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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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

Blinded By Love
The Rolling Stones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The queen of the Nile
She laid on her throne
And she was drifting downstream
On a barge that was burnished with gold
Royal purple the sails
So sweetly perfumed
And poor Mark Antony's
Senses were drowned

And his future was doomed

He was blinded by love

The Philistines paid
For Samson's blind rage
The secrets that two lovers share
Should never have been betrayed

He was blinded by love
He was blinded by love

Now it's no use crying or weeping
You better lock up your soul for safe keeping
Promise me

The poor Prince of Wales
He gave up his crown
All for the trivial pursuit of
A parvenu second-hand lady
So lovers beware
If you lose your heart
Careful now, don't lose your mind
Don't mortgage your soul to a stranger

Don't be blinded by love
Don't be blinded by love

Blinded by love
Blinded by love

Overall Meaning

The Rolling Stones' "Blinded By Love" tells a story of men who were so blinded by love that they lost themselves in the process. The first verse is about Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Cleopatra is described as the queen of the Nile who is drifting downstream on a barge that's covered in royal purple sails, and perfumed sweetly. Mark Antony, who is Poor in the song, is said to be drowning in his senses because he was blinded by love. He fell in love with Cleopatra so deep that it led to his eventual ruin.

The second verse is about Samson and Delilah, where Delilah betrays Samson, and this act ultimately lead to his downfall. The singer warns the listeners that when they find love, they should never betray their partner and share their secrets with anyone.

The third verse is about The Prince of Wales, who gave up his crown for a second-hand lady. Here, the singer warns the listeners never to lose their minds in the process of loving someone. The last words are for everyone to be aware of being blinded by love.

Overall, this is a cautionary song about love and its consequences when it is not handled with care. The lyrics are deep and convey a strong message.

Line by Line Meaning

The queen of the Nile
Referring to Cleopatra, the powerful female leader of Egypt.

She laid on her throne
Cleopatra is pictured sitting regally on her throne.

And she was drifting downstream
Cleopatra is relaxing on a boat, floating down the Nile river.

On a barge that was burnished with gold
The boat Cleopatra is on is extravagantly decorated with gold.

Royal purple the sails
The sails are colored in rich purple to symbolize royalty.

So sweetly perfumed
The boat is scented with sweet fragrances, likely to please Cleopatra.

And poor Mark Antony's
Referring to Mark Antony, a Roman politician and one of Cleopatra's lovers.

Senses were drowned
Mark Antony is deeply taken by Cleopatra's charms to the point of losing self-control.

And his future was doomed
Mark Antony's recklessness puts his political career and ultimately his life in peril.

He was blinded by love
Love's intoxicating effect left him incapable of rational decision-making and cost him his future and life.

The Philistines paid
Referring to the Philistines, an ancient people who were enemies of Samson.

For Samson's blind rage
Samson, a biblical hero, lost his strength after his lover betrayed him to his enemies, resulting in his violent retaliation.

The secrets that two lovers share
The reference points to the notion that love can sometimes lead to an unsavory outcome when two people are so strongly connected that one is willing to give away his/her secret.

Should never have been betrayed
Betraying someone with whom you share deep secrets can lead to negative, even dangerous consequences.

Now it's no use crying or weeping
Crying, regretting or mourning is pointless once the damage of love's consequences is done.

You better lock up your soul for safe keeping
Take precautions to guard your heart and decisions while in love.

Promise me
A request or an appeal to others so that they avoid the pitfalls of love.

The poor Prince of Wales
Referring to King Edward VIII who abdicated the throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

He gave up his crown
Edward VIII renounced his right to the British throne, one of the most powerful positions in the world, following his love for an American woman when his countrymen opposed such a relationship.

All for the trivial pursuit of
Edward VIII gave up everything he had for the sake of love instead of upholding his royal duty and responsibility.

A parvenu second-hand lady
Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee, was a commoner who had been married before.

So lovers beware
Lovers must be warned that love can come at a high price, and they should be cautious before diving headlong into it.

If you lose your heart
If you let love dictate your life, you might lose your sense of judgment and control.

Careful now, don't lose your mind
One should keep tabs on their mental stability and don't lose control over their rational reasoning.

Don't mortgage your soul to a stranger
Don't trade your values and principles for the temporary high of love, especially toward people who are not worth it.

Don't be blinded by love
Love can be blinding, but it shouldn't make you oblivious to the risks or to be taken advantage of.

Blinded by love
Love can impose a risk of losing self-awareness and judgment, leading to irrational choices and unfavorable consequences.

Blinded by love
Repeating the chorus as a refrain to emphasize the core meaning of the song in a musical manner.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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