Little By Little

Album: The Rolling Stones (1964)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was an early Stones effort at the blues. It was released as the B-side of "Not Fade Away."
  • Phil Spector produced this and played the maracas.
  • The writing credits go to Phil Spector and Nanker Phelge, which was a silly name the Stones sometimes used for the five band members from this era: Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts. Fans who read the liner notes sometimes thought this Nanker guy was an outside writer, but when the Stones were questioned about it, they made it clear it was them, and they did, in fact, write those songs.
  • Gene Pitney played the piano. Said Pitney: "When I stopped in from Paris one time and Phil Spector was in London and Andrew Oldham called me from the hotel and told me he was having a terrible time because he was trying to do what was the follow up to 'I Wanna Be Your Man' and all the boys hated each other that day and he had them in a little dinky studio in Denmark Street and he couldn't get them to do anything. I had five fifths of cognac that I was bringing home, so I took one fifth over to the studio and I told them it was a custom in my family that when anybody had a birthday, that everybody had a water glass of cognac until the bottle was empty. So, we ended up with a hell of a session and I played piano and Phil Spector played an empty cognac bottle with a half dollar, clicking it, and we played on the flip side which was 'Little By Little.'" >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France

Comments: 1

  • Alastair from Stranraer, United KingdomThe chord sequence is based on Jimmy Reed's 'Shame Shame Shame' . But the new lyrics speak to the Stones target audience. A great beat number.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.