The best song on 1969’s ‘Let It Bleed’, according to Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger has called ‘Gimme Shelter’ the standout track on the Rolling Stones’ 1969 album *Let It Bleed*, and described it as a song about a world closing in. Its dark mood reflected a period of war and political tension, helping make it one of the band’s most enduring and widely used songs.

Jagger recalled that singer Merry Clayton was brought in to perform the song’s stark refrain, recording her part in one or two takes. Keith Richards described the album as heavier than its predecessor, *Beggars Banquet*, while guitarist Johnny Marr later praised the economy and feeling of its solo. Jagger said the song has often been used to evoke storms and natural disasters.