In the 1960s, a surge of new bands dominated the mainstream music landscape, with addictive rhythms known as the British Invasion spreading across the pond. Of course, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were the greatest names; they both embodied a period of musical innovation and adolescent culture.
The Rolling Stones’ scandalous relationships, drug addiction, and general chaos—original lead guitarist Brian Jones even passed away at the age of 27—led to the band’s reputation as being less disciplined than The Beatles and as the embodiment of the “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” lifestyle.
The Stones naturally turned their crazy adventures and tales into songs, frequently referencing the ladies they had fallen in love with over the years. Lead singer Mick Jagger has had a good deal of love and turbulent situations, which have given him a plenty of poetic material. Marianne Faithfull, Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, and L’Wren Scott are a few of his most well-known companions; nonetheless, he was disloyal to the majority of the women he professed to love.
Jagger wrote a number of songs, the actual motivation for many of which we may never know. Still, there are several tunes that we can very certainly identify with specific ladies in Jagger’s life. Jagger’s four-year romance with Faithfull served as the inspiration for a number of songs, including “I Got The Blues.” The song, which was released a year after their breakup, included lyrics that discussed ending a relationship.
In addition, Faithfull provided inspiration for the song “Wild Horses,” informing Jagger that after emerging from a coma, “wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Furthermore, she disclosed to Classic Rock, “I also contributed to ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and ‘Dear Doctor’ – junk songs… I know they used me as a muse for those tough drug songs. I knew I was being used, but it was for a worthy cause.”
From 1971 until 1978, Jagger wed Bianca Jagger, whose real name was Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías. The song “Respectable” by Some Girls features her as the topic, and Jagger divulges, “This is a Punk meets Chuck Berry number. The lyric carries no fantastically deep message, but I think it might have had something to do with Bianca.”
The singer had four children with Bianca after cheating on her with Jerry Hall. The song “I Miss You” is said to have been inspired by the model, as Jagger mentions her last name in the verse “I’ve been waiting in the hall/Been waiting on your call.”
And lastly, the divisive song “Brown Sugar,” whose lyrics are blatantly racist and nasty. Jagger used a story about rape and enslavement to profess his love for African American women in the song, which he subsequently regretted creating. The song was allegedly inspired by two women: Marsha Hunt and Claudia Lennear. Despite their brief connection, the latter was the mother of Jagger’s first child, Karis Hunt Jagger. Lennear once dated Jagger while dating Tina Turner and Ike as members of The Ikettes. Although Bill Wyman has stated that the song is about Lennear, it is unclear who Jagger had in mind when he wrote it. Hunt has claimed to be the song’s inspiration.