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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)
Respectable
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't worry about the things that we used to be
We're talking heroin with the president
Well it's a problem, sir, but it can't be bent
Uh yes
Well now you're a pillar of society
You don't worry about the things that you used to beYou're a rag-trade girl, you're the queen of porn
You're the easiest lay on the White House lawn
Get out of my life, don't come back
Get out of my life, don't come back
She's so respectable
She's so respectable
She's so delectable
She's so respectable
Get out of my life
Don't take my wife
Don't come back
Get out of my life
Don't take my wife
Don't come back
What I say
She's so respectable
She's so respectable
She's so respectable
She's so respectable
Get out of my life
Don't take my wifeDon't come back
Oh get out of my life
Don't take my wife
Don't come back, alright oh
She's so respectable
She's so respectable
She's so delectable
She's so respectable
Get out of my life
Don't take my wife
Don't come back woo
Get out of life
Don't take my wife
Don't come back
Get out of my life
Don't take my wife
Don't come back, come back, hey
The Rolling Stones' song "Respectable" is a commentary on society's obsession with power, status, and image. The lyrics focus on two characters who have climbed their way up in the social ladder and are now so "respected" that they are no longer recognizable from their past. As the first verse suggests, they discuss serious drug issues with the president, highlighting the corruption and secret dealings that often take place at the top of society. However, these problems remain unaddressed and "can't be bent."
The second verse shifts the focus to a "rag-trade girl" who has become the "queen of porn" and the "easiest lay on the White House lawn." This line is particularly poignant as it highlights the ease at which those in power can exploit and mistreat others, particularly women, whose bodies are often objectified and commodified. The chorus repeats the phrase "She's so respectable" sarcastically, implying that respectability is often a surface-level characteristic that can hide a range of seedy and unethical behaviors. The song ends with the singer telling the person to "get out of my life" and not take his wife, suggesting a personal betrayal that is linked to the larger societal critique that the song is making.
Overall, "Respectable" is a scathing critique of power, privilege, and the pursuit of respectability at any cost. The song points to the way in which those who hold positions of power often abuse their authority and exploit those who are less powerful. At the same time, it exposes the hypocrisy of a society that values surface-level respectability and status over true morality and ethical behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
Well now we're respected in society
We have gained a high level of social standing and approval
We don't worry about the things that we used to be
Our past mistakes and issues no longer affect our current status
We're talking heroin with the president
We have access to and use powerful drugs and have connections with high-power political figures
Well it's a problem, sir, but it can't be bent
There may be issues with our actions, but they cannot be changed or influenced due to our untouchable status
Uh yes
An affirmation of the artist's own power and prestige
You're a rag-trade girl, you're the queen of porn
Addressing a woman who is considered to be low-class and vulgar, yet is highly sought after and considered influential for her profession
You're the easiest lay on the White House lawn
The woman is prone to sexual promiscuity and is even accessible to those in the highest levels of government
Get out of my life, don't come back
A demand for someone to leave the artist's life and never return
She's so respectable
Sarcastically referring to the aforementioned woman's highly undesirable qualities as if they were the opposite
Get out of my life, Don't take my wife, Don't come back
Repeating the earlier demand while making clear the specific individual being referred to
What I say
Emphasizing the importance and validity of the singer's previous statements
Oh get out of my life, Don't take my wife, Don't come back, alright oh
Another repetition of the demand with added emphasis and frustration
Get out of my life, Don't take my wife, Don't come back woo
A last exasperated repetition of the demand, expressing the singer's anger and desperation
Get out of life, Don't take my wife, Don't come back
A final repetition of the demand, meant as a forceful conclusion to the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg Halder
on 2000 Light Years From Home
Totally underrated track and album..