Sympathy for the Devil

The Rolling Stones, 1968. Solo by Keith Richards.

Stark, spiky bursts with space between them. Keith played it on a Les Paul, and the gaps matter as much as the notes.

Keith Richards' lead arrives as short, jagged bursts of distorted guitar that cut across the samba groove in the instrumental break and keep flaring through the long fade. It sounds less like a polished solo than a series of sharp interjections, and the gaps between them are as important as the notes. Richards also played the song's bass line, and the isolated lead reveals more playing than made the final mix. Against the percussion and chanting, those stabbing phrases give the song its sense of menace. Listen for how each burst starts abruptly and stops just as abruptly; the silence afterwards leaves the congas and piano hanging in the air until the next jab.

Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones is ranked #25 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Keith Richards and the song was released in 1968. It appears on 22 lists, placing as high as #9 (Kobalog).

The story of Sympathy for the Devil

Sympathy for the Devil is largely Mick Jagger's creation. Marianne Faithfull had given him Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, newly translated into English in 1967, and he also drew ideas from the poet Charles Baudelaire. Jagger said he borrowed a couple of lines and expanded them in the manner of a Bob Dylan song, with the Devil narrating his role in human history. Early working titles included The Devil Is My Name and Fallen Angels.

The song began as a folk-style tune, but Keith Richards pushed for a change of feel, suggesting a samba groove and extra percussion. Jagger had also visited Brazil in 1968, and the rhythms and Candomble traditions he encountered in Bahia fed into the new arrangement. Charlie Watts said he played a loose Latin jazz pattern in the spirit of Kenny Clarke, while Rocky Dijon added congas and Nicky Hopkins contributed piano.

Sessions took place at Olympic Sound Studios in London over five days in June 1968, with Jean-Luc Godard filming for his movie One Plus One, later retitled Sympathy for the Devil. The famous woo-woo chant grew out of producer Jimmy Miller calling out during a take; Anita Pallenberg suggested turning it into a backing vocal, sung with Faithfull and others. A fire started by the film crew damaged the studio, but Miller saved the tapes. After Robert Kennedy was shot that week, Jagger revised a lyric about JFK to mention both brothers.

The track opened Beggars Banquet, released by Decca on December 6, 1968. Its subject matter fed accusations that the band dabbled in Satanism, suspicions already stirred by Their Satanic Majesties Request. It was never a major single at the time, but a 2003 set of remixes reached No. 14 in the UK and topped the UK dance chart. The song has been played live more than 800 times.

The solo

The stinging lead guitar on Sympathy for the Devil is credited to Keith Richards, who also played the song's bass line on the record; Brian Jones contributed only acoustic guitar. Richards' part arrives as short, jagged bursts of distorted lead that cut across the samba groove in the instrumental break and continue through the long fade, sounding almost like interjections rather than a polished solo. Producer and blogger Bobby Owsinski, discussing the isolated track, identifies the guitar as a 1957 Les Paul Custom played through what appears to be a Vox AC30. The isolated lead runs just over two minutes and contains plenty of playing that was left out of the final mix. Some listeners have speculated about session players, but Richards remains the credited guitarist.

Legacy

Sympathy for the Devil is regarded as one of the Rolling Stones' defining songs and opened what many consider their golden run of albums. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 106 on its 2021 list of the 500 greatest songs, and the Washington Post called it the band's ode to madness. Critic Robert Christgau admired how the Kennedy lines implicate everyone in society's violence. It holds platinum certifications in the UK, Australia, Spain and Italy, and a myth persists that it was playing during the Altamont killing, when the band was actually performing Under My Thumb.

Top 10 facts about Sympathy for the Devil

Jagger was inspired by Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, which Marianne Faithfull had given him.
Wikipedia
The song's working titles included The Devil Is My Name and Fallen Angels.
Wikipedia
Jagger said the song started out as a folk song and turned into a samba, a shift Keith Richards encouraged.
Songfacts
The woo-woo backing chant began when producer Jimmy Miller ad-libbed during a vocal take, and Anita Pallenberg suggested keeping it.
Wikipedia
A fire caused by Godard's film crew damaged Olympic Studios during the sessions, but Jimmy Miller rescued the multitrack tapes.
Wikipedia
Jagger rewrote a line about John F. Kennedy to include Robert Kennedy after RFK was assassinated during the recording week.
Wikipedia
Keith Richards played both the bass line and the lead guitar on the studio recording.
Wikipedia
Richards' lead appears to have been played on a 1957 Les Paul Custom, and the isolated track includes lots of playing cut from the final mix.
Bobby Owsinski's Music Production Blog
Contrary to popular belief, the band was playing Under My Thumb, not this song, when Meredith Hunter was killed at Altamont.
Wikipedia
Guns N' Roses' 1994 cover caused so much friction that Slash described it as the sound of the band breaking up.
Wikipedia

Live versions

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1968) TV special performance, unseen until 1995, in which Jagger bared devil tattoos on his chest.
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (1970) Live album from the 1969 US tour, with Mick Taylor taking the lead guitar part.
Love You Live (1977) Mid-1970s concert version included on the band's double live album.
Steel Wheels Tour (1989) Jagger sang it perched high above the stage beside bursts of fire.
Flashpoint (1991) Early-1990s Stones live album that includes the song among its concert highlights.

Notable covers

Guns N' Roses (1994) Recorded for Interview with the Vampire; reached No. 55 in the US amid internal band tension.
Laibach Slovenian group devoted an entire release to multiple versions of the song.
Jane's Addiction Alternative rock band recorded their own take on the song.
Blood, Sweat & Tears Jazz-rock group recorded their own version of the song.
Motorhead British hard rock band recorded a heavy version of the song.

In our lists

The 25 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Solos — #11
The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s — #6
Played on a Les Paul — #7
Most Agreed-Upon — #25
Critics' Picks — #15
Most Divisive — #24

Sources

What guitar was used on the Sympathy for the Devil solo?

A gibson les paul, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Sympathy for the Devil rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#25 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 22 of them.

Who played the guitar solo on Sympathy for the Devil?

Keith Richards is credited with the lead guitar, and he also played bass on the studio recording.

What inspired Sympathy for the Devil?

Mick Jagger drew on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita and the writing of Charles Baudelaire.

What album is Sympathy for the Devil on?

It opens the Rolling Stones' 1968 album Beggars Banquet.

Who sings the woo-woo backing vocals?

The band plus Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull and photographer Michael Cooper; the idea came from Jimmy Miller's ad-lib.

Was Sympathy for the Devil played when a fan was killed at Altamont?

No. That is a common myth; the band was playing Under My Thumb at the time.