Now celebrating their 60th anniversary, The Rolling Stones are both the world’s most quintessential rock outfit and an enduring cultural institution. To blaze a trail back to their origins is to revisit the earliest days of the British invasion. Drawing direct influence from blues, R&B, and early rock, they provided a hard-hitting counterpunch to The Beatles. With the chart-topping success of the 1965 single “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” came the first of many career-defining moments. (These are the most popular rock bands of all time.)
How does one even assess the numerous achievements of this seminal act? Consider their stretch of eight studio albums from 1971 to 1981, all of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200. Or their estimated overall record sales of 200 million. Combine that with timeless singles, top-grossing tours, major awards, popular concert documentaries, soundtrack appearances, signature branding, and more, and you get a tapestry that touches down on every aspect of popular culture, all while existing in a class of its own.
Personnel has changed over the years and so, too, have musical trends, but the band carried on – and still does. Led by the perennial duo of frontman Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, they recently completed a European tour in the wake of drummer Charlie Watts’ death. Dubbed “Sixty,” it honored six decades of cultural relevance and downright classic output.
To determine the biggest pop hits by The Rolling Stones, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on song performances on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart. Songs were ranked based on an inverse score, where a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. Chart data is current through the week of Aug. 20, 2022. (These are artists with the most top 10 hits.)
From early hits such as “Get Off of My Cloud” through to 1980s’ smash singles like “Start Me Up” and beyond, the band’s most beloved songs will outlive us all. Well, maybe not Keith Richards. You did know he was a vampire, right?
Click here to see the 25 biggest hits by The Rolling Stones
25. Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
> Entered Hot 100: November 9, 1974
> Peak position on Hot 100: #17 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 10
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24. She’s So Cold
> Entered Hot 100: September 27, 1980
> Peak position on Hot 100: #26 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 13
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23. Mothers Little Helper
> Entered Hot 100: July 9, 1966
> Peak position on Hot 100: #8 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 9
22. Fool To Cry
> Entered Hot 100: April 24, 1976
> Peak position on Hot 100: #10 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 9
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21. The Last Time
> Entered Hot 100: March 27, 1965
> Peak position on Hot 100: #9 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 10
20. Rock And A Hard Place
> Entered Hot 100: November 4, 1989
> Peak position on Hot 100: #23 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 14
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19. Tumbling Dice
> Entered Hot 100: April 29, 1972
> Peak position on Hot 100: #7 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 10
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18. Mixed Emotions
> Entered Hot 100: September 2, 1989
> Peak position on Hot 100: #5 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 12
17. Beast Of Burden
> Entered Hot 100: September 9, 1978
> Peak position on Hot 100: #8 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 13
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16. 19th Nervous Breakdown
> Entered Hot 100: February 26, 1966
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 10
15. Time Is On My Side
> Entered Hot 100: October 17, 1964
> Peak position on Hot 100: #6 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 13
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14. Paint It, Black
> Entered Hot 100: May 14, 1966
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 11
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13. Harlem Shuffle
> Entered Hot 100: March 15, 1986
> Peak position on Hot 100: #5 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 13
12. Ruby Tuesday
> Entered Hot 100: January 21, 1967
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 12
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11. Undercover Of The Night
> Entered Hot 100: November 12, 1983
> Peak position on Hot 100: #9 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 14
10. Waiting On A Friend
> Entered Hot 100: December 5, 1981
> Peak position on Hot 100: #13 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
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9. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
> Entered Hot 100: June 8, 1968
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 12
8. Get Off Of My Cloud
> Entered Hot 100: October 9, 1965
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 12
7. Brown Sugar
> Entered Hot 100: May 1, 1971
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 12
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6. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
> Entered Hot 100: June 12, 1965
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 14
5. Angie
> Entered Hot 100: September 8, 1973
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 16
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4. Honky Tonk Women
> Entered Hot 100: July 19, 1969
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
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3. Emotional Rescue
> Entered Hot 100: July 5, 1980
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 19
2. Miss You
> Entered Hot 100: May 27, 1978
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 20
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1. Start Me Up
> Entered Hot 100: August 22, 1981
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 24
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