When The Beatles burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s, they changed the course of popular music forever. Beatlemania swept across the world, turning John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr into global icons who were admired with an intensity rarely seen in music history. For a time, it seemed impossible for any other group to rival the Fab Four’s impact. Yet, standing just behind them were The Rolling Stones, who would soon carve out their own place in rock history.
In the early days, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones had a complicated yet mutually respectful relationship. The Beatles even gifted the Stones one of their earliest hits — the Lennon-McCartney composition “I Wanna Be Your Man.” It became The Stones’ second single and played an important role in helping them gain momentum. Not long after, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards developed into one of rock’s most legendary songwriting duos.
The Rise of The Stones and the Shadow of The Beatles
By 1965, The Rolling Stones had broken through internationally with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, a song that topped charts in the UK, the US, and beyond. However, throughout the rest of the decade, The Beatles maintained their status as the most influential band in the world. This inevitably created a sense of rivalry between the two groups, though both bands admitted years later that much of it was fueled by the press.
During The Beatles’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1988, Mick Jagger addressed this friendly rivalry:
“We had a sort of a lot of rivalry in those early years, and a little bit of friction, but we always ended up friends.”
Despite occasional competition, both Jagger and Richards often praised The Beatles’ music. In fact, Richards was once so fascinated by the Fab Four that it reportedly drove Jagger “absolutely batty.”
Mick Jagger’s Favorite Beatles Song
In the documentary My Life as a Rolling Stone, Jagger recalled hearing “Love Me Do” for the first time while The Stones were still playing London clubs. He admitted it made him realize they had to evolve beyond being just a blues band:
“The Beatles suddenly explode … Keith, he’d play the Beatles all the time. It would drive me absolutely batty! But Keith wanted to write these pop songs because we knew we had to be a pop band.”
Jagger explained that hearing “Love Me Do” was almost a shock to the system:
“We thought we were totally unique animals. And then we heard this group from Liverpool with a bluesy harmonica and a record contract. When I heard it, I was almost sick. It meant we had to up our game.”
Keith Richards’ Favorite Beatles Song
While Jagger remains attached to “Love Me Do”, Keith Richards has often singled out “Please Please Me” as his personal favorite. Richards once told Paul McCartney directly:
“I’ve always told McCartney, ‘Please Please Me.’ I just love the chimes, and I was there at the time and it was beautiful. Mind you, there’s plenty of others, but if I’ve got to pick one, ‘Please Please Me’…oh, yeah!”
A Legacy of Mutual Respect
Though portrayed as rivals, the two bands shared mutual admiration that shaped the future of rock. Without The Beatles paving the way, The Rolling Stones may never have become the global phenomenon they are today. Likewise, The Stones’ edgier blues style provided a perfect counterbalance to The Beatles’ melodic pop, creating a golden age of 1960s rock that continues to inspire musicians today.
In the end, the fact that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards — two of rock’s most enduring figures — still celebrate Beatles songs shows just how deep the Liverpool band’s influence ran. Whether it’s the raw harmonica of “Love Me Do” or the joyful urgency of “Please Please Me”, The Beatles left their mark not only on the world but also on their most famous contemporaries.
