The Hidden Tribute in 'Moonlight Mile'—Did Mick Jagger Write It for a Lover Back in London?

The most interesting thing about “Moonlight Mile” is that Mick Jagger probably wrote it for someone specific—but nobody knows who. The lyrics are full of lonely California imagery (“cold, cold morning,” “head is hanging heavy”), and the song was recorded during the Sticky Fingers sessions when Jagger was stuck in Los Angeles while his then-girlfriend Marsha Hunt was back in London. Hunt was pregnant with his first child at the time, which may explain the desperation in lines like “I’ll be back before the daylight.”

But the real hidden tribute is in the arrangement. The strings—arranged by Paul Buckmaster—slide in and out like a half-remembered dream, never quite grounding the song in any key or rhythm. That sense of dislocation is intentional: the cello and violin lines mimic a traveler’s fatigue, always a half-step off where you expect them to land. And the piano part? Jagger played it himself, a rare moment where he took over the keys. He wasn’t a trained pianist, so the part is simple, almost childlike—a lullaby played by someone who can’t sleep. Together, the strings and piano create a fragile, drifting sound that mirrors the feeling of being torn between two cities.