• Get Off of My Cloud (1965) The set-opener for the band's previous 50 and Counting tour and an interesting choice, considering Mick Jagger's lyrics centre on his aversion to the growing fame the band experienced in the mid-1960s.
• Ruby Tuesday (1967) The guitarist Keith Richards is as much a caring friend as raging rocker. Concerned with his ex-partner Linda Keith's spiral into drug abuse, he informed her parents who immediately intervened. Betrayed, Keith didn't speak to Richards for years, but was ultimately thankful as she went on to get married and have a family of her own.
• Start Me Up (1981) This rock staple began as a laid-back reggae groove. After it was first recorded in 1975, the song kept being reworked and shelved until the group settled with a straightforward rock approach.
• It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) (1974) Jagger was getting sick of the press comparing each new release to previous triumphs. The lyrics are a "please chill" message to journalists and fans: "Would it be enough for your cheating heart / If I broke down and cried?"
• Street Fighting Man (1968) As close as The Rolling Stones ever got to a straight-out protest song. Street Fighting Man was inspired by an anti-war rally Jagger attended and the May 1968 demonstrations in France. Those urgent riffs and chaotic drumming complement Jagger's lyrics: "Everywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy / 'cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street."
• Paint It Black (1966) Let's face it: what makes this a classic is the iconic sitar riff played by the Stones' former guitarist, the late Brian Jones. His fellow axeman Richards said the song began as a goofy track; it ended up sounding dark and menacing instead.
• Gimme Shelter (1969) The Rolling Stones are not always a boys' club. As this moody piece shows, the lads are open to collaborating with female singers. The gospel artist Merry Clayton all but stole the show with a powerhouse performance.
• Jumpin' Jack Flash (1968) Sometimes a raging rock song literally has its roots in idyllic beginnings. When Jagger and Richards were in the latter's house, they were wakened by the sound of the gardener Jack Dyer tending the bushes. When Jagger asked who he was, Richards apparently replied: "Oh, that's Jack. That's Jumpin' Jack."
• Brown Sugar (1971) Don't let lyrics get in the way of a good groove. Inspired by Richards' riffing, Jagger got to work, quickly writing whatever came to his mind. "God knows what I'm on about on that song," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1995. "It's such a mishmash."
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (1965) A classic of the rock canon. One wonders why Richards originally intended his signature guitar riffs to be replaced by horns.
• You Can't Always Get What You Want (1969) Trivia: on the album version, the choral accompaniment at the beginning and conclusion of this epic track is by London's Bach Choir.
• You Got Me Rocking (1994) A hit track relatively late in their career. It sounds so vital that it could have been recorded in the mid-1960s.
• Midnight Rambler (1969) An epic track about a dark subject: the Boston Strangler, who murdered 13 women in the early 1960s. Fans should rejoice, however, as during previous concerts, the former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor has been invited on stage to perform with the band.
• Emotional Rescue (1980) After more than a 30-year break, the band dusted off the song and placed it on their set-list last year. Those bemoaning the track's disco flavours should be happy The Rolling Stones were not inspired to perform it in the manner of Phish. The American jam band's take on the track goes on for more than 15 minutes.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
