One of my hangouts began playing this tune from a few years ago called "Gimme Sympathy" by a band called Metric where they ask "Who'd you rather be? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?". Unfortunately, the rest of the lyrics are rather vapid ("Oh, seriously?") but I've seen a few online discussions about this.
The comparisons broke down to:
Beatles
=================
White hot star that flamed out after seven years.
Many #1 records.
Hated to perform on stage.
Considered more "clean cut" and "safe" by parents of that time.
Did not adapt musically with the times.
Rolling Stones
=================
Played and toured for decades.
Fewer #1 records.
Enjoyed performing on stage.
Considered more "rude" and "wild" by parents of that time.
Performed blues and rock n roll but willing to dabble into disco and techno to stay current.
Back then, we used to tell jokes about Keith Richards either dying young or being somehow indestructable and 50 years later, the dude is still alive despite all the drugs and hard living while half the Beatles are dead.
Your thoughts?