"Throwaway" by Mick Jagger

Song#:  3349
Date:  11/28/1987
Debut:  85
Peak:  67
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Jagger's second attempt to become a viable solo star wasn't working out well. Primitive Cool would peak at a low #41 while its first single, "Let's Work," stalled just inside the Top 40 (#39). His 1985 debut solo disc She's the Boss had gone platinum, so it was quite a disappointment that his second effort was struggling to even approach gold level sales. He needed a bigger hit to help out, but this second single didn't get the job done. Although it was another Top 10 at Rock getting to #7, the tune couldn't even manage to reach the top half of the Pop chart. A third single, "Say You Will," got to #39 Rock, but failed to make the Pop chart. Jagger would attempt another solo album in 1993 with Wandering Spirit. It would perform much better reaching #11 and going gold thanks to a pair of Rock Top 10s including the #1 track "Don't Tear Me Up." In 2001, Jagger would record his fourth (and to-date of this posting his last) solo album Goddess in the Doorway. It would reach #39 and fail to go gold. The album was the subject of an infamous review in Rolling Stone where critic and editor in chief Jann Wenner award the LP five stars (basically an instant classic) and wrote that it was better than any Stones album since 1978's Some Girls. Wenner was called out for his review, specifically in the New Yorker magazine that accused those at Rolling Stone of trying to boost the legitimacy of older, classic rock stars. (Note: while the album is not 5-star worthy, I think it is easily Jagger's best solo album with a few excellent tracks, especially "Visions of Paradise," which was a co-write with MatchboxTwenty's Rob Thomas.) After the relative failure of Primitive Cool, Jagger would return to The Rolling Stones to record their successful 1989 LP Steel Wheels.

ReduxReview:  This album opening track was a solid rock song from Jagger. It actually sounded like a solo Jagger effort rather than something he would have written for the Stones or something more left-field like "Let's Work." It didn't have quite enough pop-leaning hooks to make the song work in a more mainstream way, but it was successful as a rock radio track. The production is nice and chunky too. It's an overlooked track from Jagger's solo career.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  During this late 80s period, Jagger and his bandmate Keith Richards were not getting along. A good chunk of the animosity had to do with Jagger pushing the band aside in favor of his solo career. Richards would later dub this period as "World War III" with the band on the brink of calling it quits. They didn't, but they were also not making plans for a new Stones album. So with Jagger doing solo work, Richards decided he was going to take a crack at it as well. In 1988, Richards released his debut solo album Talk Is Cheap. Its first single, "Take It So Hard," was a hit at Rock getting to #3. While the song would not make the Pop chart, the Rock hit along with the publicity about Richards' first solo effort and good critical reviews helped the album get to #24 and go gold, which bested the results of Jagger's Primitive Cool. Since then, Richards has recorded two other studio solo LPs.

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