Sympathy for the Devil

'''"Sympathy for the Devil"''' is the first song on the [[Rolling Stones]]' album ''Beggars Banquet''. It appears before the song "No Expectations", and it is 6 minutes and 19 seconds in length, making it the longest song on the album. The song has been controversial in many conservative groups because of its title. ==Meaning of the Song== The song garnered criticism over it's content and intended meaning. Not for the first time, the Stones were accused by some of being [[Satanist|devil worshipers]], due to the content of the song being sung from the viewpoint of [[Lucifer]].<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=33:fbfyxx9sldke Unterberger, Richie. "Let's Spend the Night Together"]. ''allmusic''. 2007 (accessed 26 June 2007).</ref> It has been interpreted as being a song showing that people allow [[Satan]] to control their world and that people allow Satan into their lives. The line "Please allow me to introduce myself / I'm a man of wealth and taste" refers to the devil's seemingly good promises. "Made damn sure that Pilate / Washed his hands and sealed his fate" refers to [[Pontius Pilate]]'s being the killer of [[Jesus]]. "I rode a tank / Held a general's rank / When the Blitzkrieg raged / And the bodies stank" refers to [[World War II]] and [[Nazism]], the bodies stinking in the concentration camps. "I watched with glee / While your kings and queens / Fought for ten decades / For the gods they made" refers to the [[Hundred Years War]], which was fought over religious intolerance in Europe. Mick Jagger himself describes it as ". . . it's a very long historical figure — the figures of evil and figures of good — so it is a tremendously long trail he's made as personified in this piece."<ref name="wenner95"/> ==Sympathy for the Devil Remix== There was an album released containing all of the remixes of the song. ===Track Listing=== # Sympathy For The Devil ((The Neptunes Remix) (Radio Edit)) # Sympathy For The Devil ((The Neptunes Remix)) # Sympathy For The Devil ((Fatboy Slim Remix) (Radio Edit)) # Sympathy For The Devil ((Fatboy Slim Remix)) # Sympathy For The Devil ((Full Phatt Remix) (Radio Edit)) # Sympathy For The Devil ((Full Phatt Remix)) # Sympathy For The Devil ((Original Version)) Total Time-38:24 ==Cover Versions== There have been many remixes and covers of the song, the most popular of which was done by [[Guns N' Roses]]. ==External Links== [http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/rolling+stones/sympathy+for+the+devil_20117881.html Song Lyrics] [[Category:Popular songs]]