The Rolling Stones: All Number 1 Songs Ranked Worst To Best

Which of the Rolling Stones' iconic number ones is the biggest gas, gas, gas?

Mick Jagger, left, and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones relax during  a party at Danceteria in New York, celebrating the release of their new album Emotional Rescue
Suzanne Vlamis/AP

The Rolling Stones were formed in 1962, meaning they are now celebrating their 60th career anniversary.

When they broke into the biz, during the British Invasion period of rock & roll history, the Stones were seen as an angrier, more irreverent rival to the Beatles - and the fact is, for many years there, the two bands constantly battled one another for the top of the charts. No one could have guessed then that the Stones would far outlast the Fab Four, and to this day many argue that Mick Jagger's band is the better one.

No matter where you stand on that debate, the Stones' impact on music and culture at large is indelible and unparalleled, and their transatlantic success is the kind that few artists these days still manage to reach. Between the US and the UK, the Rolling Stones achieved 12 number one singles, all of which marked notable periods in their career, from breakthroughs to comebacks.

In this article, we rank those songs from worst to best. You might be surprised at how well some of these classics hold up... and how dated some of them are.

12. Little Red Rooster

UK #1, did not chart US, 1964

The Rolling Stones were greatly inspired by a variety of recording artists from Chicago, and even took their name from a Muddy Waters song. Little Red Rooster, their 2nd UK #1, was a cover version of a Howlin' Wolf track, and remains the only blues song to ever top the British charts. Albeit a favourite of the band's, and a tune that original drummer Brian Jones claimed to have diminished his guilt over 'selling out,' Little Red Rooster remains one of their most forgettable hits, a curious little sidestep for a band that was still finding its voice.

Although it lacks the immediate irreverence of their later work, it was still banned by US radios for being too sexually suggestive... even if a Sam Cooke version had become a crossover hit in America just the year before.

Fun Fact: What is a little red rooster anyway? You may get there faster if you replace 'rooster' with a synonym. Got it? Good.

Contributor

Renato hails from Portugal but is obsessed with the US and UK charts, because why not? He also writes books with dozens of protagonists and will be remiss if you can't remember every single one of their names.