# What is the Signature Song by the Rolling Stones? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479 "2015-11-24T21:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/1 "2015-11-24T21:41:09Z")
For Zeppelin, there’s no question. (right?) For the Beatles, I would think most would point to “A Day in the Life” For the Stones…it’s a bit hazy. If you pick the 60’s era, I think we could all agree upon “Satisfaction”; apart from that, it’s much more difficult. “Gimme Shelter” would seem to be the obvious pick but “Brown Sugar” and “Miss You” deserve mention. Besides that, the challenge is to pick ONE signature song (defined however you want to define it). This being the case, I’m going with **Wild Horses** just because. (Yes, I’ve had a few.) Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/2 "2015-11-24T21:44:16Z")
Satisfaction. I can’t imagine for the Beatles most would choose A Day in The Life. I’d think it would be Hey Jude or I want to hold your hand or even She Loves You. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/3 "2015-11-24T21:46:26Z")
Without a doubt I would say Satisfaction. The opening riff is enough. Not their best song but it is their signature. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/4 "2015-11-24T21:57:51Z")
Satisfaction. Or Brown Sugar. Or. . . Oh, the hell with it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/5 "2015-11-24T22:07:21Z")
Definitely “Satisfaction” would be their signature tune. (I also don’t think most would choose “A Day in the Life” for the Beatles. I love that song, but it’d be pretty deep down I my list of guesses if you asked me what most people would name as the Beatles signature song.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/6 "2015-11-24T22:09:56Z")
For the Stones I’d say Satisfaction; for the Beatles, All You Need Is Love. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/7 "2015-11-24T22:10:31Z")
I’m gonna have to go with “Sympathy For the Devil”. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/8 "2015-11-24T22:11:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m gonna have to go with “Sympathy For the Devil”. BOOM! ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/9 "2015-11-24T22:13:26Z")
I think I’ve more often heard ‘Start Me Up’ used on TV to signify the Stones in a sound-bite, though I’m not keen on that song, and would choose ‘Satisfaction’ too, if I was the TV researcher responsible. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/10 "2015-11-24T22:15:16Z")
I think for the Beatles its far more hazy. Most people would say Satisfaction for the Stones (and some would say a few others), but I don’t think most people would be able to settle for one “signature” for the Beatles. My choice, for example, would be Hard Day’s Night. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/11 "2015-11-24T22:18:56Z")
The answer is clearly, unequivocally, and without a doubt “Satisfaction”. This isn’t “What’s your favorite Stones song?” This is “what is their signature song?” And that song is Satisfaction. Thread over. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/12 "2015-11-24T23:14:38Z")
Have to agree with the majority: “Satisfaction” is \*the \*Stones signature song. (With a nod to “The Last Time,” if only because of all the “This May Be the Last Time” headlines every friggin’ time the band tours.) If the Beatles have a signature it would have to be something from the Beatlemania period, either “She Loves You” (that “yeah yeah yeah” alone is their signature, really) or “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/13 "2015-11-24T23:17:35Z")
Yeah, Satisfaction for sure. But Gimme Shelter is a better song. Not that there’s anything shabby about Satisfaction. Same for the Beatles… you might pick I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Yesterday, Strawberry Fields Forever, Hey Jude, Let It Be… but the epic song is really A Day In The Life ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/14 "2015-11-24T23:47:27Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The answer is clearly, unequivocally, and without a doubt “Satisfaction”. > > This isn’t “What’s your favorite Stones song?” This is “what is their signature song?” And that song is Satisfaction. Thread over. OP checking back in…upon further reflection. This is the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/15 "2015-11-24T23:49:38Z")
“Satisfaction” with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” as runner-up. As for the Beatles, I’d say “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” but there are a lot of their songs in contention. How about we expand this thread to include some other acts? These are my picks for: Elvis - “Hound Dog”; The Who - “My Generation”; and Bob Dylan - “Like a Rolling Stone”. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/16 "2015-11-24T23:59:21Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > “Satisfaction” with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” as runner-up. > > As for the Beatles, I’d say “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” but there are a lot of their songs in contention. > > How about we expand this thread to include some other acts? These are my picks for: > > Elvis - “Hound Dog”; > > The Who - “My Generation”; and > > Bob Dylan - “Like a Rolling Stone”. Yes, yes and yes except that for Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind” is definitely in contention. As well as “The Times they are a Changin’”. Not best, but most recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/17 "2015-11-25T00:08:02Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > For the Beatles, I would think most would point to “A Day in the Life” WTF? > [@Laggard](#): > > I’d think it would be Hey Jude or I want to hold your hand or even She Loves You. Yes, absolutely. Their signature tunes are the Pop stuff that made them famous, not their deep hippie psychedelic stuff that gets little play on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/18 "2015-11-25T00:49:27Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > WTF? > > Yes, absolutely. Their signature tunes are the Pop stuff that made them famous, not their deep hippie psychedelic stuff that gets little play on the radio. All right. Sheesh. I said I had a few. You are correct. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/19 "2015-11-25T01:02:02Z")
It seems as though the Stones’ signature song has become “Start Me Up” or at least that’s what radio stations and ticket sellers have adopted as their most recognizable song. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479/20 "2015-11-25T01:10:21Z")
All you Beatles fans have got it wrong. Their _real_ signature song is, “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” 😛 But seriously, I think the answer differs based on how large a fan you are. Most casual fans of the Beatles may not even know “A Day in the Life”, or they may know the song and know of the title, but haven’t realized they are the same song (since the title’s never spoken in the lyrics – I know that was the case for me, long long ago.) Whereas their early pop hits are widely known by everyone. Likewise, for the Stones, casual fans are most likely to recognize “Satisfaction” (or even “Start Me Up”) while more serious fans would probably pick one of their deeper tracks, like “Street Fightin’ Man” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. As for Bob Dylan, casual fans would quickly choose “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “The Times They Are A-Changin’” or “Like a Rolling Stone”, whereas…well, those are really the only Dylan songs I know, so there you go. For some bands, you’ve got what I call “The Bohemian Rhapsody Effect”, where one answer seems so obvious that it seems TOO obvious, so you end up listening to the band’s entire catalog before finally sticking with your first choice of “Stairway to Heaven”, "Bohemian Rhapsody, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Free Bird”, “Tom Sawyer”, “Pull Me Under”, etc. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s bands like Genesis – do they even _have_ a signature song??? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-signature-song-by-the-rolling-stones/738479.md?page=2)