Mick Jagger has issued videos for a pair of new songs: “England Lost” and “Gotta Get A Grip.”
The Rolling Stones frontman dropped the tracks on Thursday, the day after his 74th birthday.
“I'm excited to share new music with you!,” says Jagger. “I started writing these two songs a few weeks back and wanted to get them out to you straight away. Doing a whole album often takes a long time, even after finishing it, with all the record company preparations and global release set up. I feel a slight throwback to a time when you could be a bit more free and easy by recording and putting it out there immediately. Enjoy them.”
The rocker explains that he wrote the surprise tracks about the current climate in the UK as a reaction to the “anxiety [and] unknowability of the changing political situation. … We obviously have a lot of problems. So am I politically optimistic? No,” adding, “I didn't want to wait until next year when these two tracks might lose any impact and mean nothing."
British rapper Skepta joins Jagger on “England Lost”, a song that uses a soccer match as a metaphor for the country’s political turmoil, with a haunting black and white video featuring UK actor Luke Evans.
“It’s about the unknowability about where you are and the feeling of insecurity,” Jagger explains Jagger. “That’s how I was feeling when I was writing. It’s obviously got a fair amount of humor because I don’t like anything too on the nose but it’s also got a sense of vulnerability of where we are as a country.”
The rocker says the dancier “Gotta Get a Grip” also delivers a relevant message in these uncertain times.
“The message, I suppose, is despite all those things that are happening, you gotta get on with your own life, be yourself and attempt to create your own destiny,” he explained.
The Rolling Stones are working on a new album of original material, their first since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang.”
The project follows-up the successful 2016 blues covers record, “Blue & Lonesome.”
The band returns to live action this fall on the No Filter European tour, which opens at the Stadtpark in Hamburg, Germany on September 9.
The month-long run will also make stops in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Holland, Denmark and Sweden before it wraps up with the second of two shows at the new U Arena in Paris, France on October 22.
See also:
Rolling Stones to release On Air In The Sixties book and DVD
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood recovering after lung surgery
Rolling Stones announce European tour
Rolling Stones win Album and Artist Of The Year at UK Jazz FM Awards
Search Rolling Stones at hennemusic
