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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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

Driving Too Fast
The Rolling Stones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You can follow the road to the mountain
Or the track leading down to the beach
You can go where your life go left or go right
It's you in the driver's seat

But if the rain starts swamping your windscreen
And the lights don't piss through the night
And the truck's coming at you, just going to splash you

The highway's blinding bright

You're going out of your brain, out of your mind
You're so deranged, you're going blind

You're driving too fast
You went straight past the curve and you never go back
Driving too fast
The road was a blur and it all turned to black
Driving too fast
Hang on to the wheel, I think you're going to crash

You can see the freeway divided
It's a pity you can't take 'em both
One leads to the valley or down some blind alley
The other runs down to the coast

Too many roads lead to nowhere
But how they twist and they turn
And a dead end and a dusty old strip mall
Where your tires are all shredded and burned

You're going out of your brain, out of your mind
Going insane, you're going blind, yeah

You're driving too fast
You slip through the curve and your slam through the flat
Driving too fast
Now you never go back

Driving too fast
Yeah and it's all time to pass, yeah
You're driving too fast
Hang on for your life, I think you're going to crash

You're going out of your brain, out of your mind
You're so deranged, you're going blind

You're driving too fast
You slip pass the time, never go back
Driving too fast
You spin through the curve and you burn off the track

Driving too fast
You're running out of gas
Driving too fast
Hang on to the wheel, I think we're going to crash

Yeah
Driving too fast, yeah

Overall Meaning

The Rolling Stones's song Driving Too Fast is a cautionary tune about the dangers of reckless driving. The lyrics liken life to a road trip and stress the importance of knowing when it's time to slow down. The opening lines paint a picture of two different paths - one that leads to the mountain and another that goes down to the beach. The song encourages listeners to make the most of their freedom and make their own choices, but warns that speeding down the road is not always the best option.

As the song progresses, the lyrics delve deeper into the risks of driving too fast. The rain starts to pour, and visibility becomes poor. In the midst of all this, a truck approaches- a moment of panic for the driver. In the chorus, the song emphasizes the consequences of reckless speeding. The verse, "Hang on to the wheel, I think you're going to crash," forces the listener to realize the severity of the situation.

The song concludes by bringing up the idea of leading a life with purpose. The valley or the coast, neither matter when the results of reckless driving can be fatal. The last few verses are especially poignant. The phrase, "You're running out of gas," feels like a metaphor for life, and provides a sense of urgency as it reminds the listener that the window of opportunity is finite.

Line by Line Meaning

You can follow the road to the mountain
You have the option to choose your path towards your goals

Or the track leading down to the beach
You have different options to choose from, including those that may seem more appealing

You can go where your life go left or go right
You have complete control over the direction your life takes

It's you in the driver's seat
You are in charge of your own life

But if the rain starts swamping your windscreen
When life gets tough and obstacles get in your way

And the lights don't piss through the night
When you can't see the way forward clearly

And the truck's coming at you, just going to splash you
When things seem to be going wrong and are beyond your control

The highway's blinding bright
When everything around you seems to be overwhelming and confusing

You're going out of your brain, out of your mind
You lose your sense of direction and perspective in life

You're so deranged, you're going blind
You become erratic and unclear in your thinking and decision-making

You're driving too fast
You are moving too fast towards your goals and losing sight of what's important

You went straight past the curve and you never go back
You miss out on opportunities and are unable to correct your mistakes

The road was a blur and it all turned to black
Your life becomes chaotic and you lose sight of what you wanted to achieve

Hang on to the wheel, I think you're going to crash
You need to take control of the situation before it's too late

You can see the freeway divided
You have more than one choice to make, and each one leads in a different direction

It's a pity you can't take 'em both
Unfortunately, you cannot have it all in life

One leads to the valley or down some blind alley
Some paths may be better than others, but they all have their own unique challenges

The other runs down to the coast
Another path may have its own rewards, but it too carries its own risks

Too many roads lead to nowhere
Some paths in life may not lead you to where you want to go

But how they twist and they turn
Life is full of twists and turns that are unpredictable and may lead you astray

And a dead end and a dusty old strip mall
Occasionally, you may find yourself at a dead end with nothing new to explore

Where your tires are all shredded and burned
Sometimes, life may be hard and rough even when you think you are making progress

Going insane, you're going blind, yeah
You start losing control of your senses, and your direction in life becomes unclear

You slip through the curve and your slam through the flat
You can lose track of where you are going and make dangerous decisions

Now you never go back
Once you make a decision, it's often impossible or difficult to change it

Yeah and it's all time to pass, yeah
Life moves on, and you must move with it, whether you're ready or not

You spin through the curve and you burn off the track
You may take risks and go too fast, only to find yourself out of control and potentially in danger

You're running out of gas
You may be running out of energy or resources needed to continue your journey

Driving too fast
You are moving too fast towards your goals and not taking the time to appreciate life

Hang on to the wheel, I think we're going to crash
We all need to take responsibility for our own lives and make smart decisions to avoid crashing

Driving too fast, yeah
You are moving too fast and need to slow down to enjoy life and make smart decisions

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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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