Context

This line is sung by The Rolling Stones in the song "Sympathy for the Devil", written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from the album Beggars Banquet (1969).

"Sympathy for the Devil" was the song that made parents think that The Rolling Stones weren't just a loud rock band, but actual Satanists. That is, until you realize the song lyrics claim that the Prince of Darkness is responsible for the rise of the Soviet Union and the death of John F. Kennedy.

However, Lucifer is quite polite in "Sympathy for the Devil," and you can almost hear him offering you his hand to shake in the intro of the song before the heavy guitars kick in. But he doesn't say his name until the song is almost over, so that shows that he is a little sketchy. Maybe we shouldn't be friends with a mass murderer.

If you do feel bad for Lucifer, you're in good company as Romantic poet William Blake said that he was the real hero of Paradise Lost. This sparked an "Is Satan evil or just misunderstood?" debate, which is still carried on in English departments around the world.

But would Blake prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? Now that's the real question.

Where you've heard it

You've heard this song when a movie or a TV show introduces a character that is evil, but maybe you like just a tiny bit. Like Red in The Black List, Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad, or the vampire Lestat in Interview with a Vampire.

Additional Notable References:

• This NME article chronicles the wild ride that the song has been on for over 40 years, from the recording studio to a Microsoft anti-trust trial.
• The most famous cover of the song was recorded by Guns N Roses for the Interview with a Vampire soundtrack. According to guitar god and top hat aficionado, Slash, this song is the reason he and the band called it quits.
• A Slovenian industrial band called Laibach loved "Sympathy for the Devil" so much that they recorded an entire album of covers of it.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Unless you're singlehandedly responsible for centuries of wars and the Bolshevik revolution, save this quote for the pros. Or Mick, Axl, Lemmy, and Ozzy. (Since they've all done versions of this song.)