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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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

Fanny Mae
The Rolling Stones Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Fannie Mae
Baby won't you please come home?
Fannie Mae
Baby won't you please come home?
I don't wanna, but Christ, that girl is gone

Well I hear her singin'
Way on down the line

Well I hear her singin'
Way on down the line
Well, she just keeps singin', just lovin' and lovin' and tryin', oh yeah

Won't somebody tell me, tell me what's wrong with me?
Won't somebody tell me, tell me what's wrong with me?
Since Fannie's been gone, my life has been misery

Oh, Fannie Mae
Baby won't you please come home?
Fannie Mae

Baby won't you please come home?
I'm in so much misery since that girl's been gone

Overall Meaning

The Rolling Stones' song Fannie Mae is a nostalgic ode to a lost love. The singer implores Fannie Mae to come back home and end his misery, but he also confesses that he doesn't want her back. The repetition of Fannie Mae's name creates a sense of longing and obsession, as if the singer can't let go of his attachment to her despite his ambivalence. The song has a bluesy sound with its guitar riffs and simple lyrics, but it also has a catchy melody that is easy to sing along to.

The first stanza establishes the central theme of the song: the singer is missing Fannie Mae but doesn't necessarily want her back. This ambiguity is echoed in the second stanza, where the singer hears Fannie Mae singing "way on down the line" but doesn't say why or where she is. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's memories or fantasies of Fannie Mae, which he can't shake off even though he knows they're not real. The repetition of "just lovin' and lovin'" creates a sense of resignation to these feelings, as if the singer can't help but love her even though she's gone.

The third stanza switches to a plea for help, as the singer asks someone to tell him what's wrong with him since Fannie Mae has been gone. This suggests that the singer's misery is not just due to missing her, but also to a deeper sense of dissatisfaction or confusion in his own life. The final stanza brings the song full-circle, with the singer repeating his request for Fannie Mae to come home and end his misery. This repetition creates a sense of desperation, as if the singer is willing to accept Fannie Mae back even though he knows it won't fix everything that's wrong in his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Fannie Mae
This refers to a woman, most likely the singer's girlfriend or lover, named Fannie Mae.

Baby won't you please come home?
The singer is pleading for Fannie Mae to return to him because he misses her and is experiencing pain and sorrow in her absence.

I don't wanna, but Christ, that girl is gone
The singer acknowledges that Fannie Mae has left him and he is hurting as a result, even though he may not want to admit it.

Well I hear her singin', Way on down the line
Despite Fannie Mae's absence, the singer recalls her voice and can imagine hearing her sing from afar.

Well, she just keeps singin', just lovin' and lovin' and tryin', oh yeah
The singer believes that Fannie Mae is trying her best in life and continuing to love, despite their separation.

Won't somebody tell me, tell me what's wrong with me?
The singer is struggling to understand why he feels so much pain and sadness without Fannie Mae in his life.

Since Fannie's been gone, my life has been misery
The singer is expressing that his life has been miserable since Fannie Mae left him, indicating that she played a significant role in his happiness.

Oh, Fannie Mae
The singer is once again referring to Fannie Mae, the woman he deeply misses and longs for.

I'm in so much misery since that girl's been gone
The singer reiterates that Fannie Mae's absence has caused him to experience intense misery and sorrow.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE L LEWIS, MORRIS LEVY, WAYMON GLASCO

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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