If You Try Sometimes... Listening to the Rolling Stones, Song by Song

This book is about every song the Rolling Stones recorded in the studio and released between 1963 – 2024, and every solo song Mick Jagger and Keith Richards released during the same time. That’s 512 songs, recorded across 60 years.

For every song in this book, I attempt to describe what the song sounds like, identify the Stones’ (likely) goal in making the song, and, most importantly, identify the elements of the song that contribute to its success or to its failure. Why does this song still thrill us? Why does it disappoint?

I’m writing this book as a listener, and as a fan, though not an uncritical one. My hope is that reading this book will give you a deeper appreciation of the Rolling Stones’ music and artistic legacy. Maybe you’ll notice songs you hadn’t noticed, or you’ll hear aspects of familiar songs that you’d never caught before. Maybe there are songs you’ve known were great (or terrible), and this book will help you put words to why they affect (or annoy) you the way they do. Maybe you’ll learn about discographical nooks and crannies that help illuminate the music you already know, or that are just fun to discover and learn about. Hopefully, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of what’s made this great band tick for 60-plus years.