Mick Jagger Admitted That This 1966 Rolling Stones Track Was “Much Nastier” Than “Under My Thumb”

Time has a way of softening even the most raucous of rock ‘n’ rollers. That’s why, with their decades of hindsight, The Rolling Stones know that not all of their songs have aged as well as, well, The Rolling Stones. Tracks like “Brown Sugar” have disappeared from their set list for obvious racial reasons (that technically should have been brought up when the song was first released, but that’s another conversation for another time).

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Similarly, The Stones have expressed at least slight regret over songs like “Under My Thumb”. Indeed, the song’s overall attitude becomes less powerful and more petulant with age. Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1995, frontman Mick Jagger acknowledged the feminist backlash to “Under My Thumb” from Aftermath. In the track’s defense, he said, “It’s a bit of a jokey number, really. It’s not really an anti-feminist song any more than any of the others.”

Especially not the track that appears two songs before “Under My Thumb”, which Mick Jagger argued was even worse: “Stupid Girl”.

The Rolling Stones’ “Stupid Girl” Doesn’t Quite Hit the Same As It Did In 1966

“Stupid Girl” appears as Track No. 2 on The Rolling Stones’ 1966 album, Aftermath. And it certainly holds no punches. “I’m not talking about the kind of clothes she wears / look at that stupid girl / I’m not talking about the way she combs her hair / look at that stupid girl / The way she powders her nose / Her vanity shows and shows / She’s the worst thing in this world / Well, look at this stupid girl.”  To say it’s a girl-hating, woe-is-me song from the male perspective would be a vast understatement, honestly.

Even Mick Jagger could admit that he wasn’t in a great headspace when he wrote “Stupid Girl”. “Obviously, I was having a bit of trouble,” he explained. “I wasn’t in a good relationship. Or I was in too many bad relationships. I had so many girlfriends at that point. None of them seemed to care they weren’t pleasing me very much. I was obviously in with the wrong group,” He added, joking about the hardships he endured while also being one of the biggest rock stars in the world, “The pain I had to go through!”

In any case, the pain must have felt worth it after The Rolling Stones’ fourth studio album topped the charts in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Finland. Tracks like “Paint It Black” and, yes, even “Under My Thumb” and “Stupid Girl”, caught the attention of the musical world and beyond. Some attention was more positive than others, but in the band’s pursuit of fame and fortune, every little bit helped.

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