The widely mythologised relationship between 1960s icons Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull has often been characterised by chaos, and it’s easy to see why. Their four-year romance involved excessive substance abuse and cheating, as the pair allowed the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle to tear them apart. But before they broke up in 1970, Faithfull did provide Jagger with the inspiration for one of The Rolling Stones‘ greatest songs.
Faithfull had gifted Jagger a copy of The Master and Margarita by Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov. The novel follows the love story between the two title characters, interlaced with the Devil on a journey to Moscow. Despite the heavy themes that could come with the story—the Biblical references and the concept of evil—the novel was written in a light-hearted, satirical manner.
“Please allow me to introduce myself,” Jagger begins, “I’m a man of wealth and taste, I’ve been around for a long, long year, stole many a man’s soul and faith.” There’s a swagger to his words, a self-confidence as he assumes his new, evil character, and a poetic confidence, too. Each line is perfectly constructed, sonically pleasing and meaningful at the same time.
From there, Jagger makes claims about historical events such as the killings of the Kennedys and the blitzkrieg. He sings of screams and bodies, his descriptions full of pain. But in between those depictions of historical horrors, the character of the Devil remains poised and playful. “Pleased to meet you,” he sings amid his abhorrent admissions, “Hope you guess my name, what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game.”
Laden with historical references, discussions of evil, and perfectly placed poeticisms and rhymes, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ proved to be one of Jagger and Keith Richards’ greatest sonic creations. With a unique tone and samba flair, it commented on the state of the world and the constant presence of evil throughout history.
However, not all audiences were taken by the track when it was first released. In fact, the initial release of ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ caused a wave of controversy as the band brought Satan into mainstream music. Listeners who misunderstood the song saw the Stones as placing themselves in alignment with the devil when, in actuality, the song aimed to do the exact opposite.
“When that song was written, it was a time of turmoil,” Keith Richards explained during an interview with Rolling Stone, “It was the first sort of international chaos since World War II.” He went on to suggest that while it’s appealing to think that the world is perfect, it’s not a realistic viewpoint. “You might as well accept the fact that evil is there and deal with it any way you can,” he shrugged.
“‘Sympathy for the Devil’ is a song that said, ‘Don’t forget him,’” Richards explained, “If you confront him, then he’s out of a job.” Though this may have been the real message behind the Stones’ Satan-embodying hit, claims that they were evil were still thrown their way. But that controversy hasn’t stopped the song from becoming one of the best examples of Richards and Jagger’s songwriting prowess.
