Adam Levine was shocked after seeing the Mick Jagger moves that inspired an entire Maroon 5 song.
When Levine, 45, appeared on the Wednesday, April 10, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he shared his thoughts on a recent video of Jagger, 80, dancing around in a bar while the band Splash performed a version of Maroon 5’s 2011 hit “Moves like Jagger.” The Rolling Stones singer, who posted the clip via Instagram on March 27, bobbed, swayed and jumped around to the music with a smile.
“I never wanted to be the bar band covering [“Moves Like Jagger”] more in my life,” Levine told host Jimmy Fallon after the clip played. “It’s really surreal. It’s just one of those things you’re like, ‘Oh my, like, how is this possible? What is happening? It’s bizarre.’ This many years later, too.”
Levine also remarked that only a few people sent him that clip. Fallon, 49, said he considered sending it to Levine but assumed that there was already an onslaught of messages. “My mom and one of my friends sent me the video,” said Levine. “I was shocked that no more people sent it to me.”
Levine and Fallon discussed how the song, which was originally written by Selena Gomez’s current boyfriend, Benny Blanco, and producer Shellback, came about. “When we were bouncing ideas around for the song, it was initially, like … the hook was ‘He got the moves like Jagger,’” said Levine. “It was kind of supposed to be for a female artist to sing. I was the only idiot crazy enough to say, ‘What if I say I have moves like Jagger?’”
Levine’s contribution not only earned him a writing credit on the song but also helped the track become the ninth best-selling digital single of 2011. “Moves Like Jagger”— released on the band’s third studio album, 2010’s Hands All Over — reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified diamond by the RIAA.
During his Tonight Show appearance, Levine shared that his band is working on new music. “It’s coming,” he said. “For the first time in about 13 years, I’ve decided to take the reins back from the songwriting part of it.”
Levine wanted to ensure that “all the ideas come either from myself or the band,” explaining, “We’re not going to have any real cowrites. The ideas are coming straight from the nucleus of Maroon 5.”
“I think this will make [the new music] sound a lot like it did in the very beginning,” he added. “I’m so excited about what’s happening right now.”
The last Maroon 5 record without major cowriters involved was 2007’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long. The band’s most recent album was 2021’s Jordi, which featured the band’s collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, “Beautiful Mistakes.”
