Keith Richards Calls One Rolling Stones Song “The Best Thing We Ever Did” and Reflects on Its Significance
via Shonana / YouTube
A Song That Stood Out in a Turbulent Era
With decades of music behind them, The Rolling Stones have no shortage of classic tracks. Yet for guitarist Keith Richards, one stands above the rest. In his view, Jumpin’ Jack Flash is “the best thing we ever did.”
The band’s rise through the 1960s was filled with both success and struggle. After reaching the top of the charts with Paint It, Black, they faced challenges in repeating that momentum. Internal disputes and heavy drug use made things more difficult. During this time, producer Jimmy Miller began working with the group, helping shape albums like Beggars Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., and Goats Head Soup. Still, one recording from this era left the strongest mark on Richards.
View this post on Instagram
The Song That Brought the Stones Back
For Richards, Jumpin’ Jack Flash was a turning point. Performed during a two-song set at an NME show in 1968—alongside (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction—the track put the band back on top. “It was the best thing we ever did with [producer] Jimmy Miller,” Richards said. “As soon as I pick up the guitar and play that riff, something happens here, in your stomach. It’s one of the better feelings in the world.
“You just jump on the riff and it plays you. Matter of fact, it takes you over. An explosion would be the best way to describe it. It’s the one that I would immediately go to if I wanted to approach the state of nirvana.”
Jagger’s Different Perspective on a Classic
While Richards holds Jumpin’ Jack Flash in such high regard, Mick Jagger does not share the same enthusiasm for its NME show companion. Jagger has expressed frustration that (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction appears too often in their setlists. Speaking with Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner, he reflected on the song’s origins and its blues influences.
“No, I didn’t know it, but Keith might have heard it back then, because it’s not any way an English person would express it,” Jagger said. “I’m not saying that he purposely nicked anything, but we played those records a lot. Yeah, that was just one little line. And then I wrote the rest of it. There was no melody, really.”
Still a Fixture on Stage
Jagger admitted he struggled to make the song more melodic and has only changed a few verses over the years. Despite his reservations, the band continues to perform it. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction has been played over a thousand times in concert, most recently closing their set at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena on July 21, 2024. That night’s performance also featured Let It Bleed, Sympathy for the Devil, and Paint It Black.
