{"id":5329,"date":"2026-08-01T18:36:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T18:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5329"},"modified":"2026-08-01T18:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T18:36:52","slug":"the-rolling-stones-behind-the-song-see-mick-jagger-and-producer-andrew-watts-deep-dive-on-the-creation-of-mr-charm-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5329","title":{"rendered":"The Rolling Stones \u2018Behind the Song\u2019: See Mick Jagger and Producer Andrew Watt\u2019s Deep Dive on the Creation of \u2018Mr. Charm\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tUnlike most of his peers, the lead singer of the world\u2019s greatest rock and roll band has never been one for looking back, even at the recent past. There\u2019s a scene in one of the countless Rolling Stones documentaries in which that singer \u2014 Mick Jagger \u2014 and drummer Charlie Watts are walking into Olympic Studios in London, the incubator of some of their greatest work, and rather than waxing nostalgic, Jagger exclaims, \u201cOld recording sessions \u2014 who gives a shit?\u201d before he gamely gets back on the task and shares some memories. <\/p>\n

Read more Juliette Lewis on Fiery \u2018Cape Fear\u2019 Finale, \u2018Nostalgic\u2019 Nods to 1991 Film and Why Crystal Will \u2018Haunt\u2019 Max Forever<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAnd although there are certainly some videos of him sitting in a studio listening to the band\u2019s music and commenting on it, he has never before done a \u201cBehind the Song\u201d-style dissection and analysis of one of the band\u2019s songs \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n

\nVariety<\/em> captured Jagger and Andrew Watt, producer of the band\u2019s two most recent albums, 2023\u2019s \u201cHackney Diamonds\u201d and the new \u201cForeign Tongues,\u201d at London\u2019s Metropolis Studios doing exactly that with \u201cMr. Charm,\u201d a song from the latter collection. You won\u2019t find it on any greatest-hits compilations (it was released less than a month ago), but it\u2019s in the classic Rolling Stones mold, and this remarkable 15-minute video illuminates, in many ways as never before, the group\u2019s creative process.<\/p>\n

\n\tJagger and Watt take us through the creation of the song, from Jagger\u2019s first demo \u2014 which began with a guitar riff and rough melody \u2014 which was then embellished and enhanced into what it is today. First Keith Richards added some chords that overtook Jagger\u2019s originals as the song\u2019s signature riff, then Ronnie Wood added some riffs of his own in response to Richards\u2019, drummer Steve Jordan contributed the piledriving rhythm and percussion, and guest keyboardist Steve Winwood, who the Stones have known for sixty years, added some majestic B3 organ \u2014 and backing singer Naarai Jacobs joins Jagger on the chorus with some powerful wailing that recalls the classic \u201cGimme Shelter.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t(Incidentally, the interviewer \u2014 this writer \u2014\u00a0was the one to mention \u201cGimme Shelter,\u201d which got a rather mocking response from Jagger. The reason for that reaction was illuminated later in the day at a press conference, where he said, \u201cJournalists are always comparing your new work to what you\u2019ve done before.\u201d) <\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s an amazing breakdown of the Rolling Stones\u2019 creative process, which obviously has evolved over the decades but remains the same in so many ways \u2014\u00a0and it is fascinating for deep Stones fans. <\/p>\n

\n\tJagger speaks of how counterintuitive it is that he, rather than Richards, is the one who likes punky, slashing guitar chords, as opposed to the more-refined approach of the band\u2019s main guitarists.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t think Ronnie and Keith really like me doing it,\u201d he says, adding quickly with a laugh, \u201cbut I do it anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tIndeed, during one of the video\u2019s most revealing clips, we hear Richards and Wood\u2019s guitars in isolation, responding to each other like birds calling across a forest.<\/p>\n

\n\tPlaying the guitar tracks in isolation, Watt says, \u201cThis is my favorite part,\u201d he smiles as it plays. \u201cYou can\u2019t overdub that \u2014 that\u2019s [playing live] on the floor, looking at the person across from you, smiling, and playing off of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDoing my lick!\u201d Jagger adds, and the two collapse into laughter.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe two also elaborate on the embellishments added after the main track was recorded, including a \u201cdirty-sounding, overdriven\u201d acoustic guitar that Richards wanted to add. \u201c \u2018I want to try a \u2018Street Fighting Man\u2019 kind of thing,\u2019\u201d Watt recalls him saying.<\/p>\n

\n\tLikewise, they recall Winwood bringing in a set of congas that longtime Stones producer Jimmy Miller gifted him \u2014\u00a0in fact, Miller first came onto the Stones radar thanks to his early work with Winwood in both the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. As they play Jordan\u2019s driving drums, embellished with maracas and the congas in question, Jagger talks about the imprtance of a song\u2019s groove.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s connected with dance \u2014 the drums, the feet, and also the spitting out of the lyrics on a song like this, where you\u2019ve got a lot of words coming at you very quickly and they\u2019ve got to be in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the video\u2019s most hilarious moment, he also demonstrates \u2014 by grabbing and comically manipulating Watt\u2019s arms \u2014\u00a0how on a very early Rolling Stones tour with Bo Diddley, the blues legend\u2019s percussionist showed him how to play maracas properly.<\/p>\n

Read more Richard L. O\u2019Connor, Emmy-Winning Producer and \u2018The Muppet Movie\u2019 Executive, Dies at 96<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll see all that and much more in Variety<\/em>\u2018s \u201cBehind the Song.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this remarkable 15-minute video interview, Mick Jagger and producer Andrew Watt go deep on the creation of the new Rolling Stones song ‘Mr. Charm.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[563,4210,3624],"class_list":["post-5329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-andrew-watt","tag-mick-jagger-2","tag-rolling-stones"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Rolling Stones \u2018Behind the Song\u2019: See Mick Jagger and Producer Andrew Watt\u2019s Deep Dive on the Creation of \u2018Mr. Charm\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE) - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Rolling Stones \u2018Behind the Song\u2019: See Mick Jagger and Producer Andrew Watt\u2019s Deep Dive on the Creation of \u2018Mr. Charm\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE) - 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