About the song
“The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone'” is a catchy and humorous song written by Shel Silverstein and recorded by the American rock band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show in 1972. This song became a huge hit, peaking at number 6 on the US pop chart in 1973. But what’s interesting is that the song is actually a satire, poking fun at the music industry and the band’s own struggles to achieve fame.
The song’s lyrics lament that the band hasn’t appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, a prestigious publication that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. Ironically, the song’s success led to the band being featured on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1973, albeit in caricature form.
The song’s message is relatable to anyone who has ever dreamed of making it big. It’s about the superficial aspects of success, like having groupies and playing guitar solos, but ultimately feeling like you’re not good enough. The song’s clever lyrics and catchy melody made it a fan favorite, and its legacy continues to inspire new generations of music lovers.
Despite its success, the song faced some challenges, including being banned by BBC Radio due to its mention of a commercial publication. However, this only added to the song’s notoriety, and it remains a beloved classic of the 1970s.
Video
Lyrics
I don’t believe it
Da, da, ah, oh, don’t touch me
Hey Ray, hey Sugar, tell them who we are
Well, we’re big rock singers, we got golden fingers and we’re loved everywhere we go (that sounds like us)
We sing about beauty and we sing about truth at 10, 000 dollars a show (right)
We take all kinda pills that give us all kinda thrills but the thrill we’ve never known
Is the thrill that’ll get ya when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone
wanna see my picture on the cover
(Stone) wanna buy five copies for my mother (yes)
(Stone) wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of the Rolling Stone (that’s a very, very good idea)
I got a freaky ol’ lady name a cocaine Katy who embroideries on my jeans
I got my poor ol’ grey-haired daddy driving my limousine
Now it’s all designed to blow our minds but our minds won’t really be blown
Like the blow that’ll get ya when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone
wanna see our pictures on the cover
(Stone) wanna buy five copies for our mothers (yeah)
(Stone) wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of the Rolling Stone
Hey, I know how
Rock and roll
Oh, that’s beautiful
We got a lotta little teenage blue-eyed groupies who’d do anything we say
We got a genuine Indian guru, he’s teaching us a better way
We got all the friends that money can buy, so we never have to be alone
And we keep getting richer but we can’t get our picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone
wanna see my picture on the cover
(Stone) wanna buy five copies for my mother (I want one)
(Stone) wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of the Rolling Stone
On the cover of the Rolling Stone
Gonna see my picture on the cover (I don’t know why we ain’t on the cover, baby)
Gonna buy five copies for my mother (we’re beautiful fellas)
Gonna see my smiling face (I ain’t kidding ya, we would make a beautiful cover)
On the cover of the Rolling Stone (front shot, right up front, man, I can see it now)
We’d be on the front, smiling, man, oh, beautiful