Why Keith Richards Didn’t Want to Be Included in the “British Invasion”

People have a tendency to lump things together. It’s human nature to find patterns wherever we can. So, when a bunch of bands from the U.K. suddenly start making waves across the Atlantic, there was nothing to do but pile them together and label it a “British Invasion.” While most bands included in that crew didn’t have any problems with it, Keith Richards didn’t want anything to do with that label. Find out why Richards wished the Stones wouldn’t have been under the “British Invasion” banner, below.

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Why Keith Richards Didn’t Want to Be Included in the “British Invasion”

I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you’ll find
You get what you need

The Rolling Stones’ “Invasion”

In the ’60s, bands like the Beatles and the Stones started gaining traction in the U.S. It seemed every year a new horde of Mod Rockers would make their way overseas. It felt like a full-scale invasion, so music fans labelled it as such.

While the Beatles are often looked at as the inciting incident behind the “British Invasion”, the Stones certainly played a role in it as well. Though grittier than the Fab Four, the Stones had the same European charm that played so well with stateside audiences.

While he didn’t turn his nose up at the band’s success, Richards wanted the fervor behind the Stones to be recognized as a singular occurrence, not the byproduct of a musical movement. In his opinion, English music was just good in the ’60s; no cultural or social movement was required.

Richards Chimes In

“That was a bunch of horsesh**,” Richards once said. “Suddenly, at last, some English bands got lucky and managed to go across the pond. It was just an explosion of music in England at that time that just somehow made it. And some of it was very bad, you know? A lot of it was just covers of American R&B.”

We see where Richards is coming from. The Stones have long outlasted many of their “British Invasion” peers. The Stones’ music is powerful, no matter the current trends. Though the onslaught of British bands coming over to America likely made the trip easier, the Rolling Stones likely would’ve made it on their own.

We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was “dead”
I said to him

You can’t always get what you want, well no
You can’t always get what you want. I tell you, baby
You can’t always get what you want, no
But if you try sometimes you just might find, uh, mm
You get what you need, oh yeah, woo!

(Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)