How 'The Last Time' Proved Jagger/Richards Could Write Their Own #1

Before February 1965, the Rolling Stones had climbed the charts with covers—“It’s All Over Now,” “Little Red Rooster”—and a couple of early Jagger/Richards originals that didn’t crack the top spot. Then came “The Last Time,” a song built on a simple, hypnotic guitar riff (Brian Jones playing a sitar-like chord pattern) and a vocal hook that sounded like the band had finally found its own snarling identity. It went straight to No. 1 in the UK, the first Jagger/Richards composition to do so.

That chart-topping moment was a psychological turning point. Up to then, the band still leaned on old R&B and blues covers for singles; “The Last Time” showed they could generate their own hits without borrowing from anyone. It gave Jagger and Richards the confidence to write almost exclusively original material going forward—you can hear that shift immediately on the next single, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” and on the Out of Our Heads album. The song’s structure—