Mick Jagger’s “Just Another Night”: The Dance-Rock Experiment That (Almost) Split the Stones
The Twelve Inch 143 : Just Another Night (Mick Jagger)
The Rolling Stones at a Crossroads: Jagger’s Breakaway Moment
What happens when the singer of the greatest rock’n’roll band suddenly decides to go at it alone? Mick Jagger’s 1985 solo hit, “Just Another Night,” is more than just a song—it’s a snapshot of a turbulent moment in music history. It’s the tale of a legendary band on the brink, a bold foray into the burgeoning Dance-Rock genre, and the subtle power plays of a frontman trying to find his rhythm away from the Rolling Stones.
What prompted Jagger to take a new direction? And why did he choose François Kevorkian to remix the track, especially given his less-than-stellar experiences with remixers in the past? Let’s delve into the backstory, and explore how this song weaves its way into the vibrant tapestry of 1980s dance music.
A Solo Album: Why Now, Mick?
By 1985, the Rolling Stones were a behemoth, but cracks were starting to show. Mick Jagger, the band’s charismatic frontman, had grown restless. The Stones were coming off their 1983 album, Undercover, which had a lukewarm reception compared to their earlier albums. In episode 108 I explored the story of the Arthur Baker remix of “Too Much Blood”, the third single of Undercover Of The Night. It’s the story of a song that divided the band. With Keith Richards absent from the studio, a roadie had to step in to handle the guitar parts. Inspired by their peers, they enlisted Arthur Baker for a remix, but it proved to be a step too far, ultimately satisfying no one. Yet, the experience didn’t dampen Mick Jagger’s desire to break free from the Stones’ blues-rock roots and venture into new sonic territory.
The solo album She’s the Boss was born out of this urge to break free. Jagger wasn’t just experimenting with his sound; he was staking his claim as an artist outside the shadow of the Rolling Stones. "I just felt it was time to break the pattern – that before going back in to do another Stones album, I really should do something else" Naturally, this move sparked tension within the band.
“What About Us?”: The Rolling Stones React
It’s safe to say Mick’s solo ambitions weren’t met with standing ovations from his bandmates. Keith Richards, the Stones’ legendary guitarist and lifelong sparring partner of Jagger, wasn’t pleased. Richards saw Mick’s solo endeavor as a betrayal of the band’s unity. He was especially upset because in 1983, Jagger had piggy-backed a three-album solo deal with Columbia onto the multi-million Stones deal without informing any of the other Stones. In his autobiography, Life, Richards wrote: “Mick was chasing some dream of being David Bowie or something. I didn’t understand it. The Stones were the greatest band in the world. Why mess with that?”
The feud between Jagger and Richards during this period was so pronounced that it threatened to dissolve the Stones entirely. Mick’s solo career became a symbol of their creative (and personal) rift—a rift that wouldn’t begin to heal until the late 1980s. Even years later Richards insisted that he never listened to the album.
Dance-Rock: A Genre on the Rise
The convergence of rock and dance music in the early 1980s was rooted in developments from years prior. Predictions that rock would replace disco in dance clubs proved incorrect. Instead, a blend of post-disco, post-punk, and new wave emerged to fill the void. Post-disco dance music grew from the same urban centers that had birthed disco in the 1970s. As the Saturday Night Fever era waned, artists like Talking Heads, Blondie, and the B-52’s were already laying the groundwork for the next phase, blending the infectious rhythms of disco with the edge of rock. Established rock acts, however, were slower to follow suit, hesitant after their previous disco experiments had alienated segments of their fan base.
One of those tastemakers : The B-52’s. I will be coming back to them soon.
In the UK, the trajectory differed. Punk rock dominated from 1974 to 1976, but by 1978, its initial wave had subsided, evolving into the broader and more experimental new wave and post-punk movements. Drawing inspiration from krautrock, Jamaican dub, funk, and disco, these genres gave rise to dance-oriented styles like New Romantic and synth-pop, which were primed to make their way across the Atlantic.
Welcome, I’m Pe Dupre and this is “The Twelve Inch”, a newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.
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MTV and the Second British Invasion
The launch of MTV sparked the second British Invasion and paved the way for American breakthroughs of bands like The Human League, Duran Duran, and Spandau Ballet. These British acts had a critical advantage: their music videos were ready when MTV debuted. In contrast, American artists and bands were unprepared, as record companies had underestimated the importance of music videos. They remained focused on the traditional trifecta of radio, charts, and live tours.
MTV’s impact was transformative. It not only fueled the rise of numerous British bands but also pushed dance-oriented pop and rock songs into the mainstream. American artists soon realized they needed to adapt to stay competitive. From 1983 onward, new American acts like The Romantics, Hall & Oates, and the Greg Kihn Band began dominating dance charts. Established artists like David Bowie also embraced the shift, with Let’s Dance setting a benchmark. By 1984, the trend was universal—remixing singles for the dance floor was no longer optional but a strategic move to tap into a club-going audience. A catchy, danceable song paired with an eye-catching MTV video only amplified its success.
Additionally, the widespread adoption of electronic instruments revolutionized music production. With the introduction of MIDI, the seamless integration of traditional instruments and electronic elements became accessible to all artists—not just disco pioneers like Giorgio Moroder. This technological shift further solidified the fusion of rock, pop, and dance into a defining sound of the era.
Enter François Kevorkian: The Remix Mastermind
François Kevorkian, born and raised in France with Armenian roots, discovered his passion for music as a drummer during his teenage years. In 1975, he moved to New York, where his innovative disco edits earned him a pivotal A&R role at Prelude Records, shaping the era’s dance music landscape. As a DJ, he made his mark at iconic venues like Studio 54, The Loft, and Paradise Garage. By the mid-1980s, François K had cemented his reputation as a sought-after studio maestro.
François Kevorkian became not only known for his remix work at Prelude but also for being the first to create dub versions of dance tracks. The idea came from Jamaican music : “The idea of dub is that you really sort of deconstruct first, and then reconstruct a track around very, very basic elements and use lots of processing and lots of delay, and things of that nature, to make it very sort of otherworldly and completely not like the original was, when it comes to the arrangement and the aesthetic of it”. Two of his Prelude remixes became very influential : his dub version of the first D-Train single “You’re The One For Me” and, especially, the special spoken version he made of Sharon Redd’s “Can You Handle It”
When François was asked by Mick Jagger to remix “Just Another Night” he was honored. “I was excited to work on a Mick Jagger record because Herbie Hancock and Jeff Beck and Sly & Robbie were playing on it”. It wouldn’t be his easiest remix job and the remix cost a lot of money because Mick keep wanting to change things. It took two weeks of studio time. Each day in the studio cost at least two, three thousand dollars, plus the engineer, which was at least a thousand dollars a day. Plus, we hired the Brecker Brothers, we hired Dave Sanborn, we hired all these world-class musicians. The remix budget must have cost something like $45,000. But Mick Jagger wanted it. If he has the money to fund it, he can do whatever he wants
Kevorkian’s remix of “Just Another Night” is a masterclass in subtlety. Stretching the original track into a nearly eight-minute groove, he emphasized its rhythmic elements, layering percussion and enhancing the bassline. The result was a remix that worked both as a club anthem and as a showcase of Jagger’s vocal charisma.
Chart Performance and Legal Troubles
“Just Another Night” was a commercial success, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbing to #1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The remix gained traction in clubs, particularly in Europe, where Dance-Rock was thriving. The highest chart result were in the Benelux with a solid top 5 in Holland.
However, the song’s success was overshadowed by a copyright infringement case. Jamaican reggae artist Patrick Alley accused Jagger of plagiarizing his song, also titled “Just Another Night.” from 1979. Key in this was the fact that Sly & Robbie played on both songs. They were used By Patrick Alley to prove they acted as a “conduit” and took the inspiration from his song. Although Jagger ultimately won the case, the legal battle cast a shadow over the single’s release and may have curtailed its momentum somewhat.
The Legacy of “Just Another Night”
Despite its controversies, “Just Another Night” remains a fascinating chapter in Mick Jagger’s career. It’s a song that marked a significant entry into Jagger's solo career, showcasing his ability to blend rock with dance elements while achieving commercial success.
And it didn’t break up The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger subsequently went right back into the studio to work on Dirty Work, rather than touring behind She's the Boss. His lone promotional appearance, however, came in front of an estimated television audience of 1.9 billion: Jagger played Live Aid that July in Philadelphia, performing "Lonely at the Top" (the Jagger-Richards tune that opens this album) and "Just Another Night," along with two Rolling Stones songs and a duet with Tina Turner.
Your Turn: Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
What are your memories of “Just Another Night”? Did you know the song ? Did you know the remix ? Share the story and let us know
Further reading (or should I say watching)
There are a number of interesting video’s/links :
So You Wanna Hear More ?
I thought you would !
It’s fun to write about music but let’s be honest. Music is made to listen to.
Every week, together with this newsletter, I release a 1 hour beatmix on Mixcloud and Soundcloud. I start with the discussed twelve inch and follow up with 10/15 songs from the same timeframe/genre. The ideal soundtrack for…. Well whatever you like to do when you listen to dance music.
So what’s in this week’s mix ?
Exploring mid-80s Dance Rock has been a blast, and you might be surprised to discover that many tracks in this mix originally had twelve-inch versions.
The set kicks off with a blend of the club and dub versions of “Just Another Night,” followed by one of John Luongo’s outstanding twelve-inch mixes of Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady.” Other unexpected gems include the dance mixes of Genesis’ “Invisible Touch,” Sinéad O’Connor’s “Mandinka,” and Chris Rea’s “I Don’t Know What It Is But I Love It” (we love it too, Chris!).
We wrap things up with perhaps the ultimate example of Dance Rock: Pseudo Echo’s electrifying mid-80s take on the disco classic “Funkytown.”
Enjoy !
Next week I zoom in on a German remix that made an album track of an English Band into a surprise smash on the dance floor
This was excellent! I never knew of Jagger’s solo work so hadn’t heard the original or the remix, which I thoroughly enjoyed, along with the comprehensive and engaging history and details behind the creation of the remix.
Such a great read. I was unfamiliar with Mick's foray into dance/dance-ish territory. It was also very interesting to read about what was happening at the time. Thanks for always contextualising so well!