The Rolling Stones is an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active… Read Full Bio ↴The Rolling Stones is an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically driven sound that came to define hard rock. Their first stable line-up consisted of vocalist Mick Jagger, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts. During their formative years, Jones was the primary leader: he assembled the band, named it, got them gigs, and drove their sound and image. After Andrew Loog Oldham became the group's manager in 1963, he encouraged them to write their own songs. Jagger and Richards became the primary creative force behind the band, alienating Jones, who had developed a drug addiction that interfered with his ability to contribute meaningfully.

Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the Rolling Stones started out playing covers and were at the forefront of the British Invasion in 1964, becoming identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They then found greater success with their own material, as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965), "Get Off of My Cloud" (1965), and "Paint It Black" (1966) became international number-one hits. Aftermath (1966) – their first entirely original album – is considered by The Daily Telegraph to be the most important of their formative records. In 1967, they had the double-sided hit "Ruby Tuesday"/"Let's Spend the Night Together" and experimented with psychedelic rock on Their Satanic Majesties Request. They returned to their rhythm and blues roots with hit songs such as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968) and "Honky Tonk Women" (1969), and albums such as Beggars Banquet (1968), featuring "Sympathy for the Devil", and Let It Bleed (1969), featuring "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Gimme Shelter". Let It Bleed was the first of five consecutive number-one albums in the UK.

Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor. That year they were first introduced on stage as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World". Sticky Fingers (1971), which yielded "Brown Sugar" and included the first usage of their tongue and lips logo, was their first of eight consecutive number-one studio albums in the US. Exile on Main St. (1972), featuring "Tumbling Dice", and Goats Head Soup (1973), yielding the hit ballad "Angie", were also best sellers. Taylor was replaced by Ron Wood in 1974. The band continued to release successful albums, including their two largest sellers: Some Girls (1978), featuring "Miss You", and Tattoo You (1981), featuring "Start Me Up". Steel Wheels (1989) was widely considered a comeback album and was followed by Voodoo Lounge (1994), a worldwide number-one album. Both releases were promoted by large stadium and arena tours, as the Stones continued to be a huge concert attraction; by 2007 they had recorded the all-time highest-grossing concert tour three times, and as recently as 2021 they were the highest-earning live act of the year. From Wyman's departure in 1993 to Watts' death in 2021, the band continued as a four-piece core, with Darryl Jones playing bass on tour and on most studio recordings, while Steve Jordan became their touring drummer following Watts' death. Their 2016 album, Blue & Lonesome, became their twelfth UK number-one album.

The Rolling Stones' estimated record sales of 200 million make them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The band has won three Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Billboard magazine and Rolling Stone have ranked the band as one of the greatest of all time.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones

Studio albums
The Rolling Stones / England's Newest Hit Makers (1964)
12 X 5 (1964)
The Rolling Stones No. 2 / The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
Out of Our Heads (1965)
December's Children (And Everybody's) (1965)
Aftermath (1966)
Between the Buttons (1967)
Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
Beggars Banquet (1968)
Let It Bleed (1969)
Sticky Fingers (1971)
Exile on Main St. (1972)
Goats Head Soup (1973)
It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974)
Black and Blue (1976)
Some Girls (1978)
Emotional Rescue (1980)
Tattoo You (1981)
Undercover (1983)
Dirty Work (1986)
Steel Wheels (1989)
Voodoo Lounge (1994)
Bridges to Babylon (1997)
A Bigger Bang (2005)
Blue & Lonesome (2016)
Hackney Diamonds (2023)

06.Street Fighting Man
The Rolling Stones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ev'rywhere I hear the sound
Of marching charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right
For fighting in the street, boy

Well now, what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock n' roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London town

There's just no place for a street fighting man, no

Hey think the time is right
For a palace revolution
But where I live the game
To play is compromise solution

Well now, what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock n' roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's just no place for a street fighting man, no. Get down.

Hey so my name is called Disturbance
I'll shout and scream
I'll kill the king, I'll rail at all his servants

Well, what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock n' roll band?
'Cause in sleepy London town

There's just no place for a street fighting man, no
Get down

Overall Meaning

The Rolling Stones's "Street Fighting Man" is a protest song that addresses issues pertinent to young people in the late 60s. It is a response to the unrest and social upheaval brought about by the Vietnam War, the rise of Black Power and Civil Rights Movement, and the global student protests. The song captures the sense of urgency, revolutionary fervor, and dissatisfaction with the status quo at the time.

The opening lines, "Ev'rywhere I hear the sound/ Of marching charging feet, boy/ 'Cause summer's here and the time is right/For fighting in the street, boy," sets the tone for the song. The singer is observing the tension and energy in the air as young people gather to protest against the injustices they see. They are ready to take to the streets and fight for their rights. However, the second verse ironically suggests that this is a futile exercise in London. The singer asks, "What can a poor boy do/ Except to sing for a rock n' roll band?/ 'Cause in sleepy London town/ There's just no place for a street fighting man." The lack of revolutionary fervor in London is a contrast to the African-American fights for civil rights in the US.

The final verse introduces "Disturbance" as a name for the singer, suggesting perhaps that he is a representative of those who want change. However, the chorus suggests that shouting and screaming won't be enough. They will have to compromise, as "there's just no place for a street fighting man" in London. The song conveys the urgency for change and the frustration that comes with it, but it also recognizes the limitations of violent rebellion in a liberal democratic society.

Line by Line Meaning

Ev'rywhere I hear the sound
The sound of marching charging feet is everywhere

'Cause summer's here and the time is right
Summer is the right time for fighting

For fighting in the street, boy
Fighting should happen in the streets

Well now, what can a poor boy do
A poor boy has limited options

Except to sing for a rock n' roll band?
One option for a poor boy is to become part of a band

'Cause in sleepy London town
There isn't much activity in London

There's just no place for a street fighting man, no
One cannot easily become a street fighting man in London

Hey think the time is right
It's the right time for a revolution

For a palace revolution
A revolution aimed at overthrowing the king

But where I live the game
The way of life for me

To play is compromise solution
Involves finding compromises