Mick Jagger became a household name with The Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s. He’s remained the epitome of frontman cool ever since. Jagger’s biggest hit song in the 21st century was a song he basically gave away to Matchbox Twenty. The tune didn’t resonate the same way as some of the Stones’ songs that weren’t quite No. 1 hits, but it put him back on the charts.
Mick Jagger’s biggest hit song of the 21st century was Matchbox Twenty’s ‘Disease’
Jagger co-wrote nearly every Rolling Stones song dating back to their early years. His 2001 solo album Goddess in the Doorway helped spur his biggest hit of the new millennium.
Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas was a background singer on the record (per AllMusic). He brought “Disease” to one of the recording sessions and ran it past Jagger. The singer fleshed it out — perhaps adding some of the Stones-sounding guitar riffs in the intro and chorus? — but handed it back to Thomas.
Matchbox Twenty released “Disease” as a single in 2002. It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at No. 29 in December of that year. It became Jagger’s best-performing song of the 21st century.
The Rolling Stones released the “Sympathy for the Devil Remixes” maxi-single in 2003. The disc included reworkings of the famous song by artists such as The Neptunes and Fatboy Slim. It reached No. 97. Jagger appeared on the will.i.am tune “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever),” and it climbed to No. 39 in 2011. “Disease,” the song Jagger had a small hand in writing yet still received credit for, remains his most successful song of the 21st century.
Jagger gave away other songs that became hits
Jagger added some framework to Thomas’ sketch of “Disease,” but he never thought of recording it himself. He gave it back to Matchbox Twenty, and they turned it into a modest hit. The Stones’ frontman still received a writing credit even though he gave the song away. It wasn’t the first time.
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Jagger and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards gave away a top-10 song in 1964. Gene Pitney took their Beatles-esque tune “That Girl Belongs to Yesterday” to No. 7 in England.
The Rolling Stones covered two of Richards and Jagger’s songs later in the decade. Marianne Faithfull recorded “As Tears Go By” and “Sister Morphine” before the band ever did. The former song became a success for her, while the latter flopped when she released it as a single.
The Rolling Stones singer helped write several No. 1 tunes for the band
Some of the Stones’ most recognizable songs either didn’t reach No. 1 or were never released as singles at all. Still, several songs Jagger helped write climbed all the way to the top of the charts.
Mid-1960s Stones songs such as “Get Off My Cloud,” “Ruby Tuesday,” “Paint It, Black,” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” hit the top of the charts. The 1978 tune “Miss You” proved the band still had something left in the tank and became one of The Rolling Stones’ most successful No. 1 hits.
It wasn’t the first successful song he helped write, but the Matchbox Twenty tune “Disease” became Mick Jagger’s biggest hit song in the 21st century. He essentially gave it away after having a small hand in writing it. After decades of success with The Rolling Stones, Jagger could afford to let it go to another artist.
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