# Honky Tonk Women
"Honky Tonk Women" is a 1969 single by the Rolling Stones, written by [Mick Jagger](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-jagger) and [Keith Richards](https://www.edgepedia.org/keith-richards) and produced by Jimmy Miller, that reached No. 1 in seven countries and became one of the band's most enduring songs[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61jfm219ArA). It came out on its own as a single in the UK on 4 July 1969, followed a week afterward in the US, and reached number one in each country.[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/) • [3](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf) A country-styled re-recording with different lyrics, "Country Honk", appeared on the band's 1969 album *Let It Bleed*[3](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Standalone single, July 4, 1969 (UK), a week later in the US; first UK chart date July 15, 1969[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/) • [4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/) |
| Chart result | No. 1 in seven countries, which uDiscover Music notes was the last time the group achieved that feat in their home country[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/) |
| Credits | Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; produced by Jimmy Miller[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61jfm219ArA) |
| Recording | May 1969 at Olympic Studios, London; Mick Taylor's recording debut on a Stones single[5](https://siddalls.com/images/rolling_stones/images/rolling_stones_55_cd_singles_j.pdf) |
| Country version | "Country Honk" on *Let It Bleed* (1969), with the first verse set in Jackson, Mississippi instead of Memphis[3](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf) |
| Signature sound | Rhythm guitar in open G tuning; cowbell played by producer Jimmy Miller[6](https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson/25189) • [7](https://www.covermesongs.com/2012/02/five-good-covers-honky-tonk-women-the-rolling-stones.html?comment_type=comment) |
| Later uses | Sampled in Tone Lōc's "Funky Cold Medina" (1989), De La Soul's "Say No Go" (1989), and Beck's "Mixed Bizness" (1999)[8](https://www.whosampled.com/cover/821064/Mick-Jagger-Tina-Turner-The-Rock-Hall-Jam-Band-Honky-Tonk-Women-The-Rolling-Stones-Honky-Tonk-Women/) |
## Origin and songwriting
The song began during a trip Richards and Jagger took to Brazil. Inspired by the cowboys working the ranch where they were vacationing, the two started on a [Hank Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/hank-williams) and [Jimmie Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmie-rodgers)-inspired tune, with Jagger drawing on the countrified tone for his lyrics about the working women of the Old West[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/). Richards described the setting: "We lived for a few days on a ranch, where Mick and I wrote Country Honk (the original title of this song) sitting on a veranda like cowboys, thinking ourselves in Texas"[9](https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-honky-tonk-women-by-the-rolling-stones/).
The original country arrangement survives as "Country Honk" on *Let It Bleed*. In the rock single the first verse is set in [Memphis, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/memphis-tennessee), "I met a gin soaked bar-room queen in Memphis", while "Country Honk" places it in [Jackson, Mississippi](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackson-mississippi), "I'm sittin' in a bar, tippin' a jar in Jackson"[3](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf). Thematically, a "honky tonk woman" refers to a dancing girl in a western bar who may work as a prostitute[3](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf).
## Recording and sound
The single was recorded at Olympic Studios in London[5](https://siddalls.com/images/rolling_stones/images/rolling_stones_55_cd_singles_j.pdf). Richards' rhythm guitar, played in open G tuning (strings tuned, low to high, D, G, D, G, B, D), gives the song its distinctive country-flavored sound and connects it to the Chicago and Memphis blues recordings that drew the band together in the early 1960s[6](https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson/25189) • [1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/). The cowbell part was played by producer Jimmy Miller, and [Charlie Watts](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-watts)'s drumming anchors the track[7](https://www.covermesongs.com/2012/02/five-good-covers-honky-tonk-women-the-rolling-stones.html?comment_type=comment). It was also one of the earliest official releases to feature guitarist [Mick Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/mick-taylor), who had joined as [Brian Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-jones)'s replacement; Taylor's fluid lead guitar contrasts with Richards's rugged rhythm playing[10](https://note.com/musicfile/n/ncf4b198c03e5?hl=en).
Richards later called the song "the culmination of everything we were good at at the time", and bassist [Bill Wyman](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-wyman) called it "triumphant"; both recalled in their memoirs that the band knew they had a hit while still recording and mixing it[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/).
## Release and chart performance
The single was released on July 4, 1969 in the United Kingdom and a week later in the United States, topping the charts in both nations[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/) • [3](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf). In the UK it entered the charts on July 15, 1969[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/). It reached No. 1 in seven countries, which uDiscover Music notes was the last time the group achieved that feat in their home country[1](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/). [Johnny Cash](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-cash)'s live "A Boy Named Sue" peaked at No. 2 in the US behind it[11](https://stereogum.com/2024075/the-number-ones-the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/franchises/the-number-ones).
Although it was a single-only release, the song has appeared on many compilations, including *Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)* (1969), *Hot Rocks 1964–1971* (1971), *Forty Licks* (2002), and *GRRR!* Concert versions appear on live albums from *Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!*
## Covers and later influence
The song has been covered numerous times. [Ike & Tina Turner](https://www.edgepedia.org/ike-and-tina-turner) recorded it on their 1970 album *Come Together*; [Joe Cocker](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-cocker) performed it on his 1970 live album *Mad Dogs & Englishmen* with different lyrics; [Elton John](https://www.edgepedia.org/elton-john) included a live version on *17-11-70* (1971), featuring a cappella chorus renditions filled in by audience laughter; and Waylon Jennings covered it on his 1970 LP *Singer of Sad Songs*[12](https://www.allmusic.com/song/honky-tonk-women-mt0001619114) • [13](https://rock.fandom.com/wiki/Honky_Tonk_Women). Other versions include Taj Mahal's acoustic blues reading, Earl Scruggs's near-instrumental on *Nashville's Rock* (1971), and The Meters' funk take on *Trick Bag* (1976)[7](https://www.covermesongs.com/2012/02/five-good-covers-honky-tonk-women-the-rolling-stones.html?comment_type=comment). AllMusic notes that its barroom atmosphere has made it a favorite of bar bands since the late 1960s[12](https://www.allmusic.com/song/honky-tonk-women-mt0001619114).
The song's drum intro has been sampled in hip-hop and rock, most prominently in Tone Lōc's 1989 hit "Funky Cold Medina", as well as [De La Soul](https://www.edgepedia.org/de-la-soul)'s "Say No Go" (1989) and Beck's "Mixed Bizness" (1999)[8](https://www.whosampled.com/cover/821064/Mick-Jagger-Tina-Turner-The-Rock-Hall-Jam-Band-Honky-Tonk-Women-The-Rolling-Stones-Honky-Tonk-Women/) • [11](https://stereogum.com/2024075/the-number-ones-the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/franchises/the-number-ones). Its riff in open G tuning has also introduced generations of guitarists to that tuning; the guitarist Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke describes discovering it at about age 12 through a transcription of the song[14](https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/charlie-starr-on-the-joys-of-open-g-tuning).
## References
1. [Robert Ham, "'Honky Tonk Women': The Story Behind The Stones' Funky Classic", uDiscover Music](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/)
2. ["Honky Tonk Women ((Original Single Stereo Version))", The Rolling Stones official YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61jfm219ArA)
3. ["Honky Tonk Women" song profile, Stone Age Institute PDF](https://stoneageinstitute.org/pdfs/honkytonk.pdf)
4. ["HONKY TONK WOMEN – ROLLING STONES", Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/)
5. [Rolling Stones CD singles discography notes, siddalls.com](https://siddalls.com/images/rolling_stones/images/rolling_stones_55_cd_singles_j.pdf)
6. ["Guitar Lessons – Honky Tonk Women", Guitar Tricks](https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson/25189)
7. [Patrick Robbins, "Five Good Covers: Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones)", Cover Me](https://www.covermesongs.com/2012/02/five-good-covers-honky-tonk-women-the-rolling-stones.html?comment_type=comment)
8. ["Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and The Rock Hall Jam Band cover of 'Honky Tonk Women'", WhoSampled](https://www.whosampled.com/cover/821064/Mick-Jagger-Tina-Turner-The-Rock-Hall-Jam-Band-Honky-Tonk-Women-The-Rolling-Stones-Honky-Tonk-Women/)
9. ["Behind the Meaning of 'Honky Tonk Women' by The Rolling Stones", American Songwriter](https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-honky-tonk-women-by-the-rolling-stones/)
10. ["E205 THE ROLLING STONES – Honky Tonk Women", MusicFILE](https://note.com/musicfile/n/ncf4b198c03e5?hl=en)
11. ["The Number Ones: The Rolling Stones' 'Honky Tonk Women'", Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2024075/the-number-ones-the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-women/franchises/the-number-ones)
12. ["Honky Tonk Women – The Rolling Stones", AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/song/honky-tonk-women-mt0001619114)
13. ["Honky Tonk Women", Rock Music Wiki](https://rock.fandom.com/wiki/Honky_Tonk_Women)
14. [Charlie Starr, "How to make open G tuning work for you", Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/lessons/artist-lessons/charlie-starr-on-the-joys-of-open-g-tuning)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop rock songs › 1960s and 1970s pop rock songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license