“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones

Released in the late 1960’s, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is indicative of its time as it delves into topics such as drugs and political activism. Another subject dealt with extensively is getting over a past relationship and the seeming irony of having a woman with a questionable past enjoy the bliss of marriage. However, the main theme is the eternal pursuit for happiness and man’s unquenchable desire for contentment.

The majority of the lyrics paint a somewhat gloomy outlook on life from the perspective of the singer. Nevertheless, the song is famous for concluding on a positive, if not unexpected, note. The Stones do confirm that yes, just as the title states “you can’t always get what you want”. However, they also declare that if effort is put forth, a person may instead receive what they actually need.

Facts about “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

• This song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.
• The late American record producer Jimmy Miller worked with the Stones to produce this track.
• This track appears on The Stones’ 1969 album Let It Bleed. This was the eighth studio album of their career. It was also the band’s last album to feature the band’s original leader Brian Jones. Jones died at the age of 27 the same year the album came out.
• On the US Billboard Hot 100, this classic peaked at number 42. It also peaked at number 68 in Canada.

Donald Trump’s usage of the song

During his campaign for the position of President of the United States, Donald Trump used this song multiple times. At some point, The Rolling Stones even forbade him from using the song at his political rallies. However, Trump ignored their warnings and persistently went ahead to use the song at his rallies. He even used it during his victory speech after being elected U.S. President in 2017.

In June 2020, during his reelection campaign, President Trump used the song again at one of his rallies. Subsequently after that, the band sent a strong message to him, warning him again against the use of the song or any other track of theirs at his rallies.

They even went as far as threatening to take legal action against him if he failed to heed the warning.

FYI, a few days prior to that, the family of the late Tom Petty had also warned Trump and his campaign team against the illegal use of one of Tom’s classics at his rally. Said song was Tom’s 1989 hit “I Won’t Back Down“.

What was the release date of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”?

The single version of the song was released on July 4, 1969. The extended album version came out in December that same year.