Song Meaning & Facts: Let's Spend the Night Together by Rolling Stones

Single from Between the Buttons by the Stones

The Beatles set the tone for the 1960s. Their songs, dress code and attitude was the protocol at the time. They were so popular to point where all the bands wanted to be like them. Those who tried to imitate the Fab Four, however, failed miserably. One such band was the Rolling Stones. But after realizing they couldn't out-Beatle the Beatles, the Stones took a very different approach. The Rolling Stones wanted to establish themselves as the anti-Beatles. They never dressed like part time lawyers or had greasy hair on stage. Unlike John Lennon or Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger had some of the craziest moves on stage that rock n' roll had never seen before.

The Stones' anti-Beatle attitude also extended to their songs. When the Beatles wrote "I Want to Hold Your Hand", the Stones sang "Let's Spend the Night Together." This song was fairly controversial in the US due it's mild sexual suggestions. Sex was/is somehow bad in a country where a large portion of the population still believes that Jesus is retuning to Earth in their life time :-). The Stones were forced to changed the lyrics to Let's Spend Some Time Together when they performed on Ed Sullivan's Show. But I think this is a PERFECT rock n' roll song, and absolutely nothing should be changed.

Lyrically the song is very straightforward: it's about spending the night together, or spending the night to-get-her :-).

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My, My, My, My
Don't you worry 'bout what's on your mind (Oh my)
I'm in no hurry I can take my time (Oh my)
I'm going red and my tongue's getting tied (tongue's getting tied)
I'm off my head and my mouth's getting dry.
I'm high, But I try, try, try (Oh my)
Let's spend the night together
Now I need you more than ever
Let's spend the night together now

I feel so strong that I can't disguise (oh my)
Let's spend the night together
But I just can't apologize (oh no)
Let's spend the night together
Don't hang me up and don't let me down (don't let me down)
We could have fun just groovin' around around and around
Oh my, my
Let's spend the night together
Now I need you more than ever
Let's spend the night together

Let's spend the night together
Now I need you more than ever

You know I'm smiling baby
You need some guiding baby
I'm just deciding baby; now-
I need you more than ever
Let's spend the night together
Let's spend the night together now

This doesn't happen to me everyday (oh my)
Let's spend the night together
No excuses offered anyway (oh my)
Let's spend the night together
I'll satisfy your every need (every need)
And I now know you will satisfy me
Oh my, my, my, my, my
Let's spend the night together
Now I need you more than ever
Let's spend the night together now