The Rolling Stones - Miss You

When I started this "Music for the Next Generation" series, I don't think I originally planned to include the Rolling Stones. Everyone knows the Rolling Stones, right?

Well, a few days ago, I realized that while the Beatles are widely famous in Japan, it turns out that the Rolling Stones are not.

I always grew up seeing the Rolling Stones and the Beatles as indissociable from each other, as the yin and the yang of rock n' roll... And yet, while my daughter's knowledge of Western music is almost non-existent, she instantly recognized the Abbey Road reference on the cover of this book that I'm currently reading, you can hear songs from the Beatles quite regularly on TV, even as background music of random talk shows (how they get the rights is a mystery to me), and it's not rare that I see Japanese people referencing them. On the other hand, after realizing that I never hear about the Rolling Stones in Japan, I started polling people around me, paying attention to what music is played here and there, and I can never hear the Stones, and no one seems to know about them (I'm sure some music buffs do, but I'm really talking about the general population).

So, for my few Japanese readers, let me introduce you to the Rolling Stones. They're from London, they formed in 1962, and ... they're one of the most important bands in rock 'n' roll history! I won't recount their entire history and influence; it would take too long, I'll invite you to read the Wikipedia page instead. And while I said that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are inseparable in the history of music, there is one huge difference between the two bands. The Beatles only existed as a band for 10 years (which is unbelievable, considering their impact), but the Rolling Stones are still active and will release their 25th album this summer! Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 82 years old! (There are many jokes saying that Keith Richards is immortal. I sometimes wonder if those are really jokes.)

Anyway, I was wondering which song I should pick to introduce the Rolling Stones in this newsletter. After some deliberation, I decided to do what I usually do with most bands and start with the first song I remember from them.

And it is Miss You.

Released in 1978, the song definitely has a disco influence. That probably explains why it's the first song of theirs I remember. In the late '70s, I spent a lot of time with my cousins, who were about 15 years older than me. They were crazy about disco, and thanks to them, it was the first adult music genre I became acquainted with.

It's interesting that "Miss You" is my "oldest" Rolling Stones song. As I mentioned, they still exist and have always been hugely popular. However, their musical influence started to fade in the '70s, and "Miss You" is a good example of this. They were becoming less and less of a trendsetter, instead followed the trends of the moment. Still, even since the 1980s, the Rolling Stones, though not as influential, have remained one of the most popular bands in the world. In a sense, the fact that they didn't need to innovate to stay popular while so many aging bands faded into the background is a testament to their importance.