In fact, the Stones did do a far more country-oriented variation on the song, "Country Honk," on their 1969 album Let It Bleed, although it was much inferior to the arrangement on the "Honky Tonk Women" single. Melodically, it is also one of the most country-like sections of the tune it's not too hard to imagine it being performed, at a slower tempo and with steel guitar, by some Hank Williams-like performer. The chorus is one of the easiest to sing along with in any Rolling Stones song, and sounds a bit like mates at a bar or pub getting together for a bit of a shout. That Southern country quality is drawn out by Jagger's drawling vocals, projecting a sense of slight drunkenness and nonchalant angling for a good time. Although "Honky Tonk Women" is rock & roll, there's a lot of country and blues influence, perhaps even more country than blues. Also crucial to the musical greatness of the track was Charlie Watts' funky, no-frills drumbeats, which lead off the song and ricochet throughout the song with great authority but absolutely no bombast. Most Rolling Stones classics are based around a primal blues-rock riff, and in "Honky Tonk Women," there could have been several: the clipped circular one at the beginning of the song, the responsive ones that echo Mick Jagger's vocal through the verses, or the ones played by a combination of guitars and horns in the instrumental break. "Honky Tonk Women" was the last and one of the greatest of the Rolling Stones' classic 1960s singles, reaching number one in 1969.
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