Mess It Up

Composers: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording date: January-February 2019 & November 2022-March 2023          Recording locations: Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles, USA;
Metropolis Studios, London, England; Sanctuary Studios, Albany, Bahamas; & MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, USA
Producer: Andrew Watt          Chief engineers: Paul Lamalfa, Marco Sonzini
& Krish Sharma
Mixer: Serban Ghenea           Performed onstage: 2024




Line-up:

Drums: Charlie Watts
Bass: Andrew Watt
Electric guitars: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood & Andrew Watt
Vocals: Mick Jagger
Piano: Matt Clifford
Wurlitzer piano: Matt Clifford
Keyboards: Matt Clifford & Andrew Watt
Percussion: Mick Jagger & Karlos Edwards
 

Ready to go?

Come on

You stole my numbers
You stole my codes
You took my keys and then
You nicked my phone

Seduced my landlord
Broke in my home
Don't get excited
Why don't you leave me alone?

You think I'll mess it up, mess it up
Mess it up all for you

You think I'll mess it up, mess it up
Mess it up all for you
You think I'm really, really, really
Going to really make your dreams come true - yeah

You say you really, really, really
Really want to hear the truth - oh

You shared my photos
With all your friends
You put them out there - well
It don't make no sense - oh

I said I was sorry
Mmm I thought it ended bad
You came to the right place, baby, at the wrong time
It's kind of sad

You think I'll mess it up, mess it up
Mess it up all for you - all for you yeah

You think I'll mess it up, mess it up
Mess it up all for you

You think I'll dress it up, dress it up
Dress it up all for you

You say you really, really, really
Really want to hear the truth - yeah, yeah

You say you really, really, really
Really want to hear the truth - yeah

Come on

Do you want to hear it? (Do you want to hear it?)
Do you want to hear it baby? Do you want to hear it?
Do you want to hear it? Do you want to hear it baby?
Yeah

You ask the question
And I won't lie


Ain't going to mess it up, mess it up
Mess it up all for you

Ain't going to mess it up, mess it up
Really make your dreams come true

Ain't going to wreck it up, wreck it up
Wreck it up all for you - oh Lord


You say you really, really, really
Really want to hear the truth - oh, oh, oh
 

(Do you want to hear it?) Yeah (Do you want to hear it?) Yeah
Do you want to hear it baby?
(Do you want to hear it? Do you want to hear it?)
Do you want to hear the truth now? Do you really want to hear the truth now?

I just want to be honest (Do you want to hear it?)
Honey, want be honest, honest with you baby
Do you want to hear it? Don't get too excited (Do you want to hear it?)
Baby, no, no, no, no

(Do you want to hear it?) Yeah, tell (Do you want to hear it?) I want to tell the truth, tell the truth, yeah whoo!

Do you want to hear it? (Do you want to hear it?)
 

 

TrackTalk
 

We had just started working on those (two) tracks (with Charlie) a few years ago, before Covid shut everything down. We left Charlie's tracks as they were and re-did the vocals and everything else with Andy Watt. As soon as you hear that snare, you know it's him.

- Keith Richards, August-September 2023


Mess It Up I wrote that – someone asked me to write a song for I can’t remember who it was, like a big DJ wanted a song. And so I wrote that for that. And then Don Was said to me, No, the Stones should do that. And I said I don’t think so. And he said Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that’s how it became a Stones song, ‘cause he said that could be.

- Mick Jagger, September-October 2023


Originally Mess It Up was more synth-oriented, but Keith wanted more guitars. It's a pop song, very light-hearted.

- Mick Jagger, c. August 2023


I would say to Keith, Come on, you’ve got to let Mick dance. Eventually Keith went, Oh, alright then. We agreed to do this one because as soon as Mick hears it, he’s off.

- Ron Wood, c. August 2023


I grew to like this one, but I always wonder what Charlie Watts would have made of it. I know Charlie. He’s not sure about that disco beat, but once he gets into it… Every time I listen to it I see the wry smile on Charlie’s face.

- Keith RIchards, c. August 2023

Keith... used a '55 TV Yellow Gibson single-cut Les Paul Junior on Angry and Mess It Up.

- Andrew Watt, August-September 2023







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