Moves like Jagger
"Moves like Jagger" is a song by American band Maroon 5 featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on June 21, 2011, as the fourth and final single from the re-release of the group's third studio album Hands All Over (2010). The song was written by Adam Levine, Ammar Malik, Benny Blanco, and Shellback; the latter two are also the producers. "Moves like Jagger" is an electropop song with modern disco style elements and is backed by synths and electronic drums. The lyrics refer to a male's ability to impress a love interest with his dance moves, which he compares to those of Mick Jagger, the lead singer of the Rolling Stones.
"Moves like Jagger"
"Moves like Jagger" was well received by music critics, who praised the song's chorus. Praise also went to the vocals of Adam Levine. Likewise, the song was a commercial success, going on to top the charts in over 18 countries. In the United States, "Moves like Jagger" became the band's second (after 2007's "Makes Me Wonder") and Aguilera's fifth number-one single and is among the best-selling singles of all time. The song also made Aguilera the second female artist to score a number-one hit in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, which in turn made her the fourth woman to score number-one singles in three different decades.
The music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The video features old video footage of Jagger and his iconic dance moves. "Moves like Jagger" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards but lost to "Body and Soul" by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse. The song was first performed in June 2011 on an episode of The Voice (where Levine and Aguilera both served as coaches).
Internationally, the song was the ninth-best-selling digital single of 2011 with sales of 7 million copies.[2] After Wham!'s "Last Christmas" topped the charts in 2021, "Moves like Jagger" became the UK's biggest-selling single that never topped the charts.[3] The song was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2021.[4]
Composition[edit]
"Moves like Jagger" is a disco, electropop, and dance-pop song.[9][10][11][12] It features a "throbbing" synth, fast-paced beat and electronic drums.[10][13] Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote that "Moves like Jagger" slightly echoes The Rolling Stones' chart-topping 1978 classic "Miss You", and added that "Levine's voice is distorted via Auto-Tune on the chorus."[10] The song is introduced by a whistle melody and light, funky guitar in the key of B minor with a tempo of 128 beats per minute. Levine tries his best to impress his female interest with dance moves like The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger singing, "I don't need to try to control you / Look into my eyes and I'll own you / With the moves like Jagger / I got the moves like Jagger / I got the moves like Jagger."[14]
Aguilera appears during the song's bridge, playing her role as a tease with a self-written verse, "You want to know how to make me smile / Take control, own me just for the night / But if I share my secret / You gonna have to keep it / Nobody else can see this."[1] Aguilera's contributions to the song consists of two interchangeable verses directly referencing her own song "Genie in a Bottle" from her debut album, Christina Aguilera (1999) with the lyrics, "Rub me right".[15] Some critics panned the song for Aguilera's verse being too short comparing it to her 2001 effort on "Lady Marmalade".[15]
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Upon release, the song received generally positive reviews. Bill Lamb from About.com gave the song a positive review, giving the single four-and-a-half out of five stars.[16] Lamb wrote that, "The funky, whistle driven melody here is loose, light, and irresistibly funky. The punchy guest vocal from fellow judge Christina Aguilera is simply icing on the cake. There is a real vocal chemistry between Aguilera and Levine."[16] Lamb called the song an "outstanding summer song", writing that "It is light, danceable, and would sound great in the car with the top down."[16] He went on to say, "An infectious whistle melody kicks things off with light, funky guitar and we're on our way to a great summer song. Maroon 5's Adam Levine guides us into the song with a trademark blend of soulful and slightly aloof. Later the throaty sound of Christina Aguilera grounds "Moves like Jagger" making it all a near perfect summer of 2011 audio treat".[16]
Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote that "It takes a full two minutes and 15 seconds for Christina's soulful pipes to begin trilling on "Moves like Jagger." But once she does, she immediately steals the show."[10] Daw concluded by writing that "this is the best thing from either of these two in years."[10]
Rolling Stone noted that, "The Voice judges [...] start off the song as an easygoing R&B-inflected pop tune before Aguilera showed up near the end to kick it all into high gear with her brassy, super-charged voice. As on the show, the two singers have a terrific chemistry, with Levine's chill vibe acting as the perfect counterbalance to the diva's fiery intensity".[17] While naming the song "a contender for 2011's song of the summer",
James Dinh from MTV Newsroom wrote that "Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera have turned their friendly rivalry on NBC's The Voice into some studio chemistry."[1] Robert Copsey wrote for Digital Spy: "Take me by the tongue and I'll know you/ Kiss me till you're drunk and I'll show you," Ad insists over a funky, finger-clicking bassline and an irresistible whistle hook that immediately burrows deep into the recesses of your brain. "If I share my secret/ You're gonna have to keep it," Christina says on her short, sweet and perfectly formed cameo. We've already got your number, love, but our surprise is still 100% genuine."[18]
Jagger himself acknowledged the song in an interview, calling the concept "very flattering."[19] The song was ranked number three on BBC Radio 2's most played songs of the 2010s.[20] In 2022, Billboard and American Songwriter ranked the song number three and number four, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Maroon 5 songs.[21][22]
Music video[edit]
Background[edit]
The music video for "Moves like Jagger" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and filmed in the Los Angeles Theater, Los Angeles, California on July 8, 2011.[55] On July 9, Aguilera posted an image of herself from the video shoot via Twitter, saying, "Always great to see Jonas Akerlund. He created the perfect feel for the song. Expect a fun video."[56] The image showed Aguilera performing with a band in front of a background of the American flag.[56] Four shirtless images of Levine from the shoot were also released online the same day.[57] The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger made an appearance in the video "via archive footage".[55] The video features an incorrect, simplified version of the Union Flag as a backdrop for parts of the song. For Levine and his bandmates, the song and video are all about exposing a new generation to the rock legend. "We were lucky enough to get Mick's endorsement [for the video], as far as him giving us access to a bunch of different footage that's so cool," Levine told MTV News when they visited the video's set last month. "Not many people have seen [it], especially a newer generation of people that don't know so much about how incredible he was."[58] The video premiered on August 8, 2011, on E! and was released the following day on YouTube.[59][60] As of February 2024, the video received over 800 million views on YouTube.
Live performances[edit]
"Moves like Jagger" was performed for the first time with Aguilera on June 21, 2011, during The Voice, a talent competition show on which both she and Levine were coaches.[1] Maroon 5 performed this song without Aguilera on America's Got Talent on August 3, 2011, in the results show of the fourth week of the Hollywood performances[62] and the morning talk show The Today Show on August 5.[63] The band later performed this song on Hands All Over Tour and the 2011 Summer Tour. On September 8, 2011, the song was performed live at the NFL pre-show on Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, before the start of the 2011 NFL season.[64]
The song was also played during the band's appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (September 21) and Saturday Night Live (November 5).[65] On October 1, the band played the song at the Rock in Rio concert in Rio de Janeiro. In November 2011, Maroon 5 performed "Moves like Jagger" for the 2011 American Music Awards with Aguilera[66] (the latter two along with a live performance of Gym Class Heroes's "Stereo Hearts" featuring Levine) and the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[67] On November 13, 2011, Maroon 5 performed the song live at the Carnival Cruise Line, after the arrival of cruise ship Carnival Magic in Galveston, Texas.[68] In June 2012, the band played with "Moves like Jagger" at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, as part of the Live on Letterman concert series.[69]
On February 3, 2019, Maroon 5 performed the song as the closing number of the Super Bowl LIII halftime show in Atlanta, Georgia.[70] On June 8, 2019, they also performed for the music festival concert, Capital's Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium, London.[71] In September 2023, the band performed "Moves like Jagger" for the first edition of The Town Festival in Brazil.[72]