The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" has been dubbed their most political song to date. Recorded and released in 1968 during a time when violent confrontations between anti-Vietnam war protestors and Chicago police occurred at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the song was banned by Chicago radio stations afraid it would incite further violence. In true rock and roll fashion, Mick Jagger welcomed the banning of the song with open arms:
"I'm rather pleased to hear they have banned (the song). The last time they banned one of our records in America, it sold a million" - Mick Jagger
The song was allegedly inspired by both an anti-war rally at London's US embassy and the rising violence by student rioters on Paris' Left Bank which was the beginning of a period of civil unrest through the country of France which lasted seven weeks in 1968.
Over the years, "Street Fighting Man" has been covered by The Smashing Pumpkins, John Mellencamp, Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen and many more. After including "Street Fighting Man" in several encores during his Born in the U.S.A. Tour, Springsteen has said of the song: "That one line, 'What can a poor boy do but sing in a rock and roll band?' is one of the greatest rock and roll lines of all time ... [The song] has that edge-of-the-cliff thing when you hit it. And it's funny; it's got humour to it."
Taking a dive into our setlist.fm data, the first time The Rolling Stones were marked as playing "Street Fighting Man" occurred on July 5, 1969, during a show at Hyde Park in London. The setlist included 14 tracks in total, opening with a cover of Johnny Winter's "Im Your and I'm Hers." "Street Fighting Man" made the setlist right before the show closer, "Sympathy for the Devil."
Take a look at the full setlist from the July 5, 1969 show below.
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