Mick Jagger Announces ‘Strange Game’ Theme From ‘Slow Horses’ Series
The track will be released to coincide with the series premiere of the Apple Original series.
Mick Jagger has announced the release this Friday (April 1) of “Strange Game,” the new song he has co-written and performed for the much-anticipated Apple Original series Slow Horses. It’s a collaboration with Academy Award-nominated film composer Daniel Pemberton.
The track will be released via Polydor Records/Universal Music to coincide with the series premiere of Slow Horses, also on Friday. Rooted in the world of espionage, the series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes available that day.
Slow Horses is based on a series of acclaimed books by Mick Herron, and stars the Oscar-winning British actor Gary Oldman. It follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in Slough House, a “dumping ground” department of MI5, on the outskirts of London. Oldman plays the role of Jackson Lamb, the brilliant but irascible leader of the spies who end up in Slough House because of their career-ending mistakes. The prestigious cast of the six-part series also includes Kristen Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Olivia Cook, and Jack Lowden.
‘Atmospheric and infectious’
Jagger and Pemberton’s “Strange Game,” described as “atmospheric and infectious,” captures the dark and mischievous premise of the series, and the surreal world of espionage and exclusion in which the main characters find themselves. The moodily strutting piece is underpinned by Jagger’s powerful, eerie vocals in a theme song that contains elements of the show’s original score. It encompasses both contemporary off-kilter sound design and delicate piano arrangements which highlight the narrative in which the protagnists yearn to “dance with the big boys again.”
“Working with Mick Jagger has been one of the most exciting collaborations of my professional career,” says Pemberton. “I think we have managed to create an incredibly unique and original titles theme and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to hear it.”
Adds series director James Hawes: “We always wanted a song to set the tone for the show and there was only ever one name in my mind – Mick Jagger. Hearing the track for the first time was utterly thrilling. Mick’s lyrics and performance have totally nailed the mood of Slow Horses, with all the humor and swagger I dreamed of.”
Pemberton was nominated for an Oscar in 2021 for his work with the singer Celeste on the song “Hear My Voice,” from The Trial of the Chicago 7. He was recently nominated for a BAFTA for his score to Being The Ricardos, the biographical drama about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. Pemberton’s credits as a film composer include Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Trial Of The Chicago 7, Oceans 8, and Yesterday. He also created the original score and soundtrack of Slow Horses, which will be released soon by Universal Music.
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