*Rock and roll is full of legends. The world greatest bands often contain musicians whose personalities are larger than life, and the stories they usually have? Legendary. For perhaps one of the greatest examples in history, look no further pthan London, England’s The Rolling Stones.
Not only do they have the music, the stories to tell, the personality, the swagger, etc., but The Rolling Stones also have the look. And a huge part of that iconic image they portray comes down to the overall branding of their band. That’s right…today we’re talking about the tongue. It’s simplistic, yet bold and daring, and it’s widely regarded as the most recognizable band logo of all time. But where exactly did it come from? Well sit back and relax…we’re about to tell you the origin story of…Mick Jagger’s mouth?
The legend goes: in 1970 when coming up with concepts for their brand, Mick wanted to use the likeness of the Hindu goddess Kali. After all, she’s the goddess of everlasting energy; not unlike Jagger himself. Artist Pasche took Mick’s idea and noticed the similarity between Kali’s energy and Jagger’s energy right away, but also noticed something else too…their mouths were similar too. Kali is portrayed with her tongue sticking out of her large mouth, and it immediately reminded him of Mick’s big mouth. And thus, Jagger’s rough ideas mixed with inspiration from Pasche, gave birth to one of (if not THE) most famous logos of all time. And the craziest part of all? The band only paid £50 for the design.
Now the Stones’ Tongue is a fashion icon. Whether worn by a classic rock connoisseur, metalhead or even a hip hop fan, it seamlessly blends in and just “works” with literally everything. Like a good pair of denim jeans, it’s a timeless classic. It has always been, and will always be, legendary.