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TL;DR:

  • The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty wrote a song together.
  • Ultimately, Matchbox Twenty recorded the song, not Jagger.
  • The track became a hit in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.
The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger with a microphone
Mick Jagger | Evening Standard/Getty Images

Mick Jagger wrote many of The Rolling Stones‘ songs, but he also wrote songs for other artists. For example, he co-wrote a song for one of his solo albums with Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. Subsequently, Jagger gave up the song so Matchbox Twenty could record it.

The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger added a little bit to a song written by Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and Jagger co-wrote a song called “Disease.” According to a 2002 article from MTV News, the song was originally meant for Jagger’s solo album Goddess in the Doorway. Thomas discussed the origin of the song.

“I had written 98% of it, and I was thinking it would sound great if Mick sang this,” Thomas said. “For the most part, I try to never let those two worlds come into each other. Any song I write that I’m really into, that’s a Matchbox song, and I want to let the guys have the first right of refusal.”

Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas decided he didn’t want to give the song to The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger

Thomas said “Disease” was a first for him. “But it was the first time I’d written the majority of the song and it felt like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to give that away,'” he recalled. “Everything was serendipitous the way that it happened, the way [Jagger] didn’t think it fit on his record. He said, ‘It sounds like you. It’s your song.'”

Subsequently, Thomas compared Matchbox Twenty to The Rolling Stones. “One of the things I like about this band is that everybody’s a writer,” he said. “All of our favorite bands, the Stones, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, it all kind of came out of everyone throwing something in.” Thomas said his band was something like a democracy.

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Mick Jagger Didn’t Like the Songs on This Rolling Stones Album When It Was Released

How ‘Disease’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Disease” became a modest hit in the United States. The tune reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. Matchbox Twenty included the song on the album More Than You Think You Are. The album reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 72 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Disease” did not chart in the United Kingdom. More Than You Think You Are did not chart there either.

“Disease” wasn’t a huge hit but it stands as a fascinating collaboration between two rock ‘n’ roll legends.

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