The B-Side That Defined the Stones’ Blues Soul: 'I Want to Be Loved'

The Rolling Stones’ first single, “Come On” (a Chuck Berry cover), had a B-side that quietly revealed their true north: Willie Dixon’s “I Want to Be Loved.” Recorded in May 1963 at Olympic Studios, the track was a raw, Chicago-style blues shuffle—no frills, just Brian Jones’ slide guitar and Mick Jagger’s snarl. It wasn’t a hit, but it told listeners exactly where the band’s heart lived.

That B-side mattered because the Stones didn’t pick it randomly. They dug deep into the Chess Records catalog, and Willie Dixon was the blues’ greatest songwriter. “I Want to Be Loved” had been recorded by Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, and the Stones’ version—stripped down, slightly faster—showed they understood the source material, not just the surface. It’s a quiet document of their apprenticeship.