With so many iconic hits to their name, crafting a setlist for The Rolling Stones is no easy task. The band faces a daunting challenge each night: with limited stage time and a sea of eager fans hoping to hear their personal favorites, they must strike a delicate balance. Pleasing the masses while avoiding burnout can be a tightrope act, and sometimes, even Mick Jagger gets completely fed up with certain songs.
Over the years, Jagger has grown tired of a few tracks. It’s understandable—after decades in the industry, it makes sense that some songs penned in his youth don’t hold the same charm now that he’s older. Their enduring popularity, however, is a testament to their talent, even if it means the band has to find new ways to keep the songs fresh—or just grit their teeth and get through it.
Jagger has been vocal about songs he no longer enjoys performing. For example, he’s stated that ‘Street Fighting Man’ no longer resonates, saying bluntly, “I don’t really like it that much.” The same goes for tracks like ‘She Smiled Sweetly,’ ‘2000 Man,’ and ‘Complicated.’ Then, in 2002, another track was added to the list when Jagger resisted performing it during the Forty Licks tour.
“During the Forty Licks tour, when we were preparing the setlist for a show in Yokohama, Chuck Leavell suggested we play ‘Loving Cup,’ the ballad from Exile on Main St,” Jagger recalled in 2003. While the Stones are known for keeping their setlists fresh by diving into their back catalog, Jagger wasn’t keen on this one.
“I didn’t want to play the tune,” he admitted. He launched into a rant: “I said, ‘Chuck, this is going to die a death in Yokohama. I can’t even remember the bloody song, and no one likes it.
I’ve done it loads of times in America, and it doesn’t go down that well. It’s a very difficult song to sing,’” he continued, delivering the final blow: “I’m fed up with it!”
By this point, the song was over 30 years old, so Jagger’s frustration was understandable. But just because he was sick of singing it didn’t mean the fans were tired of hearing it. Despite his complaints, Leavell pushed back, calling Jagger a “stick in the mud.” Reluctantly, Jagger agreed to include the song in the setlist.
To Jagger’s surprise, when they started playing ‘Loving Cup,’ the crowd erupted in applause. “Lo and behold, we went out, started the song, and they all began applauding,” he recalled, humbled by the enthusiastic response.
It was a lesson for Jagger, and one that fans continue to benefit from when their old favorites resurface. As Jagger reflected, it’s also proof that sometimes a song’s true value isn’t apparent at the time of its release.
He concluded, “It just proves how, over time, some of these songs acquire a certain existence or value that they never had when they first came out. People will say, ‘What a wonderful song that was,’ when it was virtually ignored at the time it was released.”
