How 'Doom and Gloom' (2012) Captured 2010s Anxiety and Brought Back Classic Stones Rock

By 2012, Mick Jagger had enough material to fill a laundry list of modern dread. The lyrics of “Doom and Gloom” pile up references to the BP oil spill, the 2008 financial crisis, endless wars, and the lingering threat of environmental collapse. Jagger said the song was his attempt to make sense of a world where even the weather felt angry—a far cry from the Stones’ earlier political moments, which tended toward broad anti-war sentiments rather than itemized grievances.

Musically, it was a deliberate reset. After albums like A Bigger Bang (2005) that leaned into blues and soul with subtle production touches—and the experimental tangents of Jagger’s solo records—the band wanted a straight-ahead rock