A tune that was actually penned by an early 1960s rock band that was called the Valentinos, and was written by Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack. But what is odd about this tune is that the Womack’s would only realize a number 94 on the top hundred charts from this song (US). Whereas when the Rolling Stones covered the song on their album in it peaked at 24th on the United States charts and was released a number one hit – their first ever – in England and Europe.

This song, and the Stones using it to play during their live set amidst their 1964 world tour, actually has quite an interesting story behind it. After hearing the song being played to them at the famous Chess Studios in Chicago, the Stones decided that not only did they really dig this tune but they wanted desperately to cover it and put it on their record. They knew this song would be a big hit for their band and they could not have been more correct!

When Bobby Womack’s manager asked him if he would grant the Stones permission to use the song, according to recounts by many including Womack himself, he refused. Ultimately his manger would convince him to allow the Stones to cover this tune, making it the most famous version of the song. Later on, when Womack began to get paid mechanical royalties, he let his manager know that the Stones had permission to use any of his songs in the future.

Live Footage of the Rolling Stones Performing “It’s All Over Now” in 1964
While I am unsure of exactly where this performance of the Rolling Stones and their first number one hit single, “It’s All Over Now,” takes place—it is reasonable to assume that it was aired live on a popular TV show of the time. One thing that is interesting to note is that many of the Rolling Stones biggest hit songs were actually cover tunes. In fact, thanks to a few well selected covers, the Rolling Stones were enjoying many number one hits early on in their careers essentially without having to write them on their own at first. Check out this awesome and rare live footage of the one and the only Stones performing their number one cover tune live in 1964!