When a group writes and produces over 400 songs in a 60-year career, the vast catalog is bound to have at least one bad apple. For The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger, that apple is “Street Fighting Man.”
A tune relaying Jagger’s observations about the protesters at the start of the Vietnam War. The song and its lyrics joined the extensive collection of ’60s protest pieces, but never seemingly got the point The Stones and Jagger were trying to convey. Given the unreceived intended meaning, Jagger has had a growing dislike for the song ever since its release, particularly with the lyrics and sentiments embedded.
The song is an archetypal rebellious ’60s song—including themes of political unrest, lostness, and idealistic tempers. The tune is one listeners have heard many times before. Maybe that’s why Jagger hates the lyrics so much. Maybe, it’s because now looking back at it suggests that the Stones created an empty song that just added to the political fad at the time. Or maybe it’s simply because Jagger doesn’t think the tune holds any relevancy in today’s modern world.
