Few song openings are as recognizable as the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” Mick Jagger’s ad-libbing over that jaunty rhythm is at the same time groove-inducing and foreboding. The slow-building song has gone down as one of the best songs in history, never mind just in rock ‘n’ roll.
The fiendish track can be traced back to the Soviet Union-era satire The Master and Margarita, written by Mikhail Bulgakov. The complex work was a meditation on the omnipresent battle between good and evil as seen through the lens of Joseph Stalin’s dictatorship.
Behind The Meaning
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole million man’s soul an faith
In this track, Jagger introduces a socialite version of the devil, who claims the responsibility for a number of historical tragedies including the Hundred Years War, the Russian Revolution, World War II, and the Assassination of JFK.
The satan-centric lyrics got the band accused of devil worship—as did many rock bands in the ’60s and ’70s. Despite the lyrics, Jagger has claimed the song is more about the darker nature of man than celebrating the devil.
Keith Richards said of the song in 2022, “‘Sympathy’ is quite an uplifting song. It’s just a matter of looking the devil in the face. He’s there all the time. I’ve had very close contact with Lucifer – I’ve met him several times. Evil —people tend to bury it and hope it sorts itself out and doesn’t rear its ugly head. ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ is a song that says, Don’t forget him. If you confront him, then he’s out of a job.”
The track came at the perfect time with a largely unpopular war raging in Vietnam, America rife with protest, and Martin Luther King’s assassination still heavy on the hearts of the country. The track cleverly pointed a finger at the evil present around the world and gave the listener someone to blame.
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
Posted from:https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-rolling-stones-sympathy-for-the-devil/