Mick Jagger says copying music trends is a mistake

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger says he's "very aware of what's going on around me" but thinks copying music trends is a "mistake" because they are so fleeting.

The award-winning group, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time, was co-founded by Jagger in 1962 alongside Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and the late Charlie Watts.

The best-selling rock band have achieved eight UK number one singles and 14 UK number one albums in their six-decade career, and have been lauded for their longevity as they continue to produce new music.

The Rolling Stones new album Foreign Tongues is due to be released on July 10.

Appearing on BBC Radio 2's Tracks Of My Years alongside bandmate Ronnie Wood, Jagger spoke about keeping up with music trends as he reflected on the sustainability of The Rolling Stones.

"All of The Stones' music has got several influences," the 82-year-old rocker said.

"The obvious ones, blues ... soul music of all kinds, also influenced a lot by country music and various other genres … We have moments of Elizabethan music, and so on.

"It's always been a band that's covered a lot of different musical grounds," he said.

"They always say, 'oh, the Stones are a rock band'. When you listen to Hackney Diamonds, or listen to our Foreign Tongues record, how can you say that it is pure rock?

"It's not many tracks that are like that - maybe two or three.

"I'm very aware of what's going on around me. I'm not addicted to it and I'm not spending my whole day listening to it, but it's like yeah, I'm aware of what cars are on the road. I'm aware of what music is going on.

"I have my moments where I just only listen to pop music for like two weeks, and then I go: okay, done it."

The star explained that he likes to listen to "all kinds of music" from different eras and genres and then educates himself on the variety of tracks he dabbles with.

"I think it would be mistake to slavishly be into trying to copy a trend," he said about the notion of following current trends in music.

"By the time you've recorded the trend, the trend is gone - but you are aware of what's going on."

The veteran rocker also reflected on one of the first times he collaborated with The Beatles.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney famously gave their unfinished demo for I Wanna Be Your Man to the Stones, which they later released as a single.

"(The Beatles) were great sellers of their own songs," Jagger said.

"They had stacks of songs, and they sold to all these people that nearly all became very successful in the day – Cilla Black, for instance," he said.

"Everything they touched was all, like … very big hits," he said.

"It was great to get one of their songs, because we didn't really write rock songs in that period, and here was a rock song.

"We put blues a guitar on it, and it became a success."