The Jagger-Richards Credit, But Solo Scribes: Who Really Wrote What After 1969?

After 1969, the “Jagger-Richards” writing credit became more of a legal convenience than an accurate map of who did what. By Sticky Fingers onward, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards began writing separately much more often—Jagger bringing finished lyrics and melodies, Richards walking in with a riff and a title. The credit stayed joint, but the actual authors were often one or the other.

Jagger wrote most of Exile on Main St.’s “Tumbling Dice,” then “Miss You” almost entirely alone (Richards found it too disco until Jagger convinced him). “Start Me Up” was a Jagger demo from the Some Girls sessions; “Brown Sugar” was also primarily Jagger (lyrics, structure). On the other hand, Richards wrote “Happy” by himself in a single room in a day, “Before They Make Me Run,” and “Little T&A”—all solo compositions. He also claimed “The Worst” from Voodoo Lounge as his own, though the credit split remains official.

The real shift happened in the 1980s when Richards’ heroin addiction made co-writing impractical. Jagger would record solo demos, then Richards would add a guitar part or a bridge to earn the co-credit. It’s a messy