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TL;DR:

  • Mick Jagger said one of The Rolling Stones’ songs is very weird.
  • Keith Richards said the song was inspired by the work of another singer.
  • Richards discussed Brian Jones’ contributions to the track.
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger with a microphone
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger | Evening Standard/Getty Images

Mick Jagger said he didn’t understand one of The Rolling Stones‘ songs. Subsequently, Keith Richards said the song’s instrumentation was inspired by a folk singer. Notably, the track became a hit in the United States.

Mick Jagger said 1 of The Rolling Stones’ songs uses historical names

During a 1968 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger was told some of his songs about girls are bitter, like “Lady Jane.” Subsequently, he was told other Rolling Stones songs like “Ruby Tuesday” and “She’s a Lady” are about “mystical girls.”

“Different girls,” Jagger said. “I don’t know what to say except they speak for themselves. They are all very unthoughtout songs. I write them and they are never looked at again.”

Jagger was told the songs seemed sincere. “Well I do, that’s the scene,” he replied. “Those songs reflect the day and a few stupid chicks getting on my nerves. ‘Lady Jane’ is a complete sort of very weird song. I don’t really know what that’s all about myself. All the names are historical but it was really unconscious that they should fit together from the same period.”

Keith Richards named the folk singer who inspired the instrumentation of the song

The book Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews & Encounters includes an interview from 1971. In it, Richards discussed Brian Jones’ contributions to “Lady Jane.” “Brian was getting into dulcimer then,” Richards recalled. “Because he dug [folk singer] Richard Fariña. It has to do with what you listen to.

“Like I’ll just listen to old blues cats for months and not want to hear anything else and then I just want to hear what’s happening and collect it all and listen to it,” he continued. “We were also listening to a lot of Appalachian music then too. To me, ‘Lady Jane’ is very Elizabethan.”

Related

Mick Jagger Once Responded to Listeners Who Felt 1 of The Rolling Stones’ Songs Was Anti-Feminist

How The Rolling Stones’ ‘Lady Jane’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Lady Jane” became a minor hit in the United States. It reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for six weeks. The tune appeared on the album Aftermath. The album hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album remained on the chart for 50 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Lady Jane” did not chart in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Aftermath reached No. 1 in the U.K. for eight weeks and stayed on the chart for a total of 24 weeks.

“Lady Jane” was a hit even if its lyrics are mysterious to Jagger.

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