Sympathy for the Devil

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Written by: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards
Produced by: Jimmy Miller
Released: Dec. '68 on London
Charts: Non-single

The inspiration for this hellish detour came from Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, which depicts Satan having his way in 1930s Moscow. The Stones gave the devil one of their best grooves, built on Rocky Dijon's congas and Bill Wyman's Bo Diddley-esque maracas. "Before, when we were just innocent kids out for a good time, [the media said], 'They're evil, they're evil,' " Richards said. "So that makes you start thinking about evil.... Everybody's Lucifer."

Appears on: Beggar's Banquet (Abkco)

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