For My Sunday Song #102, we explore “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones. Probably not the best day to be visiting a song about the Devil, but then again maybe it is the best day. The song is off their 1968 album ‘Beggar’s Banquet’ and went only to #55 on the Billboard Hot 100, but that doesn’t take away from the fact it is one of my favorite Stones’ song.
The song was very controversial for the time and gave the Stones an image of being bad boys as opposed to the clean cut image of that little known band called The Beatles. The band was accused of being satan worshippers and being into the occult. The problem is that no matter if they were or were not, people don’t like something different and always tend to look for the bad and always blamed rock & roll.
The song isn’t a celebration for the Devil and the song isn’t even asking you to sympathize with him…although the Devil is asking you to do that when you read the lyrics. The song is strictly a march through time and all the evil that has occurred throughout. The person talking in the song is assumed to be the Devil as he travels through time, but is it the devil that was there or just some evil person who the devil is taking the credit?
The song was inspired by the book from Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov and his novel The Master and Margarita. The book was given to Mick Jagger by his then girlfriend Marianne Faithfull. When Mick wrote the song, it was originally written as a folk song and quite different than the final version.
The band took the song and turned it into a samba adding maracas and other percussion and Nicky Hopkins on the piano. Keith’s guitar work is exceptional and so fitting for the song. There are also numerous woo-woos throughout the song and those were done by Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, producer Jimmy Miller, Bill Wyman and Keith Richards.
I just love how different the song is and how the Stones were never confined to one style. They were the bad boys of rock and deservedly so. Give the song a listen and let me know what you think.
I hope you enjoy it and I hope you have a Happy Sunday (devil-free).
“Sympathy For The Devil”
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul and faithAnd I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general’s rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out,
“Who killed the Kennedys?”
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, um yeah
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, um yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, um mean it, get down
Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!
Tell me baby, what’s my name
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name
Tell me baby, what’s my name
I tell you one time, you’re to blame
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah
What’s my name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah
Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
2 Loud 2 Old Music 
For info Christians should keep sabbath as holy. Sunday was always a pagan ritual day hence its name. Witches laugh at Christians holding church on *their* day.
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Well, at least they are going to church.
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Yeh – not gonna change erroneous tradition now 😇
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One of my all time favourite songs! Great choice :O)
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Thanks!
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Literally the greatest rock record of all time ever
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That is a bold statement! But I don’t totally disagree.
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It’s bold but you know I’m right
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Nice percussion in this one – I hadn’t realized so many participated in the woo woos!
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Neither did I. Even I learn things when I do these posts.
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Great track!
Lyrics are fantastic! Big time crowd favourite as well…
I don’t think I have ever heard a live version of this tune that doesn’t sound great by these guys….
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You know, I think you are right on that statement. All live versions are great.
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Your Sunday post is just as brilliant as HMO’s!
And I loved Guns version too 🙂
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Thanks man! It is a great song.
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