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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)
Torn
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way underground wind and he's bound
Bound to follow you down
Just a dead beat right off the street
Bound to follow you down
Well the ballrooms and smelly bordellos
And dressing rooms filled with parasites
They're a bag of nerves on first nights
He ain't tied down to no home town
Yeah, and he thought he was wreckless
You think he's bad, he thinks you're mad
Yeah, and the guitar player gets restless
And his coat is torn and frayed
It's seen much better days
Just as long as the guitar plays
Let it steal your heart away
Let it steal your heart away
And his coat is torn and frayed
It's seen much better days
Just as long as the guitar plays
Let it steal your heart away
Joe's got a cough, sounds kind a rough
Yeah, and the codeine to fix it
Doctor prescribes, drug store supplies
Who's gonna help him to kick it
And his coat is torn and frayed
It's seen much better days
Just as long as the guitar plays
Let it steal your heart away
Let it steal your heart away
And his coat is torn and frayed
It's seen much better days
Just as long as the guitar plays
Just as long as the guitar plays
Just as long as the guitar plays
Just as long as the guitar plays
The Rolling Stones' song "Torn and Frayed" tells the story of a musician who is addicted to drugs and the lifestyle that goes along with playing in a band. The lyrics describe a life of excess, with the musician drifting from town to town, playing in dive bars and brothels, and trying to keep up with the demands of the music industry.
The first verse starts off with the musician following a woman "down/ Way underground wind/ And he's bound/ Bound to follow you down." This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is about the musician's downward spiral into drug addiction and the hardships he faces along the way.
The second verse describes the seedy side of the music industry, with "ballrooms and smelly bordellos" and "dressing rooms filled with parasites." The band is also described as being "a bag of nerves on first nights," which speaks to the pressure that musicians face when they perform.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "And his coat is torn and frayed/ It's seen much better days/ Just as long as the guitar plays/ Let it steal your heart away." This is an ode to the power of music and its ability to provide a temporary escape from the harsh realities of life.
Overall, "Torn and Frayed" is a poignant and insightful look at the struggles that many musicians face on the road to fame and fortune.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey let him follow you down
Encourage him to follow you on a dangerous path
Way underground wind and he's bound
Taking a risky path and bound to continue on it
Bound to follow you down
Compelled to follow you even if it's dangerous
Just a dead beat right off the street
A poor man with no prospects
Bound to follow you down
Compelled to follow you even if it's dangerous
Well the ballrooms and smelly bordellos
Low-class venues where immoral activities occur
And dressing rooms filled with parasites
Rooms with people who latch onto others for their own gain
On stage the band has got problems
The band is struggling with some issues while performing
They're a bag of nerves on first nights
They get anxious performing new material
He ain't tied down to no home town
He doesn't have any roots in one place
Yeah, and he thought he was reckless
He believed he was adventurous and fearless
You think he's bad, he thinks you're mad
He sees himself as cool, while others see him as reckless
Yeah, and the guitar player gets restless
The guitar player wants to play more and be more creative
And his coat is torn and frayed
He's poor and doesn't have new clothes
It's seen much better days
His coat is old and worn out
Just as long as the guitar plays
Even though he's poor, he can still play music
Let it steal your heart away
Let the music capture your emotions
Joe's got a cough, sounds kind a rough
Joe is sick and his cough sounds bad
Yeah, and the codeine to fix it
He needs medication to treat his cough
Doctor prescribes, drug store supplies
The doctor prescribes medicine, which he buys at a drug store
Who's gonna help him to kick it
Who will help him recover and kick his addiction to drugs?
Just as long as the guitar plays
Music is a way to escape from problems, including addiction
Let it steal your heart away
Let the music captivate and inspire you
Just as long as the guitar plays
Even though he's poor, he can still play music
Just as long as the guitar plays
Music can be a source of comfort and hope, no matter what else is going on
Just as long as the guitar plays
Music can be a way to connect with others and express oneself
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..