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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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 and Frayed
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 down-and-out musician who is struggling with addiction and the difficulties of life on the road. The singer is a "dead beat right off the street" who is "bound to follow" the singer wherever he goes. The lyrics describe a life of cheap hotels, dive bars, and seedy clubs, where the band is constantly plagued by nerves and stage fright. Despite these challenges, the guitarist finds solace in his music, and the melody of his guitar is powerful enough to "steal your heart away."
The chorus of the song features the repeated line, "And his coat is torn and frayed, It's seen much better days," which is a metaphor for the guitarist's life. The lyrics suggest that he has been through a lot, and that he has seen better times. However, the song also suggests that music is a way to transcend these difficulties, and that the power of the guitar can provide a source of comfort and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey let him follow you down
Encourage him to follow you even to the underground.
Way underground wind and he's bound
He is determined to follow you underground.
Bound to follow you down
He strongly believes he must follow you down.
Just a dead beat right off the street
Referring to someone who is homeless, living on the street.
Bound to follow you down
He is determined to follow you underground.
Well the ballrooms and smelly bordellos
Refers to the places the band plays music.
And dressing rooms filled with parasites
People in the music industry who are only interested in getting money and fame.
On stage the band has got problems
Members of the band have problems that they face on stage.
They're a bag of nerves on first nights
They get nervous and anxious on the first night of a particular scene.
He ain't tied down to no home town
He's not tied to one place, has no permanent residence.
Yeah, and he thought he was wreckless
He thought he was carefree and reckless.
You think he's bad, he thinks you're mad
People's opinion about him is he's bad, but he think they are mad.
Yeah, and the guitar player gets restless
The guitar player becomes restless.
And his coat is torn and frayed
His jacket is damaged and needs to be mended.
It's seen much better days
The jacket has been through a lot.
Just as long as the guitar plays
As long as the music plays, the jacket is still relevant.
Let it steal your heart away
Allow yourself to be carried away by the music.
Joe's got a cough, sounds kind a rough
Joe has a cough that sounds serious.
Yeah, and the codeine to fix it
He took codeine to control the cough.
Doctor prescribes, drug store supplies
The doctor's orders and medication can only be gotten at the drug store.
Who's gonna help him to kick it
Who will help him to stop this addiction.
And his coat is torn and frayed
His jacket is damaged and needs to be mended.
It's seen much better days
The jacket has been through a lot.
Just as long as the guitar plays
As long as the music plays, the jacket is still relevant.
Let it steal your heart away
Allow yourself to be carried away by the music.
And his coat is torn and frayed
His jacket is damaged and needs to be mended.
It's seen much better days
The jacket has been through a lot.
Just as long as the guitar plays
As long as the music plays, the jacket is still relevant.
Just as long as the guitar plays
As long as the music plays, the jacket is still relevant.
Just as long as the guitar plays
As long as the music plays, the jacket is still relevant.
Just as long as the guitar plays
As long as the music plays, the jacket is still relevant.
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..