The Rolling Stones, You Can’t Always Get What You Want

“Rolling stones, can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you get what you need.”

My dad grew up in the 70s and 80s and with that, he grew up learning various different decades of music. He had a particularly fond liking for classic rock and roll and garage band music. One of his all-time favorite bands is the Rolling Stones. As a result of that, I grew up listening to so much classic rock. Like my dad, the Rolling Stones have a special place in my heart, because it bothers me more with my father and gives us something to talk about and analyze. A lot of their song lyrics are about being on the road, love, drugs, sex, and other forms of profanity. One of our favorite songs is you can’t always get what you want. This song is a reminder that you always have enough and it’s also just an incredible song. The main chorus of the song goes “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need”. The significance of the song pertains specifically Richard’s use of Heroin, Jagger’s girlfriend who suffered a miscarriage and Jone’s who had overdosed in previous years. While not everyone has these experiences, it explains the specifics the band members experienced and has vague enough references to make it pertain to a generalized group of people.  I have always kept in the back of my mind and thought about this song and times that I’ve struggled. Again, it serves as a friendly reminder that you have everything that you need in life and you cannot always get what you want. Music is an incredible way to share folklore, especially when it’s shared through an epic band such as the Rolling Stones. They have had a 50-year career, And have toured all around the world. Wherever you go, people will know one of their songs. I personally know many of their songs by heart, and most of my friends will know a certain part of any given song. It has been a classic song and can be universally known and understood even when the language is spoken is different. People have idolized this band, and while they were on their tour around the world, they have gained an innumerable following. Again, this leads to the understanding of songs, messages, and sayings as a form of folklore.

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