The Most Skipped Song on Every Rolling Stones Album

The Rolling Stones have been around for so long that in many ways, the music industry has changed around them.

Back when they first started releasing albums in the mid ’60s, it was vinyl records, cassette tapes and good old fashioned radios, which eventually gave way to modern advances like CDs, iPods and the like. There was, of course, no such thing as Spotify, which launched in the U.K. in 2008 and the U.S. in 2011. No more digging through bins for particular albums — Spotify and other streaming services like it made it possible for listeners to hear their favorite songs almost instantaneously.

All that is to say: a lot of people still love listening to the Rolling Stones, and the Spotify numbers prove it. At present, they have nearly 28 million monthly listeners.

But some songs are more popular than others, and in the age of streaming, hitting the skip button is easier than ever. Below, we’ve gathered up the most skipped songs from every Rolling Stones album, from the very beginning of their career to their most recent release. All streaming totals as of Sept. 8, 2025.

‘12×5‘ (1964)

Most Popular Track: “Time Is on My Side”
Most Skipped Track: “2120 South Michigan Avenue”

We’re not discouraging people from listening to instrumental songs, but we will concede that sometimes they’re more skippable, if you will. “2120 South Michigan Avenue” isn’t exactly the an alluring song title either.

 

‘England’s Newest Hitmakers’ (1964)

Most Popular Track: “Route 66”
Most Skipped Track: “You Can Make It If You Try”

“You Can Make It If You Try” isn’t a Rolling Stones original – it was written by Ted Jarrett and recorded by Gene Allison in 1957, which went to No. 3 on the American R&B singles chart. The Stones’ version is evidently a bit more forgettable.

 

‘The Rolling Stones Now!’ (1965)

Most Popular Track: “Little Red Rooster”
Most Skipped Track: “Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin’)”

As the Stones got more comfortable in the studio, as well as with one another as bandmates, they began contributing more and more original writing to their albums. Still, “Little Red Rooster,” a Willie Dixon cover, is the most popular song from The Rolling Stones, Now!, while their cover of Barbara Lynn’s “Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin’)” is the most skipped.

 

‘Out of Our Heads‘ (1965)

Most Popular Track: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Most Skipped Track: “One More Try”

You may notice a pattern if you continue reading this list, which is that in a number of cases, it’s the closing track of the album  — in this instance, “One More Try” — that is the most skipped. It’s pretty easy, though, to simply turn off an album on Spotify before it finishes playing in full.

 

‘December’s Children (And Everybody’s)‘ (1965)

Most Popular Track: “Get Off of My Cloud”
Most Skipped Track: “Look What You’ve Done”

The Rolling Stones literally named themselves after the Muddy Waters song, “Rollin’ Stone,” so it makes sense that they continued to include covers of his work on their early albums, including “Look What You’ve Done.” “Our aim,” Keith Richards said to Rolling Stone in 1998, “like blazing white missionaries, was to go out and say, ‘If you like us, listen to these guys.'”

 

‘Aftermath‘ (1966)

Most Popular Track: “Paint It, Black”
Most Skipped Track: “It’s Not Easy”

It’s not easy being the most skipped song, but someone has to do it, and in relation to 1966’s Aftermath, that title belongs to “It’s Not Easy.” Fun fact: Richards played bass on this track.

 

‘Between the Buttons‘ (1967)

Most Popular Track: “Ruby Tuesday” 
Most Skipped Track: “All Sold Out”

This isn’t meant as the criticism it will inevitably sound like, but we’ll say it anyway: a good lot of these early Stones tunes sound the same. “All Sold Out” is another one of those two-ish minute tracks that sort of plod along until the finish. But as we know, this was just the beginning of the Stones’ journey.

 

‘Their Satanic Majesties Request‘ (1967)

Most Popular Track: “She’s a Rainbow”
Most Skipped Track: “On With the Show”

Here’s where things start to get a little more interesting, or weird depending on your opinion. “On With the Show” is the last track on the album, so we can understand why people may skip it after roughly 40 minutes of the psychedelia that is 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties Request.

 

‘Beggars Banquet‘ (1968)

Most Popular Track: “Sympathy for the Devil”
Most Skipped Track: “Parachute Woman”

Only Mick Jagger and Keith Richards could write a song with lyrics like “Parachute woman will you blow me out? / My heavy throbber’s itching just to lay a solid rhythm down.” Alright then.

 

‘Let It Bleed‘ (1969)

Most Popular Track: “Gimme Shelter”
Most Skipped Track: “Live With Me”

We think “Live With Me” should be played more — that juicy intro bass line, played by Richards since Brian Jones was then on his way out of the band, deserves attention. But unfortunately it’s the most skipped song from Let It Bleed.

 

‘Sticky Fingers‘ (1971)

Most Popular Track: “Wild Horses”
Most Skipped Track: “You Gotta Move”

The Stones often performed “You Gotta Move,” a blues song made popular by Mississippi Fred McDowell, during their concerts in 1969. They finally put it to tape for 1971’s Sticky Fingers, but since it’s the one and only cover on the album, it makes sense that it has landed at the most skipped slot.

 

‘Exile on Main St.‘ (1972)

Most Popular Track: “Tumbling Dice”
Most Skipped Track: “Soul Survivor”

Exile on Main St. was the Rolling Stones’ very first double album. In this context, it means more songs to potentially skip, and once again it’s the closing track that pulls the short stick. “Soul Survivor” has such a great chorus, though…

 

‘Goats Head Soup‘ (1973)

Most Popular Track: “Angie”
Most Skipped Track: “Can You Hear the Music”

It’s interesting that both the most popular and the most skipped song from Goats Heap Soup are ballads. But to be fair, “Can You Hear the Music” is much trippier than “Angie” and requires a bit of patience to get through.

 

‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll‘ (1974)

Most Popular Track: “It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It)”
Most Skipped Track: “Short and Curlies”

There needs to be some justice for Ian Stewart, whose piano work on the boogie-woogie type tune “Short and Curlies” is just one example of the talent he contributed to a number of Rolling Stones songs.

 

‘Black and Blue‘ (1976)

Most Popular Track: “Fool to Cry”
Most Skipped Track: “Crazy Mama”

“Crazy Mama” has all the elements of a great Stones song – a killer vocal from Jagger, robust guitar chords, bluesy piano (thank you Billy Preston) and a tight rhythm section.

 

‘Some Girls‘ (1978)

Most Popular Track: “Beast of Burden”
Most Skipped Track: “Lies”

Maybe part of the reason “Lies” is the most skipped song from Some Girls is that the Stones dropped it from their set lists after 1978, the year it appeared on that album. It’s a shame since it’s such an upbeat, fun song to dance to.

 

‘Emotional Rescue‘ (1980)

Most Popular Track: “Emotional Rescue”
Most Skipped Track: “Where the Boys Go”

One thing that gets overlooked sometimes is just how well Richards’ guitar playing and Charlie Watts‘ drumming mesh together. “Where the Boys Go,” we think, is a great example of it. Watts holds a steady, robust tempo, setting a great foundation for Richards to riff on top of it.

 

‘Tattoo You‘ (1981)

Most Popular Track: “Start Me Up”
Most Skipped Track: “Neighbours”

“Start Me Up” is far and away the most popular track from Tattoo You — fair enough. “Neighbours” is the most skipped. Does a saxophone solo played by Sonny Rollins count for nothing these days?

 

‘Undercover’ (1983)

Most Popular Track: “Undercover of the Night”
Most Skipped Track: “Pretty Beat Up”

Undercover was the first Rolling Stones album in over a decade to miss the No. 1 spot on the U.S. albums chart, and let’s be real: no one points to this album as being their very best. “Pretty Beat Up” is the lone track to have been written by Jagger, Richards and Ronnie Wood, a rare team effort during this tense era of the band.

 

‘Dirty Work‘ (1986)

Most Popular Track: “Harlem Shuffle”
Most Skipped Track: “Key to the Highway” (Piano Instrumental)

This one we’ll let slide. “Key to the Highway,” a blues standard, is a hidden track at the end of Dirty Work, and it’s also an instrumental. On digital releases, this is technically track 11.

 

‘Steel Wheels‘ (1989)

Most Popular Track: “Mixed Emotions”
Most Skipped Track: “Break the Spell”

The intro to “Break the Spell” should draw a listener in, with Jagger’s low vocal. There’s also a great Dobro part played by Wood, plus harmonica by Jagger.

 

‘Voodoo Lounge‘ (1994)

Most Popular Track: “Love Is Strong”
Most Skipped Track: “Mean Disposition”

“Mean Disposition” might be the most skipped song from Voodoo Lounge, but you can’t call it a weak closing number. It’s exactly the kind of perfectly loose blues rock track the Stones are so good at. That’s Chuck Leavell of Allman Brothers Band fame on the Wurlitzer piano.

 

‘Bridges to Babylon‘ (1997)

Most Popular Track: “Anybody Seen My Body?”
Most Skipped Track: “Might as Well Get Juiced”

“Might as Well Get Juiced” isn’t a “bad” song, per se, but Jagger’s nasally vocal, the strange synths and the song’s slow pace don’t make for easy listening. There are much better tracks on Bridges to Babylon.

 

‘A Bigger Bang‘ (2005)

Most Popular Track: “Streets of Love”
Most Skipped Track: “Infamy”

The funky intro to “Infamy” and Richards lead vocal should keep a listener’s attention, but maybe since its the last track on A Bigger Bang, it unfortunately is the most skipped.

 

‘Blue and Lonesome‘ (2016)

Most Popular Track: “Hate to See You Go”
Most Skipped Track: “Just Like I Treat You”

It just made plain sense when the Rolling Stones released a full album of blues covers in 2016 called Blue and Lonesome. The most popular track, “Hate to See You Go,” was originally by Little Walter, while the most skipped, “Just Like I Treat You,” was written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf.

 

‘Hackney Diamonds‘ (2023)

Most Popular Track: “Angry”
Most Skipped Track: “Rolling Stone Blues”

It’s awfully fitting that the Rolling Stones’ most recent album, 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, ends with a cover of “Rolling Stone Blues” by Muddy Waters, quite literally the namesake of the band.