Mick Jagger once made it clear that The Rolling Stones and The Beatles had a “little bit of friction” during the 1960s.
The veteran frontman would comment on the “strange times” during a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, where he inducted the Fab Four. Though Jagger would note the “rivalry” in their early years, it was an ultimately friendly relationship between The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, at least for the most part. Jagger would comment on the scene and the feeling between the two groups during his speech at the ceremony. Jagger had even reassured George Harrison before giving his speech that he wasn’t going to badmouth the band. Instead, Jagger hailed The Beatles for their success in America and their songwriting, and said it was a “real wasteland” before Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Harrison, and Ringo Starr came along.
Jagger said: “When I got here tonight, I saw George (Harrison) and he said, ‘You aren’t going to say anything bad about me are you?’ I couldn’t think of anything, really bad to say because in England during those very early days, just while The Beatles were recording their first songs, it was a real wasteland.
“We were doin’ Chuck Berry songs and blues and things and we thought that we were totally unique animals. And then we heard there was a group from Liverpool and they had long hair, scruffy clothes.” Though it may be a friendly relationship between the two bands, it didn’t stop jealousy from creeping in, as Jagger would admit.
He added: “But they had a record contract. And they had a record on the charts, with a bluesy harmonica on it, called Love Me Do. When I heard the combination of all these things, I was almost sick.” The veteran frontman would go on to extend his thanks to the band as they were “very grateful for that ’cause that really broke us in England.
“The example of the way they wrote, and the original way that they crafted their songs wasn’t lost on us. And later on their success in America broke down a lot of doors that helped everyone else from England that followed. And I thank them very much for all those things.”
Jagger would also note the “strange times” of the 1960s, when the two bands were at their peak. He added: “We went through some pretty strange times. We had a lot of rivalry in those early years, and a little bit of friction, but we always ended up friends. I like to think we still are, ’cause they were some of the greatest times of our lives, and I’m really proud to be the one that leads them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
McCartney would also comment on the friendly scene with The Rolling Stones in an interview separate from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He said: “People thought that there was a big rivalry. But it was the opposite, if we had a record coming out August 28, we would ring them and say, ‘Have you got anything coming out?’ And they would say: ‘Yeah, we got something August 17, so we will put ours back a little bit’.
“There was a very friendly scene. I remember one evening, we used to hang out in each other’s places, Mick was living with Keith and a few other people. I was there hanging out and they were in the studio, in the recording session, when they came back (they had a recording) and it was Ruby Tuesday (So they played for us) and I was like “I like that one’.”
You can watch Jagger’s induction speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame below.
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