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On This Day in 1969, The Rolling Stones Hit No. 1 With a Hank Williams-Inspired Song During One of the Band’s Darkest Chapters
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.
In short
- “Honky Tonk Women” topped the UK chart on 23 July 1969.
- Its release followed Brian Jones’s removal and death.
- The song evolved from a Hank Williams-inspired country idea.
Explained simply
The Rolling Stones are one of the world's most famous rock bands, and "Honky Tonk Women" was their fifth UK number one single. The song's journey from the recording studio to the top of the charts in July 1969 coincided with a crisis within the band that would shape its future and cement the tragedy of one of its founders.
Brian Jones co-founded the Rolling Stones but had become increasingly marginalised within the group by 1969. In June, the band's remaining core members—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts—told Jones he was no longer part of the band. He died in his swimming pool on 3 July, the very day "Honky Tonk Women" was released, marking one of the darkest chapters in the group's history.
The song itself drew inspiration from American country music, particularly the work of Hank Williams, and began as a straightforward country composition before evolving into a blues-influenced track. This musical fusion reflected the band's experimental approach at the time and has since remained a notable part of their catalogue, forever linked to the circumstances of its release.
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