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Cover of Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones
Cover: Tattoo You

Song · The Rolling Stones

“Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones

From the album Tattoo You (1981)

“Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones appears on 108 radio countdowns from 37 stations between 1981 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the album Tattoo You. Its best result is #7 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #7 alternative song of 1981 and #2,596 alternative song of all time.

108countdowns
37stations
#7best position
0#1 finishes
3top 10 finishes
1981–2026years charted

Watch

The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up - Official Promo

Video from YouTube (The Rolling Stones). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Start Me Up" kicked open Tattoo You, the Rolling Stones' 16th studio album, as its lead single in 1981, and it's the Stones doing what they do best: a greasy, strutting riff, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman locked into a groove you could set your watch by, and Mick Jagger leering over the top while Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood holler back. Jagger and Richards wrote it, and the Glimmer Twins produced it.

It topped the charts in Australia, Canada and Spain, went to 2 on the Hot 100 and 7 in the UK, and its video was in heavy rotation on the brand-new MTV. The B-side, "No Use in Crying", was a slow blues from the same album. The band has opened plenty of concerts with it since, and it has long outgrown rock radio to become a sports-arena anthem.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1981 7 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 106
1981 9 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981 25

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 104 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1994 235 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 74 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 134 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 95 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 104 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 179 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 51 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 102 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 93 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2001 120 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 1439 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2001 30 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2002 359 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 144 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 119 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2004 143 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2005 120 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2005 51 WFPK WFPK Top 100 Party Songs 100
2006 127 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2010 73 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2010 271 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 173 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 83 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 48 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 174 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 268 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 469 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 131 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 259 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 605 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 259 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 160 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 579 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 610 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 97 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 153 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 179 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 197 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 141 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 39 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 51 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2017 207 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 31 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 8 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 209 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 95 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 70 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 101 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 117 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 130 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 49 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 64 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 55 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 1058 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2020 13 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 527 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 180 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 37 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 18 KISW KISW Top 25 Rock Songs from the '80s 25
2021 288 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 303 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 70 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 79 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 152 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 153 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 167 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 44 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2022 151 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 16 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 47 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 107 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 42 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 169 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 137 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 70 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 123 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2023 173 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 325 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 21 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 361 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 88 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 265 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 60 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 47 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 657 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 209 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 47 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 169 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 69 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 233 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 34 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 273 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 353 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 24 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 297 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 196 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 432 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 63 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 262 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 310 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 160 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2026 337 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 136 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 459 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 254 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1981

Best songs of 1981 →
  1. 2Tom SawyerRush
  2. 3I Love Rock-N-RollJoan Jett
  3. 4Every Little Thing She Does Is MagicThe Police
  4. 5Jukebox HeroForeigner
  5. 6For Those About to RockAC/DC
  6. 7Mental HopscotchMissing Persons

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