5 Country Songs by The Rolling Stones

“The greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world” is not an accolade to be thrown around lightly. But The Rolling Stones have proven and re-proven why they deserve the title. Although they started as a rhythm and blues combo, they have always included elements of soul, blues, boogie, folk, and, yup, country music in their recordings.

The need to categorize music is strictly a marketing necessity. If it moves the listener, what you call it doesn’t matter. The Rolling Stones have been dipping their toe in the country music waters for decades. Whether it was Mick Jagger’s exaggerated Southern accent, Keith Richards’ alternate tunings, or Ronnie Wood’s steel guitar, The Rolling Stones wanted to explore all the elements of the roots of American music. Let’s take a look at five country songs by The Rolling Stones, written by Jagger/Richards.

The Rolling Stones are heading out on their Hackney Diamonds tour in 2024. Tickets are available via StubHub, where tickets are fully insured and guaranteed through FanProtect. Remember that the pricing may be higher or lower than non-third-party ticketing platforms. 

1. “Country Honk” from Let It Bleed 

The world heard “Honky Tonk Women” when the single was released in July 1969. It became a No. 1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. But the song’s original version was closer to the version released a few months later on the Let It Bleed album. “Country Honk” was an homage to the country music of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams Sr.

Keith Richards shared a relevant memory of being on vacation in Brazil with Jagger in 1968: “We lived for a few days on a ranch, where Mick and I wrote ‘Country Honk,’ sitting on a veranda like cowboys, boots on the rail, thinking ourselves in Texas.” Byron Berline played the fiddle, and Mick Taylor played a lap steel guitar on the recording.

2. “Wild Horses” from Sticky Fingers 

While the band was on their 1969 tour of America, they spent three days at the already-legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. They recorded several songs, including “Wild Horses.” Jim Dickinson played piano, and Mick Taylor played an acoustic guitar using the “Nashville tuning.” 

In his memoir, Life, Keith Richards wrote, “‘Wild Horses’ almost wrote itself. It was really a lot to do with, once again, f—ing around with the tunings. I found these chords, especially doing it on a 12-string to start with, which gave the song this character and sound. There’s a certain forlornness that can come out of a 12-string. I started off, I think, on a regular six-string open E, and it sounded very nice, but sometimes you just get these ideas. What if I open-tuned a 12-string? All it meant was translate what Mississippi Fred McDowell was doing—12-string slide into five-string mode, which meant a 10-string guitar.”

Easy for Keef to say. Bonus fact: The Flying Burrito Brothers released their version of “Wild Horses” before the Stones could release theirs.

3. “Sweet Virginia” from Exile on Main St.

This song evokes the party atmosphere of the recording sessions in France while the band was in “exile,” due to taxes owed in the UK. The group sing-along and drugs and alcohol in the lyrics go perfectly with the shuffle beat Charlie Watts provides. 

As co-founder and former bassist Bill Wyman stated in his book Stone Alone, “There was a division between the band members and associates who freely indulged in drugs and those who abstained to varying degrees.”

[RELATED: 5 Top Rolling Stones Albums That Shaped Rock Music History]

4. “Far Away Eyes” from Some Girls 

The art of storytelling has always been a central tenet of country music. Jagger’s exaggerated Southern drawl on “Far Away Eyes,” paired with Wood’s pedal steel guitar stylings, really stood out when it was paired as the B-side to the disco hit “Miss You.”

Jagger shared his perspective on the song with Jonathan Cott in 1978. “You know, when you drive through Bakersfield [California, home of country music’s “Bakersfield Sound”] on a Sunday morning or Sunday evening? I did that about six months ago. All the country music radio stations start broadcasting live from L.A. black gospel services. And that’s what the song refers to. But, the song’s really about driving alone, listening to the radio.”

5. “The Worst” from Voodoo Lounge

Keith Richards sings lead on “The Worst.” He spoke of the tune in 1994: “That one I wrote in the kitchen in Barbados, and I thought, ‘That’s a pretty melody,’ but what to do with it, I really didn’t know. I guess that’s where Ireland comes in, because Ireland has its own traditional music, and it’s not country music as such, but it’s the roots of it, you know? It’s that Irish feel.” Irish fiddler Frankie Gavin played on the recording along with keyboardist Chuck Leavell on piano.

Don’t Worry, The Rolling Stones Still Rock

The Stones still rock, but it takes detours like these country songs to show their versatility and depth as a band. And they’ve recorded far more country material than these five examples.

Through the years, they have covered “You Win Again” by Hank Williams Sr. and performed “Bob Wills Is Still the King” by Waylon Jennings in concert. And they have a ton more where that came from—certainly enough to make for a nice, long “Country Stones” playlist if one were so inclined. You can start here: “Down Home Girl,” “High and Dry,” “You Got the Silver,” “Turd on the Run,” “Dear Doctor,” “Prodigal Son,” “Sweet Black Angel,” “No Expectations,” “Dead Flowers,” “No Spare Parts,” “Indian Girl,” “Blue Turns to Grey,” “Factory Girl,” “We’re Wastin’ Time,” “Torn and Frayed,” “We Had It All,” “Do You Think I Really Care,” “Through the Lonely Nights,” and “Salt of the Earth.” 

There have been multiple tribute albums with country and bluegrass acts interpreting the music of The Rolling Stones, too. Artists from George Jones to Lainey Wilson have covered their music. You can say The Rolling Stones are a great rock band, a great blues band, and a great country band. So let’s just say they are a great band and leave it at that.

Rolling Stones are heading out on their Hackney Diamonds tour in 2024. Tickets are available via StubHub, where tickets are fully insured and guaranteed through FanProtect. Remember that the pricing may be higher or lower than non-third-party ticketing platforms. 

Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images