Happy Leo Season! To celebrate I thought I’d share a horoscope for Leo Sun front man Mick Jagger that originally appeared in a July 1966 issue of the pop music magazine Fabulous 208. It doesn’t credit the astrologer but I thought it would be fun to see how accurate they were in regards to Mick Jagger’s future.
The anonymous astrologer is making a mid-year prediction describing what may occur in the life of the vocalist and songwriter for The Rolling Stones between July 1966 and July 1967. They claim that the coming year will make Jagger “richer, more famous yet AND send him in a search for something he hasn’t found yet. Could be contentment, could be a great love.” They also declare that “He’ll enjoy searching all over the planet. And he’ll come up with some new, fab songs.”
At first glance it seems like a simplistic and typical horoscope for a music idol and in many ways it was. It was written for teenagers eager to know more about “old rubber lips.” After all, The Rolling Stones already had plenty of hit records under their belts and were embarked on their third American Tour at the time this horoscope was published. But to really appreciate the astrologer’s predictions we should consider what the British music scene was like in 1966.
There were literally hundreds of rock bands in the U.K. performing and recording records every month that were just as popular as The Rolling Stones. The Barron Knights, The Overlanders, Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours, The Move and The Tremeloes are just a few of the forgotten bands that had hit songs between 1966-1967 that you’ve probably never heard of. Bands in 1966 rose to prominence so fast that fame tended to be fleeting and very short-lived. And while many musical artists did manage to survive the sixties, few became as successful and beloved as The Rolling Stones.
I mention all this because the astrologer had no way of knowing that Jagger would still be making hit records a year later although it’s difficult to think otherwise today. That said, it’s fun to consider what the astrologer got right while contemplating the coming year for Jagger, which ended up being one of the most turbulent and creative periods in his life. Despite overlooking just how contentious the upcoming year would be, the astrologer smartly predicted a majestic future for The Rolling Stones’ front man.
First and foremost, not long after this horoscope was published Jagger did find “great love” with the beautiful British songbird Marianne Faithfull. Their very public romance is the stuff of rock music dreams and legends. The pair became notorious following a police raid and drug bust during a party at guitarist Keith Richard’s home that took place in February of 1967. Jagger’s highly publicized arrest helped make him a household name after he appeared in the pages of countless newspapers and magazines. His fame and earning potential eventually reached unprecedented heights but his glamourous and tabloid-fueled love affair with Marianne Faithfull didn’t survive. The couple split in 1970 but today they’re remembered as one of the sixties most iconic romantic duos.
During this period The Rolling Stones made a trip to North Africa and also embarked on their third European tour between March-February of 1967. Jagger may not have traveled the whole planet but he did spend time in Morocco, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Italy, France and Greece among other places including Poland where the Stones became one of the first rock bands from Britain to perform in Eastern Europe.
Last but certainly not least, Jagger wrote some of his best songs between July 1966 and July 1967. This was a highly exploratory time for The Rolling Stones’ music due to exotic travel influences, the bands use of psychedelic drugs and ongoing experiments with string arrangements, African rhythms and the inclusion of unusual instruments such as the Mellotron and oboe. Today there is still debate about the quality of the music they produced at the time but I find the band’s psychedelic phase, which owes much to the late great Brian Jones, to be one of their most interesting and creative periods.
The Rolling Stones released two albums between July 1966 and July 1967. They were Between the Buttons and the occult fueled Their Satanic Majesties Request. Singles from this period include some of my favorites such as Let’s Spend the Night Together, Ruby Tuesday, She’s a Rainbow, 2000 Light Years from Home, Dandelion, We Love You and Have You Seen Your Mother Baby, Standing in the Shadows? I’d love to dive deeper into the making of Their Satanic Majesties Request in the future but in the meantime I hope you enjoyed this brief look back at Mick Jagger’s 1966 horoscope. This week he’ll be celebrating his 78th birthday and I hope you’ll join me in wishing him many happy returns!
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