The song, a one chord modal blues, is a reworking of "You Don't Love Me", written by Bo Diddley and recorded one month prior.
[2] The April 28, 1955,[a] recording session at Universal Studios in Chicago also included Luther Tucker on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, and Fred Below on drums.
According to his biographers, "In Walter's hands, the tune is a stomping rocker, with his harp [harmonica] just at the edge of feeding back, and the band pounding out the rhythm.
"[2] Checker chose not to release Bo Diddley's earlier "You Don't Love Me", but instead issued "Hate to See You Go", as the follow-up to Little Walter's "Roller Coaster", which had reached No.
[7] The album itself was a return to the band's blues roots, and co-producer Don Was said it was a manifest testament to the purity of the Stones' love for making music.