What Rolling Stones song was written by the Beatles?

In the Beatles' early days, John Lennon and Paul McCartney often gave songs to their friends. That's what happened when they wrote "I Wanna Be Your Man" for the Rolling Stones at London's De Lane Lea Studio on Sept. 10, 1963.

The meeting of the two groups was arranged by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who had also been the Beatles publicist.

"Oldham had almost literally bumped into Lennon and McCartney as they stepped out of a cab," Bill Janovitz writes in Rocks Off: 50 Tracks that Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones. "He invited them to the studio where the Stones were rehearsing and, right then and there, the two finished off what had been a McCartney sketch of an idea, handing it the Stones for their single."

At the time, the Rolling Stones had released only one single, a cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On." Their repertoire consisted exclusively of R&B covers. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards would later credit watching Lennon and McCartney that day with giving them a greater understanding of how to write a song.

Listen to the Rolling Stones' 'I Wanna Be Your Man'

That certainly came in handy later, when Oldham famously locked them in the kitchen until they composed something. The result? "As Tears Go By."

Meanwhile, Lennon and McCartney had become a prolific songwriting team, frequently giving cast-off tracks to friends like Gerry and the Pacemakers ("Do You Want to Know a Secret"), Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas ("Bad to Me") and Cilla Black ("Step Inside Love").

In the case of "I Wanna Be Your Man," a few changes needed to be made. The Rolling Stones put a tougher R&B beat behind the song and Brian Jones contributed its distinctive slide guitar part. They recorded the song a month later, and it was released on Nov. 1.

"I Wanna Be Your Man" reached No. 12 on the U.K. charts. The Beatles' version came out three weeks later on With the Beatles, with Ringo Starr taking the lead vocal.

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While The Beatles and Rolling Stones usually shrugged off talk of a “rivalry,” the bands certainly kept track of what each other was doing. That came out in their choice of material. From 1964 on, the two bands never recorded the same song — not even a Chuck Berry cover.

With such prolific songwriters in both bands, neither had trouble coming up with material, so covers weren’t a major issue. By ’64, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in the sort of groove that few songwriters have matched. (On A Hard Day’s Night, every track was a Lennon-McCartney.)

The Stones’ team of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wasn’t far behind. After scoring their second Billboard top-20 hit with “Heart of Stone,” the Jagger-Richards alliance really got on a roll with “Satisfaction,” the band’s first U.S. No. 1.

From that point on, the Beatles and Stones were world famous, and they filled their records with original compositions. That meant two 1963 recordings were the only times both bands released versions of the same songs.

The Beatles and Rolling Stones both covered ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’

What Rolling Stones song was written by the Beatles?
1964: “The Rolling Stones” pose for a portrait. | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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In 1959, Barrett Strong recorded the Berry Gordy song “Money (That’s What I Want)” for the Tamla label, and the following year it became Motown’s first hit record. All four Beatles were fans of the track, and they recorded a version for the group’s second U.K. album.

The session took place in July ’63, and Lennon delivered a powerhouse vocal that nearly matched his “Twist and Shout” performance from the first album. A few months later (Nov. ’63), the LP hit record stores in the U.K.

By that point, the Stones had recorded the same song for their debut EP. While that record never reached the U.S., listeners in the U.K. found “Money (That’s What I Want)” on side 1 when it hit record stores in Jan. ’64.

If you compare the two versions, you can’t help noting the studio polish of the Beatles’ version. It’s much cleaner, and Lennon seemed to invest a good deal more in his vocal than Jagger. But the Stones were only getting started.

The Rolling Stones and Beatles both recorded ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’

What Rolling Stones song was written by the Beatles?
The Beatles congratulate John Lennon on passing his driving test, 16 February 1965. | Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

During that summer of ’63, The Beatles established themselves as one of England’s biggest bands, and the Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham wanted to know if Lennon and McCartney had a track for his band to record.

As Lennon recalled it in an interview with Dennis Elsas, he and McCartney taught the Stones “I Wanna Be Your Man” on the spot one day. In fact, Lennon said they “virtually finished [the song] off in front of” the Stones.

The Stones recorded it shortly after that meeting and released it as a single on the first of November. As for The Beatles, Lennon and McCartney gave the track to Ringo for his singing spotlight. (Lennon never thought much of the track.)

Recalling that day years later, Jagger recalled thinking of Lennon and McCartney as “hustlers” peddling their wares (i.e., their original songs). But it worked out for everyone: The Stones scored a No. 12 U.K. hit with “I Wanna Be Your Man.” That was it for songs recorded by both groups.

Did The Beatles write for the Stones?

In the Beatles' early days, John Lennon and Paul McCartney often gave songs to their friends. That's what happened when they wrote "I Wanna Be Your Man" for the Rolling Stones at London's De Lane Lea Studio on Sept. 10, 1963.

What Rolling Stones hit was written by Lennon and McCartney?

Believe it or not, one of the first major hits for The Rolling Stones came after a chance meeting with The Beatles' principal songwriters Lennon-McCartney. It would lead to the release of 'I Wanna Be Your Man'.

Did the Rolling Stones cover any Beatles songs?

During their show in Liverpool last night (June 9), The Rolling Stones paid tribute to The Beatles by covering their 1963 hit 'I Wanna Be Your Man'. Originally penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the Stones were actually the first to release a version of the song.

What famous songs did The Beatles write?

These include "Come Together", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Nowhere Man" (Lennon) and "Hey Jude", "Let It Be" and "Yesterday" (McCartney), the last of which is one of the most covered songs of all time.