Keith Richards Said The Rolling Stones’ Cover of ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ Was Better Than The Beatles’ Version
In 1963, both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones released versions of the song “I Wanna Be Your Man,” and Keith Richards shared his thoughts on them. The song, which John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote, was one of the Stones’ early hits. When looking back on the versions that both bands released, Richards said theirs was better.
The Beatles gave The Rolling Stones one of their songs, and Keith Richards likes his version better
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones got to know each other in the early 1960s, and Lennon and McCartney offered the other band a song.
“Well, we knew them by then and we were rehearsing and Andrew [Oldham] brought Paul and John down to the rehearsal,” Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone. “They said they had this tune, they were really hustlers then. I mean the way they used to hustle tunes was great: ‘Hey Mick, we’ve got this great song.'”
The song was “I Wanna Be Your Man,” and The Rolling Stones released their cover of it in 1963. Shortly after, The Beatles released their version. Richards said he didn’t think their version was as strong as the Stones’.
“I don’t know. Actually, I thought ours was better. (Laughs),” he told USA Today. “I mean, I was always surprised they said, ‘We’ve got a song for you,’ because it was very unlikely.”
He said the song was the start of a friendship between the two bands.
“This was 1964, it was very early on and we didn’t know each other that well. But it was a great start, and after that, we had a great relationship, especially with the timing of when to put the next (single) out,” he said. “They’d always call us and say, ‘We’ve got “Ticket to Ride” ready to go,’ and we’d say, ‘OK, well we’ll wait a month, because “Paint It Black” is not finished.’ So there was that sort of thing that went on between us.”
Neither version of ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ is very strong
Despite Richards’ belief that the Stones performed the song better than The Beatles, neither version is all that good. The Rolling Stones’ version features loud guitar backing, but Jagger’s voice doesn’t meld well with it, particularly in the chorus. It gives the finished product a rushed, disjointed feel.
The Beatles’ version, which Ringo Starr sang, sounds stronger in the chorus, but the verses sound rushed and oddly emotionless. Starr chants his way through it rather than singing.
When looking back, Lennon agreed. He called the song a throwaway, which is why they decided to give it to The Rolling Stones.
“It was a throwaway,” Lennon told Playboy. “Ringo sang it for us, and the Stones did their version. It shows how much importance we put on them. We weren’t going to give them anything great, right? That was the Stones’ first record.”
Keith Richards said he was close with The Beatles
After The Beatles gave The Rolling Stones “I Wanna Be Your Man,” the bands grew close. Despite rumors of a feud between them, Richards said he always considered The Beatles friends.
“John and I particularly spent quite a lot of time together,” he said. “He was a very funny guy. I miss him very much, actually. And George (Harrison), a lovely guy. I used to spend quite a lot of time around his house in London with Ronnie (Wood of the Rolling Stones). There was a whole guitar-playing bunch: George, Eric Clapton, Ronnie. We’d play guitar and get stoned. The usual.”
He said that while it’s hard to make time to see each other, he’s still friendly with the surviving Beatles.
“We obviously didn’t see a lot of each other because we’re all on the road in those days, but I always treasured their friendship very much,” Richards said. “Paul still sends me a case of beer every Christmas. It’s Old Stinkhorn – it’s his own brew, I believe.”
