On 23 July 1969, the Rolling Stones reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Honky Tonk Women”, a hit released during a particularly troubled period for the band. The song’s success coincided with the departure and subsequent death of founding guitarist Brian Jones, giving the release a sombre place in the group’s history.

“Honky Tonk Women” was recorded on 8 June during sessions for Let It Bleed, which included its more country-styled counterpart, “Country Honk”. After the recording, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts told Jones he was no longer in the band; he died in his swimming pool on 3 July, the day the single was released. Richards said the song began as a Hank Williams-inspired country idea while he and Jagger were staying on a ranch in Brazil, before evolving into a bluesier track through the band’s experimentation with open tunings.