Jagger in this song is Mick Jagger, the lead singer for The Rolling Stones. The guy has some moves - he doesn't really dance, but kind of struts around the stage with a confidence that overpowers any of his terpsichorean challenges. The ladies love it, so in this song, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine crows about how he's got the moves like Jagger, which are sure to impress.
The song features Christina Aguilera, who comes in at the bridge after two minutes. Her appearance on the track helped promote The Voice, which went on the air April 26, 2011 with her and Levine judges along with CeeLo Green and Blake Shelton. The song was released on June 21, 2011, and the next night, Maroon 5 performed it with Aguilera on the show. Later that year, Aguilera joined the band to perform it on the American Music Awards.
"Moves Like Jagger" was a turning point for Maroon 5, introducing an electro-pop sound with a touch of Auto-Tune (used for effect, not pitch correction). It was produced by the hitmakers Benny Blanco and frequent Max Martin collaborator Shellback. They brought a very contemporary sound to the track that got Maroon 5 playlisted with many younger artists.
By this time, the band had released three albums and were in their 30s. Their third album,
Hands All Over from 2010, was produced by the 61-year-old Mutt Lange and didn't have any big hits. After "Moves Like Jagger" went to #1 and became one of the top songs of 2011, the band continued working with Blanco and went on a tear, with a run of hits that includes "
Payphone," "
One More Night" and "
Animals."
Mick Jagger has been name-checked on several other tunes, including Kesha's 2010 #1 hit "
TiK ToK" (also produced by Benny Blanco), which includes the lyric, "We kick 'em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger!" Here are some others:
"
Funky Cold Medina" by Tone Loc (1989):
Like Mick Jagger said, I can't get no satisfaction"
Swagga Like Us" by T.I. and Jay-Z featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne (2008):
My swagger is Mick Jagger2010 "
'The Time (Dirty Bit)" by The Black Eyed Peas.
They callin' me Mick Jagger, I be rollin' like a StoneAlso, Michelle Branch's 2011 single "
Loud Music" urges the object of her affection to "start me up, like a Rolling Stone." And the debut single by Cher Lloyd, who finished in fourth place on the 2010 series of UK's
The X Factor, is titled "
Swagger Jagger."
Adam Levine told MTV News why he likes to move like the Rolling Stones' frontman: "I've been a student at the Jagger School of Interesting Movement for 17 years. I'm graduating next fall, with honors," he said. "[His moves are] a very carefully calculated, but slightly spastic, incredible rhythmic experience, in which all of your limbs and every bone in your body is moving at completely different times, and it's impossible to re-create. Nobody has moves like Jagger, that's kind of the point. That's why the song is so fun, it's fun to try."
The song's music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and filmed in Los Angeles on July 8, 2011. In the clip we see Jagger impersonators, including Adam Levine, auditioning their best dance moves, while old video footage of the Rolling Stone frontman plays in the background. We were all hoping to see Christina Aguilera move like Jagger when it got to her part, but sadly she does not.
Structurally, this song goes intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. What's interesting is that each verse and chorus are exactly 30 seconds long, and the intro and bridge are :15, making it a very symmetrical song. Note that each chorus is split in half as well, with the drums dropping out halfway in when Levine sings "Like Jagger." This happens on the first two choruses, but not the third.
The verses take up a full minute, which is longer than most pop songs of the time. The distinctive elements of the song are the whistling and the jangling guitar line that both start on the intro and play throughout the song. The whistling makes the song particularly infectious, as very few popular songs use this element and it identifies the song immediately.
Check out the clever songwriting trick in the lyrics: the word "you" both begins and ends a line in the chorus - "Kiss me 'til your drunk and I'll show YOU want the moves like Jagger."
When this song climbed to #1 on the Hot 100 September 10, 2011, Mick Jagger became the first artist to have both topped the Hot 100 (as lead singer of the Rolling Stones) and be name-checked in the title of a #1 by another act.
Can you name the previous Hot 100 hit to name-check an actual person in the song title? In 2007 Soulja Boy referenced himself on his chart-topper "
Crank That (Soulja Boy)." If you don't reckon that counts, then go back a further few months to the Plain White Ts, who referred to American steeplechase runner Delilah DiCrescenzo in "
Hey There Delilah."
This was the sixth Hot 100 #1 to pair a male group with a female solo artist. The other five:
1974 "
Then Came You" - Dionne Warwick & The Spinners.
1990 "
Opposites Attract" - Paula Abdul & MC Skat Kat (Yes, we know, that's an animated cat. But it's voiced by a guy.)
1995 "
One Sweet Day" - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men.
2000 "
Thank God I Found You" - Mariah Carey featuring Joe & 98 Degrees.
2011 "
Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock.
What does Mick Jagger think about the song? Apparently it has put some weight on his shoulders when he takes the dance floor. Said the Stones' frontman: "It's very catchy. I could say I wish I had written it, but wouldn't that be weird? It's fun, very young children like it, which is always cool and funny. But what am I going to say? I'm not going to be mean about it, am I? It's very catchy pop, isn't it? It's funny. Only thing is, it puts a bit of pressure on me when I go out dancing!"
Adam Levine admitted to Rolling Stone that the song was almost shelved because he was nervous about releasing the risky Mick Jagger tribute. "S--t! ... 'Jagger' was almost a mistake. I was scared to release it," he said.
A heavily tattooed Adam Levine took his shirt off to perform this song when Maroon 5 used it to close out their set at halftime of the 2019 Super Bowl. The Patriots won the game, beating the Rams 13-3.
"Moves Like Jagger" achieved 1.55 million pure sales in the UK by 2021, despite never reaching #1. Until Wham's "
Last Christmas" reached the top of the UK Singles Chart in January 2021 after a 36-year wait, it had been the UK's best-selling single to never reach the peak position. Once it had finally climbed to the summit that title was handed over to "Moves."
"Moves Like Jagger" wouldn't exist without producer Benny Blanco convincing Adam Levine to work with outside writers for the first time in his career. Until then, Levine kept all songwriting strictly within the band. Benny brought him both "Moves Like Jagger" and Gym Class Heroes' "
Stereo Hearts" (which Levine features on), opening a new chapter for Maroon 5's hit-making formula.
