Mick Jagger has explained the meaning behind a lyric on the Rolling Stones’ new album Foreign Tongues that refers to Elon Musk as a “mad mogul,” according to NME.
The song “Mr Charm” includes the line: “Is it Boeing, is it NASA, is it mad mogul Mr Musk?” Some listeners took that as a criticism of the Tesla billionaire, but Jagger said that was not his intention.
In an interview with The New York Times, Jagger said people were focusing on the word “Musk” without paying attention to the full line. He added that while he does call Musk “mad,” he was thinking about the role Musk played in helping provide transportation for astronauts when NASA could not.
Jagger said the lyric came from wondering, as a child, who would be trusted to get people into space. He described the line as “a sidewinding compliment,” though he admitted that “mogul” does not always sound flattering.
Foreign Tongues, the Rolling Stones’ 25th album, also features collaborations with Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and Chad Smith, along with posthumous appearances from Charlie Watts, according to NME.
