The Story Behind 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want' and the London Bach Choir

The track started as a quiet, almost folk-like guitar part Jagger had been fiddling with on acoustic in late 1968. Richards wasn’t immediately sold, but Jagger kept coming back to it, eventually writing lyrics that turned a simple phrase into a meditation on disappointment and acceptance. The song’s real twist came when they brought in producer Jimmy Miller, who suggested the gospel-choir feel—but instead of a soul choir, Miller pushed for something more formal, almost absurdly grand.

That’s how the London Bach Choir ended up on a Rolling Stones record. Miller had worked with them on a different project and thought their stiff, proper sound would create a perfect tension with Jagger’s raw, weary vocal. The choir arrived at Olympic Studios in their robes, sang through Handel’s “Hallelujah” as a warm-up, then laid down the iconic “I know you’ll find your way” lines in a few takes. Jagger later admitted he wasn’t sure it would work, but the juxtaposition of sacred formality and rock-and-roll grit made the song unforgettable.