<p id=”par-1_42″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/the-rolling-stones/”>The Rolling Stones</a> and Led Zeppelin will always be part of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/mick-jagger-on-why-androgyny-is-part-of-rock-n-roll.html/”>the rock ‘n’ roll canon</a>. Despite this, Mick Jagger felt his band was distinct from Led Zeppelin. He said he took a very different approach to symbolism than Jimmy Page did.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-mick-jagger-said-the-rolling-stones-weren-t-as-into-satanic-imagery-as-led-zeppelin”>Mick Jagger said The Rolling Stones weren’t as into Satanic imagery as Led Zeppelin</h2>
<p id=”par-2_43″>On the surface, The Rolling Stones’ <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-rolling-stones-sympathy-for-the-devil-originally-sounded-like-brazilian-music.html/”>“Sympathy for the Devil”</a> is a track about Satan himself. However, it’s not about anything supernatural or biblical. It just uses the devil as a symbol of the forces of evil that will always be with humanity.</p>
<p id=”par-3_84″>During a 1995 interview with <a href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/mick-jagger-remembers-92946/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a>, Jagger discussed the reception of “Sympathy for the Devil.” “The Satanic imagery stuff was very overplayed [by journalists],” he opined. “We didn’t want to really go down that road. And I felt that song was enough. You didn’t want to make a career out of it. But bands did that — Jimmy Page, for instance.” Page was interested in Thelema, the occult religion founded by mystic and author Aleister Crowley. Crowley was often misidentified as a devil-worshipper.</p>
<p id=”par-4_39″>“I knew lots of people that were into Aleister Crowley,” he said. “What I’m saying is, it wasn’t what I meant by the song ‘Sympathy for the Devil.’ If you read it, it’s not about black magic, per se.”</p>
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<iframe title=”Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven (Live at Earls Court 1975) [Official Video]” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ly6ZhQVnVow?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-led-zeppelin-wasn-t-the-only-band-mick-jagger-distanced-himself-from”>Led Zeppelin wasn’t the only band Mick Jagger distanced himself from</h2>
<p id=”par-5_64″>Rather than being inspired by the devil himself, “Sympathy for the Devil” was inspired by a famous French author. “I think that was taken from an old idea of [Charles] Baudelaire’s, I think, but I could be wrong,” he said. “Sometimes, when I look at my Baudelaire books, I can’t see it in there.” Baudelaire was known for writing about obscene and occult subjects.</p>
<p id=”par-6_69″>Jagger distanced “Sympathy for the Devil” from the work of more Satanic rock bands. “My whole thing of this song was not black magic and all this silly nonsense — like Megadeth or whatever else came afterward,” he explained. “It was different than that. We had played around with that imagery before — which is [the album <em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/mick-jaggers-response-asked-their-satanic-majesties-request-supposed-sound-like-the-beatles-strawberry-fields-forever.html/”>Their Satanic Majesties Request</a></em>] — but it wasn’t really put into words.”</p>
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<iframe title=”The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil (Official Lyric Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/GgnClrx8N2k?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/led-zeppelin-on-greta-van-fleet-a-band-accused-of-copying-them.html/”>
Led Zeppelin on Greta Van Fleet, a Band Accused of Copying Them </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-rolling-stones-sympathy-for-the-devil-was-not-a-hit”>The Rolling Stones’ ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ was not a hit</h2>
<p id=”par-7_55″>The original “Sympathy for the Devil” did not chart on the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-rolling-stones/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>. The tune appeared on the album <em>Beggars Banquet</em>. That record peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 33 weeks. Eventually, a series of “Sympathy for the Devil” remixes reached No. 97 for a week. </p>
<p id=”par-8_83″>While “Sympathy for the Devil” wasn’t much of a hit, it’s still one of The Rolling Stones’ most famous songs. “Sympathy for the Devil” remains a staple of the group’s live shows, and it sounds just as good today as it did decades ago. It helped pave the way for many (performatively or authentically) Satanic rock artists, such as Alice Cooper, King Diamond, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie. Intentionally or not, it also primed the public for some of Led Zeppelin’s occult-inspired songs.</p>
<p id=”par-9_24″>The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin are very different bands — but they remain some of the best rock ‘n’ roll has to offer.</p>