Mick Jagger has released a surprise collaboration with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl that sums up both the absurdities and the tragedies of the past year.
“Easy Sleazy”, Jagger told Rolling Stone, is “a reflection on... the physical and mental strains put on society”.
The track takes aim at conspiracy theorists, with the lyrics: “The Earth is flat and cold/ It’s never warming up/ The arctics turned to slush/ The second coming’s late/ There’s aliens in the deep state… Shooting the vaccine/ Bill Gates is in my bloodstream/ It’s mind control.”
Speaking about these lyrics, he told the publication: “It just seems to be that even people you know that are relatively sensible about a lot of things have one thing that they just don’t kind of get. I have several friends and relations and they go off on these things… They’re just irrational.”
Jagger also sings about “stupid dances” on TikTok, the “prison” of lockdown, endless Zoom calls and the sound of fake football fans.
One lyric reads: “Trying to write a tune / You better hook me up to Zoom / See my poncey books / Teach myself to cook / Way too much TV / It’s lobotomising me / Think I’ve put on on weight / I’ll have another drink / Then I’ll clean the kitchen sink.”
He also bemoans being “bossed around by p****s”, presumably referring to the government’s lockdown rules, but adds: “We took it on the chin / the numbers were so grim.”
It’s not all doom and gloom though, with Jagger looking forward to “a garden of earthly delights” as lockdown eases, when “everything’s going to get real freaky… it’s gonna be smooth and greasy”.
It is Jagger’s first solo single since 2017’s double A-side, Gotta Get a Grip / England Lost.
Grohl plays drums, bass and guitar on the new track, released as fans await the next Rolling Stones studio LP, which was teased in 2020.
