MovieChat Forums > Gimme Shelter (1971) Discussion > Where the 'Sympathy for the Devil' myth ...

Where the 'Sympathy for the Devil' myth came from.

posted 14 years ago by LtColonelBartlett
2 replies | jump to latest

For years I'd read that the death of Meredith Hunter happened when the Stones were playing 'Sympathy for the Devil' when in truth it was "Under my Thumb'. I came across this 1970 article from Rolling Stone where the journalist John Burks makes the mistake which keeps being repeated to this day. There are also some very interesting claims made regarding better footage of the killing,

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5934386/rock__rolls_worst_day/1

Apologies if this has been posted before.

[–] dalbrech 13 years ago

It's the "cool wierd" factor. To have Hunter's death happen while the Stones are performing Sympathy for hte Devil is wierd and cool in a way that having him killed while "Under My Thumb" is playing is not.
But agreed it is incredible that a lot of people like Burks who should really have done their homework and known better perpetuate the myth.
I'll Teach You To Laugh At Something's That's Funny
Homer Simpson

[–] MrBigglesworth999 11 years ago

Last March I was travelling on a bus in Peru on my way to Puno listening to my ipod when a large bird hit the windscreen smashing it ...... of the 1,000 songs on my ipod guess which one was playing?

.... Yes "Sympathy ..."

That was a creepy moment when I did wonder if there is some greater power.