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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)

Biggest Mistake
The Rolling Stones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When love comes so late, it'll really hit hard
It slams through the gate, it'll catch you off guard
Everyone said, "What a perfect love match
'Cause she is so smart, she's a hell of a catch"

I was drinking in love, gulping it down
Drifting for months on a billowing cloud
But after awhile I stopped to rebel

I'm back in the past and I'm raising up hell

But I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life
And I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life

We'd been living together for over a year
The harmony's perfect, it rang loud and clear
But then very slowly, my nerves start to fray
The little things big, that's what they say

I acted impatient, I acted unkind
I took her for granted, I played with her mind
She didn't deserve it but it was too late
I walked out the door and left her to her fate

But I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life
And I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life

(Whoo Whoo Whoo...)
Now I'm down in a slump and I'm eating alone
I ruined the day with some friends on the phone
I never go out, I'm becoming a grouch
I just watch the TV and I drink on the couch

But if love comes again, I'll be really surprised
I'll grab it real fast, keep it right in my sights

'Cause I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life
Well I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life

Overall Meaning

In "Biggest Mistake," The Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger describes the regret he feels after ending a seemingly perfect relationship. The singer realizes too late that he has let go of the love match that everyone else envies, leaving him alone and miserable. The song's main theme is the dangerous consequences of taking a partner for granted and failing to appreciate the value of a good relationship. The lyrics convey the idea that love can be fickle and fleeting and are often accompanied by regret.

The first verse sets the scene: the love comes so late that it catches the singer off guard in a relationship that everyone else had deemed perfect. He drinks in love but rebels after a while, leading to his realisation that he has made an enormous mistake. In the second verse, the couple has been living together for over a year, and the harmony has been perfect. However, the little things start to bother him, causing him to act impatiently and unkindly to his partner. Despite knowing that he has made the mistake of his life, he leaves her.

In the third verse, the regret sets in as the singer wallows in self-pity, realizing that he may never find true love again. He longs for a second chance to grab love if it ever comes knocking, but he knows that it might never happen. The chorus repeats this notion, emphasizing how the singer cannot bear the mistake he made.

Overall, the song is a cautionary tune that reminds us of the significant consequences of not appreciating the potential of a loving relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

When love comes so late, it'll really hit hard
Love that comes unexpectedly late can be overwhelming and intense.

It slams through the gate, it'll catch you off guard
Love can hit you like a physical force and take you off guard.

Everyone said, "What a perfect love match
People thought that the singer and his girlfriend were a perfect couple.

'Cause she is so smart, she's a hell of a catch"
The girlfriend is intelligent and attractive, making her a desirable partner.

I was drinking in love, gulping it down
The singer was fully immersed in the feeling of being in love and enjoying it.

Drifting for months on a billowing cloud
He was floating through the relationship, not paying attention to any problems that may have arisen.

But after awhile I stopped to rebel
The singer began to resist being in a committed relationship.

I'm back in the past and I'm raising up hell
He is now regretting his behavior and causing chaos in his life.

We'd been living together for over a year
The couple had been in a committed relationship for a significant amount of time.

The harmony's perfect, it rang loud and clear
The relationship was going smoothly and they were happy together.

But then very slowly, my nerves start to fray
The singer started to feel anxious and uncomfortable in the relationship.

The little things big, that's what they say
Minor problems in the relationship escalated and became major issues.

I acted impatient, I acted unkind
The singer behaved poorly towards his partner.

I took her for granted, I played with her mind
He didn't appreciate her and messed with her emotions.

She didn't deserve it but it was too late
The girlfriend didn't deserve the mistreatment but the damage was already done.

I walked out the door and left her to her fate
The singer ended the relationship and left his girlfriend to deal with the aftermath by herself.

Now I'm down in a slump and I'm eating alone
The singer is feeling sad and lonely after breaking up with his girlfriend.

I ruined the day with some friends on the phone
He ruined a social interaction with his friends because he was too upset about the breakup.

I never go out, I'm becoming a grouch
The singer is becoming reclusive and unpleasant to be around.

I just watch the TV and I drink on the couch
He spends his time numbly watching TV and drinking alcohol.

But if love comes again, I'll be really surprised
The singer doesn't expect to find love again after his mistake.

I'll grab it real fast, keep it right in my sights
If he does find love again, he will hold onto it tightly and not let it slip away.

Well I think I've just made the biggest mistake of my life
The singer realizes that breaking up with his girlfriend was a huge mistake and he regrets it deeply.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: KEITH RICHARDS, MICK JAGGER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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