You Can't Always Get What You Want

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Song

This article is about the song by the Rolling Stones. See You Can't Always Get What You Want (Grounded for Life episode) for the Grounded for Life episode.

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the Rolling Stones off of their 1969 release Let It Bleed. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Rolling Stone named it the 100th greatest song of all time in 2004 in its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

The song was recorded on 16th and 17th November 1968. It features the London Bach Choir powerfully opening the song, highlighting throughout, and brings it to a uproarious conclusion. Jimmy Miller, the Rolling Stones' producer at the time, played drums on this song instead of Charlie Watts. Al Kooper plays piano, organ and French horn while Rocky Dijon plays congas and maracas.

The song became very popular during the waning days of the 1960s. An edited version was released as the b-side to "Honky Tonk Women".

An instrumental version of this song is used at Alex's funeral in the movie The Big Chill where it is noted as his favorite song. In 1990, George Michael used the song title in his hit Waiting For That Day and duly gave Jagger and Richards a songwriting credit. It also features in at least three episodes of House MD and in an episode of Nip/Tuck and was also used in the Coca-Cola C2 commercials in 2004.

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is very popular at Stones shows due to the sing-along chorus and is played at almost every show (where it is custom for Jagger to change the lyrics from "my favourite flavour, cherry red" to the question "What's your favourite flavour?" to which the audience replies "Cherry red"). Live recordings appear on the albums Love You Live, Flashpoint, and Live Licks.

Jagger makes a reference to Jimmy Hendrix, and himself purchasing drugs, or "prescriptions", Co-incedentally, Jimmy Hendrix died 11 years later from drug abuse.

External links

• Lyrics