No. 68: ‘Love in Vain’ – Top 100 Rolling Stones Songs

The mark of a great cover version is when the artist makes the song their own. The Rolling Stones did just that with their take on this classic, originally recorded in 1937 by Robert Johnson.

The Stones give it more of a southern drawl, turning the original slow blues into something brand new, with intricate acoustic guitar and moving vocal interplay.

As much as bands like Cream or the original Fleetwood Mac appropriated the blues, we'll go out on a short limb here and say no one did it as well as the Rolling Stones on this track. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards truly shine the light on their blues roots and paint themselves as real offspring of that music. 

Watch the Rolling Stones Perform 'Love in Vain'