It may be hard to believe when you see him prance across the stage, but Mick Jagger celebrated his 81st birthday on Friday, July 26. The Rolling Stones frontman just wrapped up a hugely successful North American tour with his band, and he just keeps on rocking.
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Jagger, of course, has been the lead voice of most of The Rolling Stones’ songs throughout the band’s 60-year-plus history. Besides his work with The Stones, Mick also has lent his vocal talents to many tunes by an eclectic variety of other well-known artists.
In honor of Jagger’s birthday, here are four outstanding tunes featuring guest vocal appearances by the rock legend:
“You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon (1972)
Singer/songwriter Carly Simon scored the biggest hit of her career with “You’re So Vain,” which appeared on her third solo studio album, No Secrets.
The song, which became her signature tune, finds Simon singing pointedly about a self-absorbed lover. Jagger is featured on harmony backing vocals on the chorus, singing, “You’re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you, don’t you.” Mick’s contributions were uncredited.
“You’re So Vain” spent the first three weeks of 1973 at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. No Secrets, meanwhile, topped the Billboard 200 for five straight weeks in January and February of ’73.
For years, people speculated who Simon had written the song about, with some speculating it could’ve been Jagger. In 1983, Carly said that the tune wasn’t about Jagger, but refused to name names. She eventually admitted she wrote the song about three different men, but only revealed the identity of one of them … Warren Beatty.
“(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back” – Peter Tosh (1978)
Along with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh was a founding member of the legendary reggae band The Wailers. Tosh left the group in 1974 and launched a solo career. His third album, Bush Doctor, included a reggae-fied cover of The Temptations’ 1965 R&B hit “Don’t Look Back,” which was co-written by Smokey Robinson and his Miracles bandmate Ronald White.
Jagger is featured prominently on Tosh’s version, which boasted the modified title “(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back.” Mick sings harmony on the choruses and bridge, and take over lead for the second verse. He also contributes to an impromptu spoken-word section at the end of the tune.
Tosh performed “Don’t Look Back” on a December 1978 episode of Saturday Night Live, with Jagger making a surprise guest appearance during the performance.
“Nothing but the Wheel” – Peter Wolf (2002)
J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf befriended Jagger when his group opened for The Rolling Stones in the early ’80s. When Wolf left The J. Geils Band and started a solo career, Jagger contributed guest vocals to “Pretty Lady,” a song on Peter’s 1984 debut album, Lights Out.
Wolf worked with Jagger again on Peter’s critically acclaimed six solo effort, Sleepless, which was released in 2002. Mick is featured on harmony vocals and harmonica on a version of the country tune “Nothing but the Wheel,” which was written by John Scott Sherrill.
Wolf’s rendition added some country-rock flavor to the tune which was first recorded as a country ballad by Patty Loveless. Loveless had a Top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs with the tune in 1993.
“Bramble Rose” – Don Henley with Miranda Lambert (2015)
In 2015, Eagles co-founder Don Henley released a country-influenced solo album titled Cass County. The project featured Henley teaming with a variety of well-known country artists.
The album’s lead song, “Bramble Rose,” was a cover of a 2002 tune by alt-country singer/songwriter Tift Merritt. Joining Henley on the track were Jagger and contemporary country star Miranda Lambert.
Henley, Lambert, and Jagger each sing lead on a verse, with all three harmonizing together on the song’s last chorus. Mick also plays some mournful harmonica on the twangy tune.
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