The Rolling Stones' first single with strings: 'As Tears Go By' arranged by Mike Leander

Released in December 1965, “As Tears Go By” marked the first time the Rolling Stones used a string section on a single. The lush arrangement was written by Mike Leander, a session arranger who was brought in by producer Andrew Loog Oldham to give the ballad a soft, orchestral feel — a deliberate contrast to the band’s raucous rhythm-and-blues image.

Andrew Loog Oldham famously locked Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in a room to write a more commercial, introspective song after he felt their early originals were too derivative. The resulting melancholy tune, with its cello and violins, became a top-10 hit in the UK and a Top 40 in the US, and it was the first hint that the Stones could do more than just bluesy grit.