“Gotta Get A Grip” and “England Lost” are Jagger’s first solo tracks in more than a decade
Itโs fair to say the Rolling Stones have never been a political band. However, over their fifty-plus years in existence, theyโve always kept up with the times, with Mick Jagger giving his two pence about the current state of the world at the moment. From the horrors of the Vietnam War in โGimme Shelterโ with the lyrics โWar, children, it’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot awayโ to pointing out we killed the Kennedyโs in โSympathy For the Devil,โ Jagger and the Stones have always had something to say, good or bad, while adding thunderous rock guitar riffs, and a bluesy sound to give it punch.
In his first solo release in over a decade, Jagger is again talking about the state of the world, more specifically Brexit and the way he sees it only going from bad to a little bid more bad with the release of โGotta Get A Grip/England Lostโ. The double A sidesโreleased immediately after being recorded so not to lose any impact in their messageโfinds the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer pessimistic about the world, the political climate, โfake newsโ, and almost rapping to a bunch of synthetic, studio created beats but the results are impressive. Jagger loses none of his familiar swagger or bravado. These songโs lyrics may not have much hope or optimism but thereโs obviously a lot of todayโs music that influenced the musical direction these tracks take. If thatโs a sign of things to come in a future solo project weโre in.
Jagger fans can still take solace knowing thereโs still plenty of the old Mick featured on both tracks. โGotta Get A Gripโ has a nice sharp, bluesy feel going on for the bulk of the track, complete with harmonica, and heavy guitar licks over lyrics โGotta keep it zipped / shoot โem from the hip / beat โem with a stickโ.
For โEngland Lostโ Jaggerโs vocals go from hard in your face to a soft tone for the chorus, with music provided by heavier riffs than in โGotta Get A Gripโ but still capturing that bluesy edginess to help deliver his most direct diatribe: โI went to see England but England lost / I went round the back but they said piss off.โ Or to get more blunt quoting sir Mick, โI went to find England and it wasnโt there/ I think I lost it down the back of my chair / I think Iโm losing my imagination/ Iโm tired of talking about immigration / You canโt get in and you canโt get out / I guess thatโs what itโs really all about.โ
At 74, Mick Jagger still has it with two outstanding tracks that definitely leave us more than satisfied!