When you have a career and musical impact as extensive as The Rolling Stones (31 studio albums, 39 live albums, 50+ music videos, countless box sets, concerts, and more)… you pretty much have to cover a lot of topics.
But of course, to achieve their level of popularity, I think you have to spend a lot of time on the human universals.
Love. Loss. Grief. Joy. And…of course…food and drink.
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Of course, often food and drink are used as a metaphor for something else. (Work, play, love, affection, all kinds of stuff.)
That’s part of their genius, after all.
But I’ve gone ahead and compiled every food and drink they reference across all of their discography.
Let’s dig in!
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Album: Their Satanic Majesties Request
Song: Citadel
Lyric: “Candy and taffy, hope we both are well”
My notes: Taffy may feel like kind of an old-fashioned reference today in 2025 – I mean, when was the last time YOU had taffy? – but it would certainly have fit in with the times when the Stones released this song in 1967. It was nearly the end of an era of fairs and much simpler treats, and this song evoked all the right whimsy for it.
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Album: 12 x 5
Song: Under the Boardwalk (this was a cover of the original by The Drifters)
Lyric: “You can almost tate the hot dogs and French fries they sell”
My notes: Under the Boardwalk is another nostalgia play, and the imagery certainly sells it! What’s more traditional and nostalgic than hot dogs and French fries on the boardwalk? Keep in mind that the 60s were…pretty tumultous, and one of The Rolling Stones’ most effective tactics was to tap into nostalgia for simpler times. (Even in 1964, when this album came out.)
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Album: It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll
Song: Time Waits for No One
Lyric: “Drink in your summer, gather your corn”
My notes: Even without knowing the title of the song (I mean, “Time Waits for No One” gives away the game, doesn’t it?), you can tell that this particular metaphor is all about savoring the moment.
And let’s face it – after you gather the corn, then the real fun begins. Shucking, buttering, and grilling.
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Album: Let It Bleed
Song: Let It Bleed
Lyric: “I was dreaming of a steel guitar engagement / When you drunk my health in scented jasmine tea”
My notes: These are probably the cleanest lyrics in the song, which was surprisingly…uh, descriptive for something released in 1969. But the jasmine tea conveys the serenity of that moment in what is otherwise a pretty aggressive song.
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Album: Let It Bleed
Song: Monkey Man
Lyric: “I’m a cold Italian pizza / I could use a lemon squeezer”
My notes: Again, strong, evocative imagery – cold pizza with a squeeze of lemon gives you that specific taste of sour that brightens up the flavors in the leftovers. And again, this was from the late 60s, at a time when American pizza could generally use a little extra flavor!
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Album: Exile on Main Street
Song: Sweet Virginia
Lyric: “Thank you for your wine, California / Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits”
My notes: I mean, of course wine makes an appearance. It’s the Rolling Stones, they talk a bunch about love and loss, of course wine is part of the conversation. Unlike Taylor Swift‘s mentions, I’m betting this is a white wine.
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Album: Let It Bleed
Song: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Lyric: “We decided that we would have a soda / My favorite flavor, cherry red”
My notes: I think we’ve all had that first drink of soda and just felt so perfectly refreshed in that moment. That’s kind of the imagery I have here – even given that the song is older and feels like it (he’s in line at the drugstore and gets a soda, likely on draft). Some things are universal and timeless!
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Album: The Rolling Stones No. 2
Song: Down Home Girl
Lyric: “And every time I kiss you, girl / It tastes like pork and beans”
My notes: This was very much intended as a compliment in 1965, and maybe it read that way then. Today it would be considered…I think pretty insulting? But let’s face it, pork and beans do taste delicious, so if you can get past the fact that no one would LIKE to hear that description…it’s arguably a positive. Maybe.
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So there you have it – eight foods and drinks mentioned by the Rolling Stones in their discography.
Of course, the big question – what have I missed? There are a lot of albums to cover, and I might have missed something!
Let us know in the comments, and I’ll plan to update the article with any additional references folks uncover.
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