Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones is one of the most immediately recognisable guitar riffs in rock history.
Released in 1981, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the most durable recordings in the band’s catalogue.
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Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Start Me Up was released as the lead single from Tattoo You in August 1981.
It became the album’s defining track and one of the most-played songs in The Rolling Stones’ live performances.
Produced by the Glimmer Twins (Jagger and Richards) and Chris Kimsey, Tattoo You reached number one on the US Billboard 200.
It remains one of the best-selling Rolling Stones albums.
| Song Title | Start Me Up |
| Artist | The Rolling Stones |
| Album | Tattoo You (1981) |
| Released | 1981 (single) |
| Written By | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards |
| Producer | The Glimmer Twins, Chris Kimsey |
| Label | Rolling Stones Records |
| Chart Peak | #2 US Billboard Hot 100 |
Table of Contents
- What Is Start Me Up About?
- The Vibe: Genre, Mood, and Search Intent
- Behind the Lyrics: The Story of Start Me Up
- Technical Corner: Instruments and Production
- Legacy and Charts: Why This Classic Still Matters
- Listener’s Note: A Personal Take
- Watch: Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones
- Collector’s Corner: Own a Piece of Rock History
- Frequently Asked Questions About Start Me Up
- You Might Also Like
What Is Start Me Up About?
The lyric operates on two levels simultaneously.
On the surface, it is a straightforward song about desire and the overpowering effect one person can have on another.
The repeated insistence that you make a grown man cry conveys intensity without needing to explain itself further.
Mick Jagger has acknowledged the double meanings built into the words but has also described the song as being about the unstoppable momentum of rock and roll itself.
Once it starts, it does not stop.
That quality is present in both the lyric and the music.
The guitar riff drives forward relentlessly from the first bar, and the rest of the arrangement refuses to let up until the track ends.
The simplicity of the message is part of its power.
Start Me Up does not ask for analysis.
It asks to be played loud.
The Vibe: Genre, Mood, and Search Intent
The opening riff announces itself with complete confidence and does not look back.
- Genre: Hard Rock, Classic Rock
- Mood: Swaggering, High-Energy, Unstoppable
- Tempo: Uptempo (~125 BPM)
- Best For: Classic rock playlists, 1980s rock collections, stadium anthems
- Similar To: The Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar”, AC/DC “Back in Black”, ZZ Top “Sharp Dressed Man”
- Fans Also Search: Rolling Stones discography, Tattoo You album, Keith Richards guitar, 1981 rock hits
Behind the Lyrics: The Story of Start Me Up
Start Me Up began as a reggae-influenced experiment during the sessions for the 1976 Rolling Stones album Black and Blue.
The band recorded multiple versions of the track in that style but were never satisfied with the results.
The recording was shelved and remained unreleased for several years.
In 1981, Chris Kimsey was working through the band’s archive tapes to assemble material for Tattoo You.
He discovered the Start Me Up sessions and recognised that one of the takes had a Keith Richards guitar riff that worked better as a straight rock track than as reggae.
The band re-recorded the arrangement, placing Richards’ riff at the centre of a hard-driving rock production.
The result bore no resemblance to the original sessions.
Jagger wrote new lyrics to match the energy of the reworked recording.
Charlie Watts anchors the track with a drumbeat that is as economical as it is effective.
Start Me Up was released as a single in August 1981 and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1995, Microsoft paid a reported fourteen million dollars to license the song for the launch of Windows 95.
That deal introduced the track to an entirely new generation of listeners.
Technical Corner: Instruments and Production
Keith Richards plays the main riff on a five-string open-G tuned guitar, his characteristic approach throughout The Rolling Stones’ career.
The riff is built from a simple chord shape that generates maximum momentum with minimum movement.
That efficiency is central to its power.
Charlie Watts plays the drum part with his usual restraint.
There is no ornamentation.
Every hit serves the groove rather than calling attention to itself.
Mick Jagger’s vocal sits aggressively in the mix, delivering the lyric with the swagger the arrangement demands.
Chris Kimsey’s production keeps the arrangement uncluttered.
The mix is built around the guitar and the voice, with everything else in support.
The result is a recording that sounds as direct today as it did in 1981.
Legacy and Charts: Why This Classic Still Matters
Start Me Up reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1981 and number seven in the United Kingdom.
It has been used as an opening song at Rolling Stones concerts for decades and is one of the band’s most dependable live moments.
The Microsoft Windows 95 licensing deal in 1995 cemented its place in popular culture beyond the rock audience.
The song appears regularly in sporting events, films, and television programmes as shorthand for energy, momentum, and excitement.
It ranks consistently among the greatest rock singles of the 1980s.
The guitar riff remains one of the most widely recognised in the history of the genre.
Listener’s Note: A Personal Take
The riff is one of the great discoveries in rock history.
It had been sitting in a tape archive for years before Chris Kimsey found it, which is a remarkable thought.
A recording that became one of the defining moments of 1980s rock almost did not exist in the form we know it.
The reggae version would have been forgotten entirely.
This version will not be.
Watch: Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones
Collector’s Corner: Own a Piece of Rock History
The Rolling Stones: Tattoo You (1981)
Own the album that gave the world Start Me Up.
Original Rolling Stones Records pressings and remastered editions available.
Frequently Asked Questions About Start Me Up
Who wrote Start Me Up?
It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who have written virtually all Rolling Stones compositions throughout the band’s career.
What is the song about?
The lyric is built around desire and the overwhelming effect one person can have on another.
Jagger has also described it as a song about the unstoppable momentum of rock and roll itself.
What album is it on?
It appears on Tattoo You, released in 1981 on Rolling Stones Records.
The album reached number one on the US Billboard 200.
Was Start Me Up originally a reggae song?
Yes.
It was first recorded during the Black and Blue sessions in 1975 and 1976 as a reggae-influenced track.
Chris Kimsey discovered the archived tapes in 1981 and recognised that a different approach to the riff could produce something far more powerful.
What was the Windows 95 connection?
Microsoft licensed Start Me Up for the launch campaign of Windows 95 in 1995.
The deal was reportedly worth around fourteen million dollars and introduced the song to a generation who had been too young to hear it on first release.
What guitar does Keith Richards play on it?
Richards plays a five-string guitar tuned to open G, the same approach he uses on many of The Rolling Stones’ most recognisable recordings.
The open tuning allows the chord shapes that generate the riff to be played with a single finger across the strings.
Is it still performed live?
Yes.
Start Me Up has been a fixture in The Rolling Stones’ live set since its release and is frequently used as an opening song.
You Might Also Like
The Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil (1968)
The earlier Rolling Stones recording that demonstrated the band’s ability to build an entire atmosphere around a single irresistible musical idea.
Both recordings show why The Rolling Stones built a career on the power of the groove rather than complexity.
AC/DC: Back in Black (1980)
The other great guitar-riff record of the early 1980s that proved a single, perfectly executed idea was all a rock song needed.
Both recordings demonstrate that in hard rock, simplicity executed with total conviction beats complexity every time.
The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter (1969)
The defining Rolling Stones recording from their classic period, a song that shows a very different side of the band — darker, more urgent, and more threatening than anything on Tattoo You.
Hearing both recordings shows the full range of what The Rolling Stones were capable of across their career.
Decades on, Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones endures as one of the most perfectly constructed rock singles in the band’s catalogue, a recording that transformed an abandoned reggae experiment into one of the great guitar anthems of the twentieth century.