Mick Jagger distances himself from “whole songs about politics”
Mick Jagger has clarified his stance on bringing politics into the arena, as he admits to sprinkling social commentary in his songs in “small doses”.
Earlier this month, The Rolling Stones released their latest album, Foreign Tongues. The album includes a range of character studies, as well as tracks that explicitly deal with politics, such as ‘Ringing Hollow’, which charts “America as an idea”.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Jagger was asked about the intent behind the politically charged lyrics, which include lines about billionaires “scrambling to their bolt-holes in the sky”.
“It’s not the first time I’ve done songs with social comment,” the 82-year-old admitted, before adding, “I like doing it, but in small doses. It’s pop music, you know. ‘Ringing Hollow’ is completely social comment. But even then, I had two songs that were on the same subject, which is my love of America.”
Jagger also revealed that, at some point in the process, he was working on “another song” that was too politically despondent and pessimistic: “I had another song, but the other song was too down and I rejected it and worked on ‘Ringing Hollow’ instead,” he shared.
As such, the frontman admitted that the songs on Foreign Tongues required a certain amount of life experience and maturity: “I wouldn’t have written any of these songs when I was 30, honestly. And I’ve also gotten into this habit of doing songs that are about personal relationships and then I throw a verse about politics in there.”
He went on, “That’s a trick that I’ve learned from other songwriters, because nobody wants to hear a whole song about politics or social comment.”
Beyond the recorded album, Jagger was asked his opinion on bringing politics onto the stage; he was given disparate examples of Bob Dylan’s stage presence, as he performs as if the audience weren’t there, versus Bruce Springsteen’s commitment to impassioned political outcry at every show.
Jagger shared that his relationship with the audience “depends where you are and what kind of event it is”.
In conclusion, he explained that “My job in the live music world is [for] the people that come to have the best time they possibly can. And for two hours or whatever it is to forget all their problems and the problems of the world and their mortgages and whatever.”
Far Out gave The Rolling Stones’ latest release, Foreign Tongues, two-and-a-half stars, observing, “While the material offers pearls of greatness amid a chunk of banal blues retreads we’ve all heard before, The Rolling Stones’ magic synergy and admirable efforts to keep their old flame alive elevate Foreign Tongues somewhere between ‘respectable’ and better than most of their 1980s to ‘90s.”
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