Mick Jagger has nothing but rave reviews for his time working with Lady Gaga. The pop superstar and fellow icon, Stevie Wonder, appear on The Rolling Stones’ new song, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” which finds Gaga stretching her voice in new ways. “She’s a really great singer, and I’d never heard her sing quite that style before,” Jagger described to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about Gaga’s soulful approach.
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The song was co-written by Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded in three different parts of the world: Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles—where Gaga and Wonder recorded their parts— Metropolis Studios in the Stones’ native London and Sanctuary Studios in Nassau, Bahamas.
“That was a great experience, her just coming in the room and her just opening up and seeing her bits and feeling her way and then getting more confident,” Jagger continues of the recording process. “And then we came back and then did some extra parts that we hadn’t done on the day and then we did some tidying up and we were just in the overdub room, really face-to-face, getting them really tight, the parts really tight, and then being slightly competitive and screaming.”
“Sweet Sounds” is the second single off the Stones’ new album, Hackney Diamonds, due out on October 20. Diamonds is the Stones’ first full album of all-original songs since A Bigger Bang was released in 2005. In between, they’ve released a series of live albums, including Grrr Live! in 2022. It was recorded during their 2012 show at the Prudential Center in New Jersey and features special guests John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen, and others. Gaga came out to perform one of the band’s signature hits, “Gimme Shelter.”
Hackney Diamonds features a slate of impressive guest stars with Paul McCartney, Elton John, and former Stones guitarist Bill Wyman also serving as collaborators.
Photo by David Wolff-Patrick/Redferns
