You might think that The Rolling Stones are total originals. As one of the biggest bands in history, they truly lead the way in the world of rock and roll. But Mick Jagger has admitted that a different group offered significant inspiration, owning up to ripping off The Velvet Underground.
The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones were on the rise simultaneously. But while Jagger and his band dominated the mainstream as part of the rock invasion of the radio, The Velvet Underground were the leaders of the underground scene. While The Stones were doing laps around the world spreading their music, Lou Reed and his lot were the rulers of New York’s thriving alternative scene.
The two groups buzzed around the same circles, though. Reed and Jagger were both companions with pop artist Andy Warhol and close friends of David Bowie. All sitting at the top of the musical food chain, there are countless stories of their antics as friends at the height of their fame.
But musically, The Rolling Stones were always more classic, while The Velvet Underground weren’t afraid to get a little weird. Lou Reed’s outfit seemed to be making music utterly of his own invention, untethered to any genre or act that had come before them. The Stones, on the other hand, stand as part of a clear lineage, borrowing from the blues and rock masters that came before them.
Jagger and Richards were enormous music fans. It’s how they became friends as they bonded over their musical discovery, and in 1967, they were early admirers of The Velvet Underground. By this point, Jagger and Warhol had struck up a friendship, likely introducing the two groups. So when they released their debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico, Jagger was paying attention.
He was carefully listening to one track in particular, which he later admitted to ripping off. Talking about Lou Reed’s influence on rock, Jagger told NME, “Lou Reed started everything about that style of music, the whole sound and the way you play it.”
The Stones weren’t immune to his influence as the frontman continued, “I mean, even WE’VE been influenced by the Velvet Underground… No, really.”
He admits that they stole from one song, adding, “I’ll tell you exactly what we pinched from the very first Velvet Underground album. You know, the sound on ‘Heroin’. Honest to God, we did!”
The sparse guitar chords that open up the band’s 1967 album track ‘Heroin’ were emulated by The Stones on their 1968 album Beggar’s Banquet. At the start of ‘Stray Cat Blues’, the same sound is heard as the band try their best Velvet Underground impression.
Jagger’s respect and admiration for Lou Reed endured from that moment on. In 2013, he honoured his lost friend by saying, “He was the Johnny Cash of New York rock.”
