The Red Rooster

Willie Dixon loved using traditional farmyard metaphors to convey sexual tension, and "The Red Rooster" is his most hypnotic creation. Unlike his usual explosive performances, Howlin' Wolf sings with restrained, creeping menace over a lazy, grinding rhythm. The song is heavily anchored by Wolf's own rudimentary, buzzing acoustic slide guitar: a skill he learned decades earlier from Charley Patton. The greasy, authentic Delta feel captivated the Rolling Stones, who faithfully covered it and took it to number one in the UK.