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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)
Sleep Tonight
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You better get some sleep tonight
Honey, just warn your friends
You better get some sleep tonight
You always watch the sun go down
The same old shadows crawl over town
Those thoughts of you it shivers me
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
All you got to do is close your eyes
You better get some sleep tonight
I wish you baby, all the best
If you turn out like all the rest
This darkness baby, it's chilling me
Stars store down in sympathy
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
All you got to do is close your eyes
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
You better get some sleep tonight
You better get some sleep tonight
Warn all your friends
You better keep them out of sight
You better get some sleep tonight
They robbed you of your dignity
They even steal your heart from me
It ain't revenge, you understand
Baby I just want to know who death this hand
Baby, ah that's alright
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
All you got to do is close your eyes
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
You better get some sleep tonight
You better get some sleep tonight
The Rolling Stones’ song “Sleep Tonight” is a melancholic ballad that makes use of metaphorical devices to evoke a sense of loneliness and vulnerability. The underlying themes in this song include the importance of sleeping to recuperate from life’s ups and downs and prepare for the inevitable, death. The repeated line “you better get some sleep tonight” serves as a reminder that time is fleeting, and one must not waste precious moments worrying or stressing about the future.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is haunted by memories of their loved one, who has perhaps passed away or left them. The shadows that crawl over town and the moon growing cold in memory alludes to the singer’s sense of loss and the intensity of the emotions that still linger. Moreover, the stars that stare down in sympathy and the darkness that chills the singer imply the difficulties of moving on from pain and grief.
The song’s final verse has a hint of a threatening presence around the singer as they seek redemption from those who have wronged them, “They robbed you of your dignity… Baby, ah that’s alright…”. The song ends with the repeated plea to get some sleep, which could be interpreted as a symbol of hope that a new day brings, and things will eventually get easier.
Line by Line Meaning
You better get some sleep tonight
The singer is advising the listener to get some sleep tonight.
You better get some sleep tonight
The singer reiterates the advice to get some sleep tonight.
Honey, just warn your friends
The listener is advised to warn their friends in addition to getting some sleep tonight.
You always watch the sun go down
The listener is characterized as someone who always watches the sun go down.
The same old shadows crawl over town
The shadows in town are described as old and unchanging.
Those thoughts of you it shivers me
The singer is uncomfortable with thoughts of the listener.
The moon grows cold in memory
The singer is nostalgic for the past, and feels that the moon has become cold.
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
The singer repeats the advice to get some sleep tonight (adding the term 'baby').
All you got to do is close your eyes
The singer implies that getting to sleep is relatively easy.
I wish you baby, all the best
The singer is expressing positive sentiments towards the listener.
If you turn out like all the rest
The singer is wary of the listener turning out like others in some way.
This darkness baby, it's chilling me
The singer is made uncomfortable by some form of darkness.
Stars store down in sympathy
The stars are described as being sympathetic to some form of hardship.
They robbed you of your dignity
The listener has been the victim of a crime (perhaps metaphorically).
They even steal your heart from me
The singer has had their heart stolen as well (presumably by the same perpetrators).
It ain't revenge, you understand
The singer distinguishes their motivation from revenge.
Baby I just want to know who death this hand
The singer simply wants to know who is responsible for the crime (using the metaphor of a 'hand').
Baby, ah that's alright
The singer reassures the listener that everything is okay, despite the previous troubles.
You better get some sleep tonight
The singer reiterates the advice to get some sleep tonight.
All you got to do is close your eyes
The singer implies that getting to sleep is relatively easy.
Baby you better get some sleep tonight
The singer repeats the advice to get some sleep tonight (adding the term 'baby').
You better get some sleep tonight
The singer repeats the advice to get some sleep tonight.
You better keep them out of sight
The singer is advising the listener to keep their (presumably nefarious) friends out of sight.
You better get some sleep tonight
The singer reiterates the advice to get some sleep tonight.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg Halder
on 2000 Light Years From Home
Totally underrated track and album..