Rolling Stones’ Shadow Over the Sex Pistols: How ‘Street Fighting Man’ Paved the Way for ‘God Save the Queen’

The Sex Pistols didn’t spring from nowhere. Their raw attack, sneering vocals, and anti-establishment stance owed a direct debt to the Rolling Stones’ mid-’60s run—especially the Jagger/Richards writing partnership that turned rock into a weapon. Steve Jones, the Pistols’ guitarist, has said that the Stones’ 1971 Sticky Fingers was his “all-time favorite” record, and the band’s early setlists included covers of “No Fun” and “Substitute” while their own songs like “Anarchy in the U.K.” borrowed the same chord swagger the Stones had perfected on cuts like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” But the most explicit link is in the political veins of their two most iconic anthems.

Released in 1968, “Street Fighting Man” captured the global protest wave with a riff that chugged like a march and lyrics that flirted with revolution but ultimately stayed cynical—“What can a poor boy do / ’Cept to sing for a rock ’n’ roll band?” Jagger later admitted the song was about “the frustration of being in a rock band and not being able to actually effect change.” Nine years later, the Sex Pistols took that same frustration and turned the sneer into a Molotov cocktail. “God