Skip to main content

TL;DR:

  • Keith Richards performed lead vocals on The Rolling Stones’ “Happy” instead of Mick Jagger.
  • Richards explained why Jagger had this idea.
  • Richards discussed the conditions under which he was willing to sing lead vocals.
The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in black-and-white
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards | Keystone/Getty Images

Keith Richards sang lead vocals on The Rolling Stones‘ “Happy.” Subsequently, he explained why he took on that role instead of Mick Jagger. He also revealed he sometimes sang lead on songs when he didn’t want to.

Mick Jagger felt he couldn’t sing The Rolling Stones’ ‘Happy’ better than Keith Richards even if he tried for days

In the 2013 book 50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of The Rolling Stones, Richards explained why he sang lead vocals on “Happy.” “It was mainly because we had the track, we liked it, but we hadn’t worked on the lyrics or the vocal at all until we were in there doing vocal overdubs,” he said.

“And it came around to the point where Mick said, ‘Even if I spend three days on it, I don’t think I’m going to do it as well as you’re doing it trying to teach it to me,'” Richards added. “It’s one of those, ‘I think you’re wrong, but if you want me to I’ll go ahead and do it anyway.'” 

Keith Richards discussed the times when he liked singing lead vocals on The Rolling Stones’ songs

Richards discussed what could happen next with Jagger. “And either if he wants to do it again later he can, or it stays as it is,” he said. “If I manage to pull a good vocal off then it’ll stay there.”

Richards discussed what he thought about singing. “I [like singing lead] … but it’s very rare that I can do it as well as Mick can do it, that’s why he does it so well,” he said. Richards said he would sing lead vocals on songs he wrote quickly or if Jagger decided not to sing the song. Richards would perform vocals on a track if Jagger asked him to, even if that wasn’t his preference. While Richards performed “Happy,” he said Jagger was very involved in the creation of the tune’s parent album: Exile on Main St.

Related

‘The Lord of the Rings’: Why The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger Didn’t Play Frodo in the 1978 Film

How ‘Happy’ and its parent album performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Happy” became a modest hit for The Rolling Stones in the United States. The track reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for eight weeks. The tune appeared on the album Exile on Main St., which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for four weeks and stayed on the chart for 57 weeks. The album remains one of the band’s most acclaimed.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Happy” did not chart in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Exile on Main St. reached No. 1 for one of its 16 weeks on the chart.

“Happy” was a hit in the U.S. and it proved Richards is a capable singer.

Best in Entertainment