55 Years Ago Today: Legendary Rock Band Released Its Most Underrated Song

Friday marks 55 years since an iconic rock band released one of their most underrated songs that was largely overshadowed by other hits on the album.

Throughout their history, The Rolling Stones have released several of their most notable hits in June, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and their covers of Chuck Berry's "Come On" and Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now."

Tuesday also marked the 48-year anniversary of The Rolling Stones' release of their 14th studio album, Some Girls. This week also marks another monumental moment in the Stones' history.

On June 12, 1971, The Rolling Stones released another future hit, "Wild Horses," from their album Sticky Fingers.

The song was actually recorded from Dec. 2-4, 1969, at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. But as Jim Beviglia of American Songwriter noted, "Wild Horses" was delayed because of legal issues the band had with then-manager Allen Klein.

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards recalled how the song came together with Mick Jagger in his 2010 autobiography, Life (via Beviglia):

"It was one of those magical moments when things come together," Richards wrote. "It's like ‘Satisfaction.' You just dream it, and suddenly it's all in your hands. Once you've got the vision in your mind of wild horses, I mean, what's the next phrase you're going to use? It's got to be couldn't drag me away."

In 1992, The Sundays released a cover of "Wild Horses." Susan Boyle also covered the song and released it in 2009.

‘Rolling Stone' Ranked ‘Wild Horses' in Its Most Recent Top 500 Songs Rankings

In their 2024 rankings of the 500 greatest songs of all time, the Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Wild Horses" 193rd on the list. It was one of seven Rolling Stones songs in the rankings.

"Wild Horses" peaked at 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of July 24, 1971. Another song from Sticky Fingers, "Brown Sugar," reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 29, 1971.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM.