The Rolling Stones created a song for the ages when they made “Street Fighting Man.” So it’s hard to believe Keith Richards based his main riff and the song’s melody on French police car sirens. The powerful acoustic guitar strumming, the bare-bones recording technique that brought out the dryness of the tune, and lyrics that commented on a tumultuous social period in 1968 made it a song of the times and an all-time great song. Richards inspiration for “Street Fighting Man” is another interesting footnote about the Stones’ classic.
Keith Richards found his ‘Street Fighting Man’ melody in French police car sirens
Richards moved quickly to record “Street Fighting Man.” A small, hand-held tape recorder captured the sound he had in his head for his acoustic guitar. Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts joined Richards on a pop-up drum kit, and the duo laid down the basic tracks before the rest of the band added layers on top.
When Mick Jagger added his lyrics, it hit home that Richards based his “Street Fighting Man” melody on French police car sirens.
“At the time, I was experimenting with open tunings on the guitar-you know, tuning the strings to form specific chords so I could bang out the broadest possible sound. That’s how I came up with the opening riff on ‘Street Fighting Man’ — even before I bought the Philips. I based the rest of the song’s melody on the seesaw tone pattern of those odd sirens French police cars used.”
Keith Richards to Anatomy of a Song author Marc Myers
The recording happened quickly, but “Street Fighting Man” had a long gestation period. Richards told Myers he had the music and the melody in his head in late 1966 or early 1977, long before the Stones recorded it in 1968. The sirens that inspired Richards clearly came through in the finished product.
The “Street Fighting Man” melody is one that most classic rock can conjure in their heads immediately. Listening to the song, it’s clear that Richards found a spark of inspiration from police sirens.
The guitarist’s opening strums bounce between the higher and lower tones that are synonymous with French police car sirens (hear some via YouTube). Richards’ chords start on the high tone, then shift down to the lower. Then Jagger comes in with a sing-song melody that mirrors the guitar throughout the first verse. It’s a powerful 1-2 punch, and a relatively simple bass line supports the melody wonderfully. Hearing them all together points to Richards’ unique inspiration. The squealing drone that comes into the song at the 2:29 mark is also siren-like.
Richards’ melodic inspiration for “Street Fighting Man” might not have been evident when The Rolling Stones recorded it. Yet once you learn he based it on French police car sirens, it’s almost impossible to un-hear it.
What Richards and Mick Jagger think of ‘Street Fighting Man’
The Rolling Stones wrote dozens of songs that could be considered signature tunes during their heyday. It never became one of their No. 1 hits, but “Street Fighting Man” has to be considered one of them.
Richards said the song was one of Watts’ most important performances. He was right and wrong. Correct in that Watts played a significant part in the song’s signature sound. Yet Richards was wrong in the sense that it was actually a crucial record for the entire band. It further proved the Stones could successfully experiment with their sound and still win over fans.
Jagger, on the other hand, doesn’t like the song. His lyrics were from a very specific time and place. Reflecting on “Street Fighting Man” years later, the singer said the tune didn’t resonate in the 1990s like it did in the 1960s. Similar to how Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant couldn’t identify with his “Stairway to Heaven” lyrics years later, Jagger preferred to leave the song in the past.
Keith Richards said his “Street Fighting Man” melody came from French police car sirens, and it’s easy to hear it in the song. The guitarist remains proud of the tune and how it came together, but Mick Jagger doesn’t feel the same way. Still, it’s hard to argue the tune isn’t a classic Rolling Stones song.
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