Reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Lainey Wilson has released her cover of the Rolling Stones classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” from their 1969 album, Let It Bleed.
Instead of opening with a choir like the original, Wilson’s reimagined version starts off with gentle acoustic strums, before she arrives on the first verse. “I saw her today at the reception / A glass of wine in her hand / I knew she was gonna meet her connection / At her feet was a footloose man,” Wilson sings.
The arrangement soars up with electrifying bass and steel lines and soulful piano fills, as Wilson declares in the singalong chorus, “You can’t always get what you want / You can’t always get what you want / You can’t always get what you want / But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find / You get what you need.”
As Wilson tells Billboard, “The Rolling Stones are global music icons, from the musicianship to the swagger to the relatable perspective with songs like ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want.’ Man, if I haven’t had to learn that lesson time and time again. I know that feeling of resisting your fate, that struggle, but I also know that sense of pride and peace when you understand the tough times made way for something better.”
“I try not to take myself too seriously — I’ve heard you can’t be great if you do — so I love the way the production builds into a light-hearted cathartic jam at the end,” she adds of her cover. “This song leaves me shaking my head, smiling at myself, and feeling grateful. And that’s what The Stones always did. They made you feel something, and they made you feel good.”
Wilson’s cover is the latest preview of the Rolling Stones tribute album, Stoned Cold Country. Arriving on March 17 via BMG, the star-studded 16-track record commemorates the rock ‘n’ roll band’s 60th anniversary. Other contributing artists include Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Jimmie Allen, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Steve Earle, and the War and Treaty.
Brothers Osborne and the War and Treaty dropped their rendition of “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)” last November and performed it at the 2022 CMA Awards.
Fans can pre-order and pre-save Stoned Cold Country here.
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