The Rolling Stones’ 20 most popular reggae songs

July 6, 2024

A collection of the Rolling Stones' most popular reggae songs

(Source: Far Out / Raph PH)

Sat., 6 July 2024, 16:30, UK

Flip through the Rolling Stones’ Rolodex of influences and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an alphabetical card that doesn’t have one or another entry. While the band carved their way onto the stage and radio with their distinctive brand of bluesy garage rock, their world-dominating sound would soon draw on disco, soul and, of course, reggae as they cemented their unique brand.

Since the 1960s, the group has been fascinated by the sounds of world music. However, the Caribbean rhythms have crept most easily into the band’s lifeblood. In conversation with Rolling StoneLead singer Mick Jagger spoke of the tropical inspirations that influenced the group so much: “I first heard Jamaican music in the 1960s, and back then it wasn’t called reggae, it was ‘blue beat’. Of course there were a lot of Jamaicans in London, and you heard blue beat, which eventually turned into ska, and you heard calypso and other Caribbean music.”

Reggae would not only be an influence on the band, but also a comfort for its members. Jagger and his songwriting partner Keith Richards often celebrated the genre and counted the islands’ songs among their favorites. “What I love about reggae,” Richards told the Under the influence documentary, “is that everything is so natural, there’s none of that artificial stuff that I got bored of in rock music.” Then he clarifies: “I never get bored of rock & roll, but ‘rock’ is the white man’s version, and they make it a march, that’s (the modern) version of rock. Excuse me, I prefer the roll.”

Given Richards’ native Jamaica, it may seem obvious that the guitarist has been influenced by the sounds, but his connection to reggae and its artists, particularly Gregory Isaacs, who he once described as the author of his favourite song, is something internal. He explained his love for Isaacs in a conversation with BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discsand says, “I’ve always thought Gregory was one of the best songwriters to come out of this island and a great singer.” His love for ‘Extra Classic’ goes even further when he says, “‘Extra Classic’ was a song where I met my old lady, so I thought I’d carry that on.”

Richards’ admiration for the sounds of the genre, however, does not only apply to Isaacs. In an interview with Rolling StoneHe also expressed his love for Little Walter and Big Bill Broonzy, and once described The Itals’ 1998 song “In a Dis Ya Time” as “the perfect reggae song.” Richards is not the only Stones member who loves reggae.

Mick Jagger has also expressed his appreciation for some of the classics, notably Bob Marley, Tenor Saw, Ronnie Davis and of course Peter Tosh, frequent Stones collaborator. However, it was not Tosh who he felt laid the foundations of modern reggae. That honour went to Max Romeo and the Upsetters with their song “War Ina Babylon”, which Jagger described as the track that “established what you might call the tenet of reggae. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry produced it – it’s essential reggae.”

Ronnie Wood was also a reggae fan. On his television show, Pattie Boyd said that Bob Marley was every musician’s favorite artist, saying, “Bob had his breakthrough and made reggae popular again around the world.” However, he went a step further when he collaborated with Toots Hibbert, the late bandleader of Toots and the Maytals, and covered the classic “54-46 Was My Number” with the singer.

We have compiled a number of songs mentioned by members of The Rolling Stones in various interviews and television shows over the years to create a perfect list of the most important reggae songs and a corresponding playlist.