Some Girls: The Rolling Stones' Disco-Infused 1978 Masterpiece

The Rolling Stones’ 1978 album Some Girls is the one that famously embraced disco, thanks largely to the bass line Charlie Jagger (just kidding—it’s Bill Wyman) cooked up for “Miss You.” The single became a global hit, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its four-on-the-floor groove showed the band could pivot to the dance floor without losing their edge.

The album itself was a reaction to the punk and disco movements that had left the Stones feeling old. Keith Richards was in the middle of a heroin bust in Toronto during recording, which added a frantic, often angry energy. Songs like “Beast of Burden” and “Shattered” balanced the disco pulse with guitar-driven rock, making Some Girls the band’s best-selling studio record at the time.

“Miss You” wasn’t just a radio hit—it became a staple of their live shows and a cultural artifact of the late-’70s studio trickery, complete with a harmonica solo from Jagger and a nearly five-minute extended mix. The album also stirred controversy over its cover art (cloned celebrity faces) and lyrics that were called racist by some, though the band defended them as satire.