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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)
Dancing With Mr. D.
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The air smells sweet, the air smells sick
He never smiles, his mouth merely twists
The breath in my lungs feels clinging and thick
But I know his name, he's called Mr. D
And one of these days he's going to set you free
Human skulls is hanging right around his neck
The palms of my hands is clammy and wet
Lord, I was dancing, dancing, dancing so free
And dancing, dancing, dancing so free
And dancing, Lord, keep your hand off me
And dancing with Mr. D., with Mr. D., with Mr. D
And will it be poison put in my glass?
And will it be slow or will it be fast?
The bite of a snake, the sting of a spider
A drink of Belladonna on a Toussaint night
Hiding in a corner in New York City
Looking down a forty-four in West Virginia
I was dancing, dancing, dancing so free
And dancing, dancing, dancing so free
And dancing, Lord, keep your hand off me
And dancing with Mr. D., with Mr. D., with Mr. D, with Mr. D., with Mr. D
Dancing, dancing
Dancing, dancing
Dancing, dancing
Dancing, dancing
I was dancing, dancing, dancing so free
And dancing, dancing, dancing so free
And dancing, Lord, keep your hand off me
And dancing with Mr. D. (with Mr. D.)
One night I was dancing with a lady in black
Wearing black silk gloves and a black silk hat
She looked at me longing with black velvet eyes
She gazed at me strange all cunning and wise
I saw the flesh just fall off her bones
The eyes in her skull was burning like coals
Lord, have mercy, fire and brimstone
I was dancing with mistress D
Lord, I was dancing, dancing, dancing so free
I was dancing, dancing, dancing so free, oh
Dancing, dancing, dancing so free
Dancing, dancing
With dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance
The Rolling Stones's song "Dancing With Mr. D." is a song about dancing with the devil. The lyrics describe being in a graveyard, dancing with a mysterious man named Mr. D, who is said to be able to "set you free." The air is sweet and sick, and the singer's breath feels "clinging and thick." The man wears human skulls around his neck, and the singer's hands are clammy and wet.
The lyrics hint at the danger of dancing with Mr. D. There is a fear of poison being put in the singer's glass, or of being bitten by a snake or stung by a spider. Later in the song, the singer dances with a "lady in black" who seems to be Mistress D. Her eyes are "cunning and wise" and she looks at the singer with "black velvet eyes." The flesh falls off her bones, and her eyes burn like coals.
The song is dark and foreboding, with hints of danger and death. It is a reflection of the band's interest in the occult and the darker side of life. The lyrics leave much to the imagination, making the listener wonder about the true meaning behind the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, down in the graveyard where we have our tryst
The singer met Mr. D in the graveyard where they engage in a meeting.
The air smells sweet, the air smells sick
The air is a strange mix of pleasant and unpleasant scents.
He never smiles, his mouth merely twists
Mr. D has no sense of humor - he seems like he would be hard to get along with.
The breath in my lungs feels clinging and thick
The air around Mr. D feels like it is suffocating and difficult to breathe in.
But I know his name, he's called Mr. D
The artist knows Mr. D's name, which suggests they have had a relationship before.
And one of these days he's going to set you free
Mr. D is dangerous and will eventually harm the person the singer is addressing.
Human skulls is hanging right around his neck
Mr. D is wearing human skulls around his neck, which is a chilling detail.
The palms of my hands is clammy and wet
The artist is nervous and anxious in the presence of Mr. D.
Lord, I was dancing, dancing, dancing so free
The artist was dancing without a care in the world.
And dancing, dancing, dancing so free
The artist was moving their body with joy and abandon.
And dancing, Lord, keep your hand off me
The singer is asking for protection while they dance.
And dancing with Mr. D., with Mr. D., with Mr. D
The artist was dancing with Mr. D, the dangerous figure from earlier in the song.
And will it be poison put in my glass?
The singer is wondering if someone will try to harm them by putting poison in their drink.
And will it be slow or will it be fast?
The singer is concerned about how the poison they fear may work on them.
The bite of a snake, the sting of a spider
The singer is considering other ways they could be hurt or killed.
A drink of Belladonna on a Toussaint night
The artist envisions being given this deadly plant on a certain night, which suggests a specific plan of action.
Hiding in a corner in New York City
The artist is hiding somewhere in NYC, perhaps with the goal of avoiding Mr. D.
Looking down a forty-four in West Virginia
The singer is handling a .44 gun, which hints at the potential for violence or defense.
One night I was dancing with a lady in black
The singer had danced with another mysterious figure, someone who wore black.
Wearing black silk gloves and a black silk hat
This lady in black has a very specific and striking appearance.
She looked at me longing with black velvet eyes
The artist was gazed at intensely by this lady in black.
She gazed at me strange all cunning and wise
The lady in black seemed to know something important or have a hidden agenda.
I saw the flesh just fall off her bones
The lady in black's appearance changes suddenly or startlingly.
The eyes in her skull was burning like coals
The lady's eyes have an intense, fiery gaze.
Lord, have mercy, fire and brimstone
This phrase suggests catastrophe, perhaps the end of the world or a terrible event.
Dance, dance, dance, dance
This repetition emphasizes the act of dancing, making it a key theme of the song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fuchsiaswing8545
In no order:
Aftermath [UK and US]
Between the Buttons [UK and US]
Beggars Banquet
Let it Bleed
Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out
Sticky Fingers
Exile on Main St.
Some Girls
Those are all better albums than Goats Head, and one could argue Out of Our Heads, and Their Satanic Majesties Request is better. If not, it's barely within the top 10 of The Stones’ stunning oeuvre.
@bevo1776
The greatest mistake the Stones ever made was not doing WHATEVER IT TOOK, to keep Mick Taylor in the band.
For starters, they could have PAID him. He was given no credits on SEVERAL albums---in other words, no residuals. (perhaps the reason you don't see him smiling very much)
I don't know about you, but I like getting paid for my work.
In addition, his mates should have helped him with drug addiction and got him the help he needed to stay with the band. They did not...
With all due respect to Keith Richards---on Mick Taylor's WORSE DAY, Keef couldn't hold a candle to him.
Make no mistake, Keith Richards is
a very good guitarist.
Mick Taylor is a GREAT guitarist. A guitar genius.
Right up there with Hendrix, Clapton, and Santana.
No doubt about it. The five albums he produced with the Stones from '69-'74 are all classics.
The band was never the same after 1974.
@TheRollingStones
@annmariedequarto9473
Boy! Is that Hot Sexy Jump suit in ``GOLD ``
@tommagerl8090
Forever
@GordonKadatz
<3.
@CatherineAMontgomery
This was PERFECT for the rainy day in L.A. I was dancing dancing dancing so free....xo
@sunflowerhappy8021
Love to Listen to Goats Head Soup Album!!!
Gold is Groovy!! Great!! Mick Taylor's Fem Hat-Wow!!
In 70s we played Stones loudly-Bowie & Others. Fun then...!
Guys in makeup are OK. Reminds me of the time (70s) I went out with 2 Hippie Male Friends to a City Music Club, and the Guys were wearing same makeup, Young...but Happy..with Music...Music...Music.!! Ha Ha!
@NilsamNY
Goats Head Soup is vastly underrated. It has some of the most powerful and experimental songs the Stones have done. It's definitely their most keyboard-driven album with amazing piano keyboard and organ playing from Billy Preston, Ian Stewart and Nicky Hopkins. I think Mick Taylor is at his best - his solos soar throughout.
@cabalofdemons
The Stones were untouchable from 1968-1974. The six albums the group released in this span are straight rocking classics.
@amidtheruins02
Add 1967 onto that mix and you gotta real point (Between the buttons, Satanic majesties)
@alvarosantiago4285
@Amid"Aftermath".