many of their albums. I’ve always loved Mick’s voice. Amazed they are still around, RIP Charlie Watts.
Actually a Russian novel "Master and Margarita" served as a big inspiration for this song. It was given to Mick Jagger by his girlfriend at the time and he loved it. Highly recommend you read it, amazing book.
The point is with all our free choice these are the things we have done with it and it's always blamed on him,so have sympathy for the devil because after all it was you and me. This is how I have always viewed it.
My all-time favourite Stones song, best thing they've ever written. Great choice, and great video as always, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of your reactions, as well as the appreciation for a great performance like this one. Got me rocking at my desk - much love from Canada!
I never really "got" this song, because I didn't know the lyrics. First time I have heard the song and gotten to read the lyrics along with it? Thank you.Good Luck and God Bless.
Wikipedia-Sympathy for the Devil" is credited to Jagger and Richards, though the song was largely a Jagger composition. The working title of the song was "The Devil Is My Name", having earlier been called "Fallen Angels". Jagger sings in first person narrative as the Devil, who boasts of his role in each of several historical atrocities and repeatedly asks the listener to "guess my name." The singer demands the listener's courtesy towards him, implicitly chastising the listeners for their collective culpability in the listed killings and crimes. In the 2012 documentary Crossfire Hurricane, Jagger stated that his influence for the song came from Baudelaire and from the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita (which had just appeared in English translation in 1967). The book was given to Jagger by Marianne Faithfull and she confirmed the inspiration in an interview with Sylvie Simmons for the magazine Mojo in 2005
In their 80's and still going strong. They released a new album last October. Had a great video hit on it. As to this song, it's pure sarcasm! As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
"Beast of Burden" is one of my fave Stones songs but this one holds a lot of teenaged memories for me, and im not that much younger than you lol. I just wasnt stuck in a musical box back then, because of the people around me. The writing in this is iconic.
Keep the Faith Brother... I appreciate your commentary. The evil is everywhere, we must be strong. Our faith is everything, they can take everything from me, but so long as I have my faith, I am that much stronger. I grew up knowing about this song. Never really cared for it. My personal favorite by The Stones is Waiting on a friend. Bright Blessings on you and yours. Please protect your children as your parents did you. I made sure my kids only got the songs of theirs that I deemed safe. My youngest being your age. I hated to be the censor, but I do believe their is a time and Place for everything. Just be you.... and your daughter is beautiful!!! What a proud Papa you must be!!
Yeah. that was John Lennon, and tons of other famous musicians from that time. This was recorded at the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, which was a concert were many of the best bands and artists in Britain all performed (one or two songs each) including some strange supergroups that only performed there and never anywhere else (like The Dirty Mack). The album is really good and filled with cool live versions of songs :)
"Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer" Each person can be influenced at a particular moment to serve the Lucifer whims in the song. A good cop compelled to do something at that moment, a sinner doing a saint's work, etc. "As heads is tails" shows how it can go one way or the other, and this Lucifer can be the tipping point, depending.
As you noted, one thing I DO like about this song is that evil does NOT show up like a childish Disney cartoon. No it dresses well, it's often rich, polite, and smiles. It's seductive, it's disguised, it uses noble words to mask deceit. It tells you what you want to hear.
"The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov (which was banned in Russia) and had just been published in English in 1967, was the influence for the lyrics for this song. It is a great novel and very intriguing.
The Rolling Stones debuted in 1964 after The Beatles... they felt that The Beatles were perceived as the 'good boys' of rock n' roll... So, The Rolling Stones assumed the role of the 'bad boys' of rock n' roll in the 60's... But the 2 bands were friends (John Lennon can be seen in this 1968 footage) ... It was also one of the last performances of original guitarist Brian Jones (who was playing the maracas on this track) who was out of the Rolling Stones by 1969 and was found that year drowned in his own swimming pool. The original Rolling Stones was seen here - Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards & Brian Jones (guitars), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums) ...Their original songs were mostly written by Jagger and Richards (including 'Sympathy for the devil') As far as the lyrical content of 'Sympathy for the devil'... Mick Jagger (vocals) was assuming the role of the devil as a figure who is attending a high society party and boasting of his achievements to the partygoers... The message is basically - "Do you recognize evil when you see it? Or will you remain oblivious and let it in?" It had nothing to do w/ devil worship or being in a cult... It was simply, "You will recognize me if you know my past deeds and what I'm capable of..." This song has been covered by a lot of artists, including Guns N' Roses... and Motorhead. The Rolling Stones made songs like this to freak people out and we now know that the band members were a lot of things... but not devil worshippers. They were more interested in getting laid... or doing drugs back in the day... In your case, you are just freaked out because of the act and imagery... This was a performance w/ the visuals to make it colorful... hence, the costumes... But the movie it was intended for (titled "Rock n' Roll Circus") was not released until 1996. The Rolling Stones admitted that they played the role of "bad boys" to perfection... and they were a handful - drinking, partying, womanizing, doing drugs... But The Beatles were also indulging in the same vices and nobody called them out on it. Lemmy of Motorhead said that he saw both bands back in the day and The Beatles were the real 'bad boys' but they had the squeaky clean image that was marketed to this day... The Beatles were from Liverpool, which was a hard area full of brawlers to grow up in... while The Rolling Stones were proper boys from London who were art school students. Late guitarist Brian Jones was the only true 'bad boy' in the band... (Late) Drummer Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones was always dressed impeccably before he appeared in public. The fact that the Rolling Stones are the biggest live band today speaks to their legacy of music since the 60's.
Brian Jones may have been the "baddest" of the boys, but he came from one of the most proper, uptight, conformist towns in England, unlike the others who grew up in or near London.
One of my fav songs from one of my fav Stones albums. Since no one else mentioned it, I feel the need to remind folks that one of our Presidential candidates here in the USA would start his huge rallies with this song playing. He would then walk out on the state and bask in the applause of his adoring fans/cult. Fortunately he can no longer use/abuse Sympathy For the Devil to get the crowd fired up. There are some things money and power can't buy.
More Stones for you........... "Beast of Burden", "Start Me Up", "Waiting on a Friend", "Miss You", "Paint it Black", "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "Angie", "GIMME SHELTER", "Honky Tonk Women", "Emotional Rescue", "Under My Thumb""..... just to name a FEW. IF YOU WANT MORE ..... do "Gimme Shelter (Official Lyric Video)"...its about the Vietnam War and was done DURING the War. Very impactful then and today.
A real history lesson here. The lyrics aren't glorifying the devil, just pointing out that humans are responsible for these evil events. The Stones were not "demonic." This was at the Rock and Roll Circus; that's why they were dressed that way. Other artists present included John Lennon and The Who.
I was wondering if anyone noticed John and Yoko
Eric Clapton was also there.
They are a UK group with a UK audience. The chances are that no one there was even thinking about good and evil or demons or possession before or after hearing this. Religion in the UK is far more laid back than in the USA.
@@martinconnelly1473 Yes, absolutely. Lighten up, reactor.
@@LonghopeBro-ju6jl They noticed John, tried not to notice Yoko, lol.
Without doubt the greatest rock band in the history of music. Its not even up for debate.
Gonna see them again next year in the Uk. I am 75 now, I never thought they would still be rocking in their late 70's but they are.
Absolute Legends !!
This song is summarized by "We shouted out who killed the Kennedy's, when after all it was you and me". That's the whole point of the song. Lucifer is our scapegoat. Always has been. The Devil made me do it is the oldest excuse in the world.
The most accurate comment on here!
"We"is a little too broad, but it was evil human beings that killed him.
"The Devil made me do it is the oldest excuse in the world."
Compared to humanity, Christianity really hasn't been around THAT long... so I doubt your claim.
@@derGhebbet oh picky picky 😀
Same as parents never get credit for raising their kids well, instead people thank God and the church and government for policing right and wrong.
But my main peeve is people thanking God and attributing success to prayer. I ended up being banned from a local community bulletin board app over an incident that happened last summer. A little girl was abducted from her campsite nearby my home and literally hundreds of people came from different states and even Canada to help track down this little girl. There were also lawyers volunteering their services and investigators searching through video tape and Records to try to figure out who took her. All of their hard work paid off and she was recovered traumatized but uninjured. I went ballistic on a woman who went on the app and said she thanked God for answering her prayers. I explained to her the cold hard facts that while she was on her knees saying prayers to God there were hundreds of people out there actually doing something about the missing girl and it had nothing to do with god. And her thanking a God for answering her prayers, giving that much power to imagining something in your mind rather than actually physically going out and making something happen just exploded my brain. Prayer is what people do to make themselves feel better about doing nothing and as has been said, gives a scapegoat to shift blame to when doing nothing is rewarded with nothing. If a person thinks through a problem while in the throes of praying and the decision that they come to end up being a failure they can blame God instead of taking credit for the consequences of Their Own actions.
the Rolling Stones have released 31 studio albums, 13 live albums, 28 compilation albums, 3 extended plays, 122 singles, 31 box sets, 51 video albums, 2 video box sets and 77 music videos. Throughout their career, they have sold over[1] 200 million records worldwide
He's saying basically that it's us that give "Lucifer" The power.. he's recalling The horrific moments in history because we as mere humans can't fathom anything other thana demonic force that caused these people to do the things they did.. because we can't even come close to understanding something that evil.. the devil will always have power as long as we continue to give it credit for the deeds of evil men.
Maybe the devil is yahweh see Gnosticism
@@JamesDimond-l7uThat’s a provocative, but dangerously over-simplistic reductive proposition to leave hanging. It’s definitely worth having a good-faith discussion on this topic… but in a more appropriate forum.
Don’t over analyze it’s a song not a sermon LOL…the Devil is in the mirror.
@@JamesDimond-l7u :D After 70 years considering the question of "gods" in general, I get the impression that "man" modeled his "gods" after himself and *not* the other way around. It's just a thought...
@@JamesDimond-l7u Anunnaki.
Brilliant song by The Rolling Stones.
The song is written from the Devil’s perspective. He’s saying “you humans commit these atrocities then blame me, WTF?”
This ⬆️ You summed up the song perfectly! Thank you! Humans don't need the devil to be evil - they're evil all on their own account.
Spot on summation! We’re all fallen and dammed, Christ calls us to repent for salvation. Yet we continually sin and often, in our fallen state, fail to take responsibility for our action but rather blame others.
That as well but he is "offing" al the evil.
Need I say more? No! How many songs are there about the “Crossroads? Same thing! Plus this is a damn good song!
I always interpreted it as meaning that the devil was behind all these evil things that men have done throughout history, and how can people not have noticed it?
Context is everything. This was when rock‘n‘roll was dangerous, relevant and thought provoking. Jagger made a statement. No place for gods or devils. We are all Lucifer. Clever guy.
People were against rock music because they didn't like the way it made them think about how WE'RE the problem, not a supernatural enemy.
I love old school metal, but some bands did delve into the supernatural and The bands admit this themselves
@@joeykopackabsolutely
well said!
@@joeykopack just because they dabbled doesn't mean it's real. I reiterate, humanity is the problem, not demonic influence.
@@TheDopekitty You can believe what you want, some of the artist believe it's real, that's why they do it. I chose to follow Christ. I think most metal bands are not evil, I love Black Sabbath, I was always told they were evil, no way I said, just read the lyrics, (see the song After Forever) most of their songs are warnings of evil, not worship, some bands, not many, worship the Father of Lies, just read the lyrics.
I so appreciate a young guy appreciating our old original rock! Thanks!
He's saying don't give the devil all the credit. When in reality it's man that's just as evil.
yes, same with ole goddy boy. it's ridiculously silly that people believe in these caricatures.
@@EmmaBadOneyep, when they say the devil made me do it. It’s not the devil
, it’s man that’s evil!
There is no devil, is the point. Conversely, no god exists, either.
@@ramblerdave1339 All man-made and it definitely shows that it is the invention of a creature - man - that is half-a-chromosome away from a chimp.
The devil only presents temptations to us based on our desires for power, wealth and women. We are the ones who act upon those temptations and commit the atrocities chasing after those desires.
The Devil is in all of us, and we create the evil. This is one of the best Stones songs ever!
We all are born into sin. Which is why God gave us a way out - to escape the fate of that fact. 🙏
"who killed the Kennedys? It was you and me" - Very controversial in 1968.
as was the Vietnam war, Bunch right Christians bombed the shit out of a third world country and for what? It's played out today in Ukraine.
LBJ AND THE DEMOCRATS KILLED JOHN KENNEDY AND ROBERT KENNEDY
Yes, especially because it wasn't "you nor me" anyway!!! A set-up game...
There's a story that the Stones were recording this song just before Robert Kennedy was shot - so they changed the line from "killed John Kennedy" to "killed the Kennedys" . . .
When he's saying have some courtesy and sympathy, he's referring to respecting and understanding that good can't exist without evil.
Cops are criminals and sinners saints IMO is about how some masquerade as law abiding or godly but their hearts don't always have the best intentions and that all are tempted to do evil by him.
" You can't always get what you want " is another Stones masterpiece.
Mick Jagger is a very educated man. The novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov was his inspiration for this song. The original title was "The devil is my name", meant to be, like the book, a story about good and evil. While recording the song, all members of the band brought in their thoughts, like life isn't that easy. There were discussions like - when a president or king starts a war, who is to blame for all the killing, the president/king or the soldier who pulled the trigger? And at the end it is "you and me". Where two fight, two are to blame, and good isn't always good and evil not always evil. In France and in Russia, royals were killed because they lived in "wealth and good taste" while the rest of the country was starving. Who's the real devil in this? I guess the only right answer is -look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Hope you guess my name".
This book was about Stalinism in Russia. The devil appeared in Moscow and it turned out that the evil of this system was so great that even the devil seemed good against the background of the grim reality. I have read this book many times.
Just finished re-reading 'The Master and Margarita" I admit it was over my head in my 40s but at 67 I laughed my a$$ off.
Fantastic book!
One of the greatest rock songs ever by the greatest rock band ever!
One of the greatest songs ever written
One of my favorites is "Waiting on a Friend" it's so iconic NYC in the 70's. They have tons of great songs that's why they're icons! "Angie" , "Wild Horses"
This song, and 'Paint it Black' are my favorite Rolling Stones songs. Both are on my permanent play lists.
Paint it Black is one of those songs that immediately gets the "pump up the volume" treatment. Reminds me of Friday night tv watching w/my mom. It was the intro song for the VietNam centeted show Tour of Duty
A classic by the Rolling Stones. This banger was released in 1968 and still relevant today.
I've always assumed that this song means we should have sympathy for the devil because he keeps getting blamed for the things that people do.
That is how I looked at it too!
That is what it is.
The devil saying.
Hey!
It's you humans that have done it all, then blamed him.
That's a great summery
Exactly!
💯
The song is brilliant.
It's about mankind.
We advance and expand.
Good and evil just remains.
It's songs like this that scared the hell out of the "older" generation in the 60's and the reason they hated the Rolling Stones.......side note: the song basically describes the evil that. man does and blames rhe devil for it...
The Rolling Stones formed 2 years after The Beatles and came to America during the British Invasion with the likes of The Who, Herman's Hermits, The Hollies and Dusty Springfield in 1964.
Black Pegasus, I am a 71y/o white woman, Christian, who is glad she stumbled upon your videos. I grew up with great R&R, and it's so nice to see how balanced you are and how you love your family. You have great instincts about this song. The devil doesn't dress in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork and announce himself. He's a subtle liar.
He's got wealth and taste, after all 😅
You missed the point of the song. It’s humans who are responsible for committing acts of evil and depravity, not an entity.
@@samanthasabbath3745don’t kid yourself. most people are heavily influenced by satan
For the rock genre this is my number 1 favorite band and one of my favorite songs of theirs although they have TONS worthy of reacting to. I was born in 80 and the 70s music was heavy in my life early on. Love your reaction and variety of music ❤
"The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus," was a concert filmed on a makeshift circus stage in December 1968. The show, hosted by and featuring the Rolling Stones, also included performances from a number of famous acts of the time, and was intended for British television. Although recording of the performances began at about 2 pm on 11 December 1968, the production time was lengthy. So, the final performances took place at about 5 am on the 12th. By then, the audience and most of the Rolling Stones were exhausted. It was only due to Mick Jagger's sheer enthusiasm and stamina, and director Michael Lindsay-Hogg's patience and encouragement, that they kept going until the end.
The Rolling Stones were the final act on the bill, and were introduced by John Lennon. Their set included "Jumping Jack Flash", "Parachute Woman", "No Expectations", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Sympathy for the Devil", and "Salt of the Earth".
Unfortunately, Jagger was reportedly so disappointed with his and the band's performance that he cancelled the airing of the film, and kept it from public view. Btw, it was Brian Jones' last appearance with the Rolling Stones; he drowned some seven months later while the film was being edited....RIP
The film was eventually released commercially almost 28 years later in October 1996.
The standout performance was, inevitably, The Who. If you haven't watched A Quick One While He's Away from this concert then you SIMPLY MUST.
It's also the only place you can see Tony Iommi playing with Jethro Tull.
One of the best performances was by Taj Mahal with Jesse Ed Davis, all of the acts were enamored with Jesse Ed and his guitar skills
@@freddyfleal Apparently Iommi had so little time with Jethro Tull that the guitar playing you heard was actually that of Mick Abrahams as the band mimed to a recording for much of their performance while Anderson sang.
@@freddyfleal I was just about to mention that. You got it right. That was my favorite part of the billing. And became a fan of Jethro Tull. Funny story about Jethro Tull was their first single released on on a forty five , had their name wrong on the inner label . It had their name as Jethro Toe and from what i heard , around four hundred got released to the public. That number is still in question though. .
I just watched the Rolling Stones in concert last night in all places Ridgedale, Missouri and Thunder Ridge Nature Arena. It is the last stop of the U.S Tour and not in the Hackney Diamond '24 tour schedule. The warm up was Samantha Fish who is absolutely amazing but the Stones blew me away with the energy of their performance and just having fun on stage jamming. Mick Jagger is 80 years old and his moves was on point. Keith Richards was WOW!!!! Ron Wood was ripping his Guitar.
Mate. The devil is saying "give a guy a break". I'm not the one to blame for these tragedies. It's all you guys.
The Rolling Stones has to be the Kings of Rock music .They have been playing for about 60years .
This is possibly my favorite Stones song. It is thought provoking, disturbing, and brilliant.
Enjoy your Rolling Stone journey, it is a hell of a ride.
your daughter coming in was such a cute and precious moment. i wish all the best to you and your beautiful family. love your reactions
❤
Reminds me of a long time ago, I was 16-years old (more or less) delivering newspapers, and the article on the Entertainment page announced a Rolling Stones tour coming to town, and commented about how long Mick Jagger might be able to keep rocking, since he was already the ripe old age of 36 years old!
My favorite Stones song is "Gimme Shelter." The story surrounding the background singer Merry Clayton is crazy. You gotta listen to this track.
Mine too. Let it Bleed, masterpiece.
Gimme Shelter and You Can't Always Get What You Want are my favorite Stones songs.
The lyric video for it is great.
I forget her name sometimes. But every now and then I look it up and tell friends of mine, "what person's voice have we all heard and no one knows the name of the singer?" Then I say Merry Clayton and the song Gimme Shelter and everyone agrees after hearing that.
For sure but have you heard the new one Chanel Haynes she’s amazing!
You can see what inspired Don Mclean to write this part of American Pie:
"So, come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died"
'him' on stage being Mick Jagger singing his 'satanic' music while one of the Hell's Angels stabbed and killed a man in the crowd.
The key line is "Who killed the Kennedys, when after all it was you and me" indicating that the devil is in all of us and we are all capable of committing evil acts.
I saw The Stones in the 70’s. Jagger wore a Superman cape. I always judge every concert I've ever been to before or since, to the experience of sitting house left near the speaker stack at a Stones concert. I could feel the music so deep indide, I vibrated with it. One helluva concert!
Yoko had nothing to do with John Lennons death. They were actually married. John was murdered by a psychotic fan. A great loss to the music world.
Yoko was responsible for the death of the Beatles.
Who said Yoko had anything to do with Lennon's murder? Never heard that before.
Chapman was likely a CIA stooge. Try Phil Strongman's book, "John Lennon, Life Times and Assassination."
@@bkm2797 I know, right - that got a serious WTF response from me :-) conspiracies be everywhere - the depth of love between John and Yoko seems acceptable to debase even now. Very odd!
John was murdered by mark Chapman. I’ve always heard Yoko had something to do with the breakup of the Beatles. I heard Linda and Yoko bickered all the time which caused a rift between Paul and John.
Young Mick, one of the best frontmen ever.
“Lay your soul to waste, not rest. My favorite song, favorite performance.
Slight difference....
I love The Stones! Great lyrics from talented poets!
Importantly for context, this live version does not include the final line of the album version - "I'll tell you one time - you're to blame". Reportedly Jagger wrote this after reading "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov which challenged soviet citizens beliefs towards religion by condemning their own behaviour in history.
This last line kind of sums up my comment appreciate you commenting this 👍🏻
I saw The Stones in concert in New Orleans, Louisiana, back in the 70's! There were 120,000 people in the Super Dome and they gave a great show! Still have my ticket stub .... $15! Mick Jagger's still going strong!!! Two of my old favorites are Time Is On My Side and As Tears Go By! They've got a treasure trove of great music!!! At one time, the radio stations banned their song, Let's Spend The Night Together! They finally gave in and we all know the rest of the story! LOL
This is an old favorite. Looking back, we were so lucky to hear this stuff when it came out new ...
A good preacher could turn this song into a sermon. Many people say Satan doesn't exist, but this song shows that he's been with us for a long, long time. He's telling you that if you're not prepared Satan can consume you. Have the whole armor of God on when you confront the evil one.
John Lennon and Yoko clapping and part of the audience is so cool. The message is simple throughout history humans have been way too evil instead of Love and Peace.
Another groundbreaking song of theirs is Painted Black. Anyone suffering a death of someone close WILL feel that song on a deep level. Absolutwly beautiful in it catharais.
My brother and his band have opened for the Stones for the last three years. It is the highlight of their aspirations.
Ghost Hounds?
@@deborahgough8523 Have you been to one of the concerts?
@@nancymunroe3672 yes,. They were great.
This is dirty rock and roll, rolling down in the blood, gut and beer, ya got to love it.
Umm, just a correction here. Yoko Ono was not responsible for John Lennon's death. They were together romantically and had a son together-Sean Lennon. Yoko and John were walking from their vehicle to their home when a fan-Mark David Chapman who had gotten an autograph from John Lennon, shot John in the back twice and in the shoulder twice at close range. John Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital where he died around 11:15 p.m.(EST) on Dec. 8, 1980. Credit goes to John Lennon-Wikipedia. I was trying to make sure I got the facts correct. Yes, I skipped over some of the breakups and such but John and Yoko were back together when he was killed.
Had been married for over a decade.
@@TheKatdawg65 If she hadnt got him to go back to her, he wouldn't of been in New York.....
John Lennon was taken out in a hit. He had gained a real insight into some of the evil going on in Washington , especially around children and was openly talking about it. They tried all legal avenues to force him to leave the country and failed. Yoko did not force him to stay in the States and is in no way to blame him for his death. Just like Robin Williams was talking about the same things and then he just happened to "commit suicide". It is a very touchy subject and other notable people who have publicly looked into it have been suicided in the same way.
Bad mojo. She was full of it.
He isn't justifying the devil; he's pointing him out.
This performance of Sympathy For The Devil was from "Rock and Roll Circus," a British TV special The Stones taped in 1968 but never aired. During the performance, Jagger removes his shirt to reveal devil tattoos on his chest and arms. However, Jagger has claimed this song is about the dark side of man, not a celebration of Satanism. This sinister song perpetuated the image of the Stones as frightening bad boys, as opposed to the clean-cut Beatles. It was great marketing for the band, who got some press by implying an interest in the occult.
Keith Richards said in 2002: "'Sympathy' is quite an uplifting song. It's just a matter of looking the Devil in the face. He's there all the time. I've had very close contact with Lucifer - I've met him several times. Evil - people tend to bury it and hope it sorts itself out and doesn't rear its ugly head. 'Sympathy For The Devil' is just as appropriate now, with 9/11. There it is again, big time. When that song was written, it was a time of turmoil. It was the first sort of international chaos since World War II. And confusion is not the ally of peace and love. You want to think the world is perfect. Everybody gets sucked into that. And as America has found out to its dismay, you can't hide. You might as well accept the fact that evil is there and deal with it any way you can. Sympathy for the Devil is a song that says, Don't forget him. If you confront him, then he's out of a job."
Very well said.
Speaking of the Beatles, spied John Lennon dancing to this.
The stones are fantastic song writers and have written many and sung by many others. ❤
You were ALMOST there when you said they were giving the devil "too much credit" because "we have free will and choice." When you said that I was like "EXACTLY!" you got it.
The song has that title because he's saying the devil is deserving of some sympathy for taking on the sins and blame of so many supposedly god fearing people throughout history.
He gives example after exempt of MAN causing evil yet blaming the devil for the evils of war and suffering.
I've always felt that this song was genius for pointing out the hypocrisy of mankind. The lyrics paint an image of the devil being like "How about you show some sympathy for laying the nastiness of your evil deeds on me, y'all know who was responsible." *holds mirror up in mankind's face*
The devil has never had to do more then one thing to spread evil throughout history. That thing is now, and always has been, to "offer temptation" to man. And we have gleefully ran with it from there.
As for your having a bit of a freak out over his taking off his shirt and revealing the "fake tatts" .
YES, it was done for shock value and no he had never had them on his body. The was no cult, those" cultish outfits" were literally just the style, that part was fk'ing hilarious.
Today doing something like that on the tv screen wouldn't cause people to even bat an eye but back then? Well, that was putting the entire performance/filming at risk of being tossed in the trash bin and never being aired. At that point in time our supposedly "free" governments had so much power, influence and muscle to flex than today because the People held so much more trust and belief in it than today. Considering how easy it was to "disappear" troublemakers dank them compared to now, they were brave to kick sand in the faces of so many powerful people.
After all, governments being responsible for so much pain suffering and death the last thing they wanted was to have a mirror held up so the fact that this performance wasn't erased from history is actually the most shocking thing to me.
Don't let YOUR fears trigger you AKA, don't be a brittle snowflake. The Stones certainly weren't holding devil worship ceremonies in dungeons somewhere. And even if they were? Who cares,? they shit is on them. Their religious beliefs hold no more power and influence over you and me than they would if they were worshipping any other God, Saviour or Saint. When was the last time you learned the religion of a great performer or idol of yours? And how many times did it convince you to switch your faith?
Two things: the weird outfits of the audience were not "the style" people wore in the 60's, they were ponchos given to the audience members to provide colour; and your point about the powers that be and their anger at the power of music in the UK then WAS focused on the Rolling Stones in particular; it's alleged that drugs were planted by police and that they were tipped off on when to bust the band. If you want to see a VERY interesting film about that time & these issues, it's called "Privilege".
@@MarthaAWellman Yes it was an orchestrated event with clothing provided for the performance where ponchos were distributed. You might find it hard to believe but I honestly paid no attention to them. Not sure why, but I thought he was referring to the clothing others were wearing in the audience who weren't donning them, not that I hadn't seen colorful ponchos a thousand times in various settings back then...but true, it would need to be orchestrated for so many to be present.
I find it hilarious that I somehow/for some reason tuned their presence out. Not sure what that says about my subconscious take on the performance but it is what it is.
Regarding the planting of drugs in the Stones. At that time the entire culture from performers with any form of celebrity to the average Hippie or Black Panther in society, they were ALL targets of various governments in one way or another. They represented revolution at the time.
Perhaps the saddest thing of all is what so many of those young, rebellious youths turned into as they aged.....Close minded, fearful/fear-filled, easily scared and led masses screaming "get off my lawn" or "not in my backyard." Essentially becoming everything they supposedly hated in their youth. I would find a documentary covering how exactly something like that happened. Perhaps titled "How the powers that be quelled and converted an entire generation of Rebels."
It would serve as a great warning lesson to any generation attempting to bring about similar change upon the world.
I was right there with your assessment...like he got this...nope...visually slipping away....DAMN
BPs heavily christian upbringing has done him a HUGE disservice when it comes to music. His parents filled his head with all the "Rock is devilmusic" nonsense and is deeply rooted in him.... He has a tendency to look for demons in metal and rock music....
-I am secretly waiting for the day he comes across the black metal music of norway and get to learn about Burzum and the churchburnings and killings... he is gonna freak out over that one! LOL
This song is used brilliantly in a Denzel Washington/John Goodman movie called The Fallen. It's almost like it was written for the soundtrack. Love Mick!! Thanks for reacting!
History is damned to repeat itself. I saw the Stones in 98. They were getting up in age then. BLEW ME AWAY!!! GOAT. Period.
I'm seeing them again next week. They still put on a great show!
They are timeless, I saw them 3 times starting with the Steel Wheels tour in 89
the stones music is a rabbit hole of all sorts ,,,not just a rock band ,,,just a real BAND, grunge hell that was the stones,,blues their first love, country, gospel , ballads and jazz (charlie), ..iconic and fashioanble , they drove a generation and still going,,60 years +....been a fan for 55 of them. dude is berating the devil for having infuences on all the early bad times...Jagger always is a showmen and you see how he takes his performances to the top,,...def not devil worshippers :), cheers
I like the song. It's not about satanism - I interpret it is as a view of the devil as being evil as it manifests through people's actions. I was a Rolling Stones fan and I assure you I was not a satanist (and neither was anyone else I knew who also loved the Stones). We blame the devil when it is the complexity of human beings we'd be better looking at.
I grew up listening to country music, rock and roll, southern rock, classical, soul, funk, pop, jazz…and the Stones were my favorite from the time I was about 7 years old. I sang the songs and danced, and I also sang and danced to Elvis gospel songs. None of the “sex and drugs and rock and roll” made me do anything bad (never even smoked)…but I loved the music, all of it. Making this song, or this band, or this genre a boogeyman for the bad things that people do is exactly what this song is about. We are all responsible for our actions.
I think the biggest misconception about rock bands, is that they are all about party & women, when in actuality a majority of them had very deep lyrics & meaning to their songs, but back in the day, there had to have double & triple entendre's to avoid being censored on the radio......some other songs you might like to check out by the stones are, Paint it black, I can't get no satisfaction, You can't always get what you want, & Brown Sugar 😊 I can see where you get the cultish thing, but I think if you look a little more into their catalog, you will see they are far from that, and when I heard Mick Jaggar talk about this song, it's meaning was, that the sympathy for devil because he keeps getting blamed for the things that humans do........
Favourite Stones track ever!!😊😊❤
This I believe is how persons blame Satan too much for their actions like they don’t have free will. It’s like old saying the devil made me do it. The people are not cult members just rock fans.
Actually free will is indeed an illusion...see Romans 9:11
Tell that to those who have had an NDE experience, they will tell you we are given free will, so forget what the Bible says. No excuses, we are spiritual beings having a human experience, we alone are responsible for our behavior!
@@bkm2797 nde is no kind of Authority that holds any weight
user
LOL, so you're telling me the Bible is🤣, who wrote it, a bunch of men serving up a bunch of Patriarchal Religious Dogma! I believe those who have had an NDE, plus I believe our real history and the Bible's tales are not at all about what you've been brainwashed to believe.
The last lines say it all. Balance of good and evil. He basically says, If you meet me have some respect, but remember what you were taught and avoid me or I will take your soul and lay it to waste and ruin.
I really like the point the Stones were making in the lyrics that we blame the devil for man's evil plus telling it from the perspective from the Devil was interesting. Also the music to this one is great!
I love this Song, since the first time I listened to it
I think you’re right on with the description of this lyrics 63 years old never really knew what the song was about. Thank you BP ✌🏼
rolling stones-angie. Its such a good song. One of those songs that just lives on forever and ever.
Yoko had nothing to do with John's death. They genuinely loved each other. John let Yoko sing on several recordings, and if you ever heard her sing, you know he had to love her insanely bad to intentionally record her singing.
I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT THIS VERSION ! I AGREE 💯💯💯
The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956
I found the Stones with their hit Miss You. I was in high school and my dad wouldn’t let me go to their concert. I had so many of their albums. I’ve always loved Mick’s voice. Amazed they are still around, RIP Charlie Watts.
This is a history lesson in a musical format. The island sound mixed in is such a fantastic contrast to the lyrical content.
Being a dad is the best thing I've ever done in my life. God bless.
Man, the Stones lyrics have some serious depth. This is just one of many
Actually a Russian novel "Master and Margarita" served as a big inspiration for this song. It was given to Mick Jagger by his girlfriend at the time and he loved it. Highly recommend you read it, amazing book.
The point is with all our free choice these are the things we have done with it and it's always blamed on him,so have sympathy for the devil because after all it was you and me. This is how I have always viewed it.
Currently on tour in the US and I believe they are in LA tomorrow. Tour ends on July 21 in MO
My all-time favourite Stones song, best thing they've ever written. Great choice, and great video as always, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of your reactions, as well as the appreciation for a great performance like this one. Got me rocking at my desk - much love from Canada!
Great creativity always reaches to the edge of boundaries. This is a masterpiece.
Your baby is a beautiful blessing. ❤
I never really "got" this song, because I didn't know the lyrics. First time I have heard the song and gotten to read the lyrics along with it? Thank you.Good Luck and God Bless.
Wikipedia-Sympathy for the Devil" is credited to Jagger and Richards, though the song was largely a Jagger composition. The working title of the song was "The Devil Is My Name", having earlier been called "Fallen Angels". Jagger sings in first person narrative as the Devil, who boasts of his role in each of several historical atrocities and repeatedly asks the listener to "guess my name." The singer demands the listener's courtesy towards him, implicitly chastising the listeners for their collective culpability in the listed killings and crimes. In the 2012 documentary Crossfire Hurricane, Jagger stated that his influence for the song came from Baudelaire and from the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita (which had just appeared in English translation in 1967). The book was given to Jagger by Marianne Faithfull and she confirmed the inspiration in an interview with Sylvie Simmons for the magazine Mojo in 2005
In their 80's and still going strong. They released a new album last October. Had a great video hit on it.
As to this song, it's pure sarcasm!
As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
The guy on the bongos looked like Carl Weathers! LOLs.
"Beast of Burden" is one of my fave Stones songs but this one holds a lot of teenaged memories for me, and im not that much younger than you lol. I just wasnt stuck in a musical box back then, because of the people around me. The writing in this is iconic.
Your child is precious! What a sweet moment between the two of. you.
Keep the Faith Brother... I appreciate your commentary. The evil is everywhere, we must be strong. Our faith is everything, they can take everything from me, but so long as I have my faith, I am that much stronger. I grew up knowing about this song. Never really cared for it. My personal favorite by The Stones is Waiting on a friend. Bright Blessings on you and yours. Please protect your children as your parents did you. I made sure my kids only got the songs of theirs that I deemed safe. My youngest being your age. I hated to be the censor, but I do believe their is a time and Place for everything. Just be you.... and your daughter is beautiful!!! What a proud Papa you must be!!
Yeah. that was John Lennon, and tons of other famous musicians from that time. This was recorded at the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, which was a concert were many of the best bands and artists in Britain all performed (one or two songs each) including some strange supergroups that only performed there and never anywhere else (like The Dirty Mack).
The album is really good and filled with cool live versions of songs :)
I am from Northern Ireland and I'm Ulster Scots or as the American say Scots Irish, an your wee lassi is a beautiful young lady
The late sixties to early seventies were mental.
"I'll tell you One Time, you're to blame" That's the line that ties it all together
"Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer"
Each person can be influenced at a particular moment to serve the Lucifer whims in the song. A good cop compelled to do something at that moment, a sinner doing a saint's work, etc. "As heads is tails" shows how it can go one way or the other, and this Lucifer can be the tipping point, depending.
As you noted, one thing I DO like about this song is that evil does NOT show up like a childish Disney cartoon. No it dresses well, it's often rich, polite, and smiles. It's seductive, it's disguised, it uses noble words to mask deceit. It tells you what you want to hear.
This is from what they called The Rolling Stones Circus. John Lennon played a song with Eric Clapton a song called Yer Blues. I think you'll enjoy it.
"The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov (which was banned in Russia) and had just been published in English in 1967, was the influence for the lyrics for this song. It is a great novel and very intriguing.
The Rolling Stones debuted in 1964 after The Beatles... they felt that The Beatles were perceived as the 'good boys' of rock n' roll... So, The Rolling Stones assumed the role of the 'bad boys' of rock n' roll in the 60's... But the 2 bands were friends (John Lennon can be seen in this 1968 footage) ... It was also one of the last performances of original guitarist Brian Jones (who was playing the maracas on this track) who was out of the Rolling Stones by 1969 and was found that year drowned in his own swimming pool.
The original Rolling Stones was seen here - Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards & Brian Jones (guitars), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums) ...Their original songs were mostly written by Jagger and Richards (including 'Sympathy for the devil')
As far as the lyrical content of 'Sympathy for the devil'... Mick Jagger (vocals) was assuming the role of the devil as a figure who is attending a high society party and boasting of his achievements to the partygoers... The message is basically - "Do you recognize evil when you see it? Or will you remain oblivious and let it in?"
It had nothing to do w/ devil worship or being in a cult... It was simply, "You will recognize me if you know my past deeds and what I'm capable of..."
This song has been covered by a lot of artists, including Guns N' Roses... and Motorhead. The Rolling Stones made songs like this to freak people out and we now know that the band members were a lot of things... but not devil worshippers. They were more interested in getting laid... or doing drugs back in the day...
In your case, you are just freaked out because of the act and imagery... This was a performance w/ the visuals to make it colorful... hence, the costumes... But the movie it was intended for (titled "Rock n' Roll Circus") was not released until 1996. The Rolling Stones admitted that they played the role of "bad boys" to perfection... and they were a handful - drinking, partying, womanizing, doing drugs... But The Beatles were also indulging in the same vices and nobody called them out on it.
Lemmy of Motorhead said that he saw both bands back in the day and The Beatles were the real 'bad boys' but they had the squeaky clean image that was marketed to this day... The Beatles were from Liverpool, which was a hard area full of brawlers to grow up in... while The Rolling Stones were proper boys from London who were art school students. Late guitarist Brian Jones was the only true 'bad boy' in the band... (Late) Drummer Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones was always dressed impeccably before he appeared in public.
The fact that the Rolling Stones are the biggest live band today speaks to their legacy of music since the 60's.
Brian Jones may have been the "baddest" of the boys, but he came from one of the most proper, uptight, conformist towns in England, unlike the others who grew up in or near London.
One of my fav songs from one of my fav Stones albums. Since no one else mentioned it, I feel the need to remind folks that one of our Presidential candidates here in the USA would start his huge rallies with this song playing. He would then walk out on the state and bask in the applause of his adoring fans/cult. Fortunately he can no longer use/abuse Sympathy For the Devil to get the crowd fired up. There are some things money and power can't buy.
More Stones for you........... "Beast of Burden", "Start Me Up", "Waiting on a Friend", "Miss You", "Paint it Black", "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "Angie", "GIMME SHELTER", "Honky Tonk Women", "Emotional Rescue", "Under My Thumb""..... just to name a FEW. IF YOU WANT MORE ..... do "Gimme Shelter (Official Lyric Video)"...its about the Vietnam War and was done DURING the War. Very impactful then and today.
The Stones "Start Me Up" is a must. The Remastered 2009 version is my fav.