People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in 1969. They want you to, because otherwise their youth goes with you. It's very selfish, but it's understandable.
I'd rather be dead than singing "Satisfaction" when I'm forty-five.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a strong aversion to compromising artistic integrity for commercial success as one ages.
Mick Jagger's quote reflects the idea that maintaining authenticity and passion in one's career is more important than achieving commercial success, particularly within the music industry. He suggests that the idea of performing a song merely for its popularity or financial gain, especially in a future where he may not resonate with it, is undesirable and unacceptable. It emphasizes the value of staying true to oneself over time, rejecting conformist pressures to please others.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in discussions about artist integrity during a music industry panel.
More from Mick Jagger
All quotes βYou start out playing rock 'n' roll so you can have sex and do drugs, but you end up doing drugs so you can still play rock 'n' roll and have sex.
The new fashion is to talk about the most private parts of your life; other fashion is to repent of your excesses and to criticize the drugs that made you happy in the other times.
Thank you for leaving us alone but giving us enough attention to boost our egos.
As long as my face is on page one, I don't care what they say about me on page seventeen.
I have never wanted to give up performing on stage, but one day the tours will be over.
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When I grew up, what was interesting for me was that music was color and life was gray. So music for me has always been more than entertainment.