Throughout the 1960s, The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards could never escape the impact of The Beatles. As one of the few bands able to rival the Fab Four, the Stones shared a unique perspective on what made The Beatles stand out, despite their own distinctly different style. Richards and The Beatles maintained a close, friendly relationship, yet Richards always saw the two bands as fundamentally unlike in their setups.
In a 2010 interview with NPR, Richards explained, “We probably did make a sort of decision not to be The Fab Four. The Beatles were a vocal band, you know? They all sang.
John would take the lead, or Paul, or George, and even sometimes Ringo. But our band’s setup was totally different—with one frontman, one lead singer.”
While Richards’ own occasional lead vocals on Stones classics like “You Got The Silver” and “Happy” did add variety, the Stones’ structure remained anchored by Jagger’s central role. As the ‘60s progressed, the two bands regularly traded top spots on the charts, even sharing songwriting credits on The Stones’ early hit, I Wanna Be Your Man, which Lennon and McCartney wrote specifically for them.
Richards reflected on this period: “There was an incredible difference in how we operated compared to The Beatles. But we were doing it all at the same time. It was a great relationship between us. Competition didn’t come into it for us.”
Paul McCartney later echoed this in a 2016 interview, saying, “We knew their style, and I just thought ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ would suit them. And they made a good job of it.”
Yet, Richards admitted to feeling envious of The Beatles’ early access to studio recording: “They’re doing what we wanted—they got it! The Holy Grail was to make records, to get into a studio. You’d think it was a gold mine, invading Fort Knox just to make a record.”
Mick Jagger, too, saw The Beatles as a pivotal force that pushed the Stones to broaden their style. “The Beatles suddenly explode, and we’re here going, ‘But we’re a blues band!’” Jagger recalled. “Keith would play Beatles songs all the time, and it’d drive me batty! He wanted to write pop songs. We were undeniably a blues band, but we knew we had to be a pop band.”
By intertwining their blues roots with broader appeal, The Stones ultimately forged a new path, propelled by both admiration and rivalry with The Beatles, and the desire to leave their own mark on the music world.
