Like many seniors who have been using their time in lockdown nurturing their creative pursuits, veteran rockers The Rolling Stones have combined their artistic talents and dropped a new a coronavirus quarantine single.
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It's been eight years since the Stones released an original song, but Living in a Ghost Town - a rock anthem for life in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic - shot straight to number one on iTunes in 20 countries when it was released last week.
The eerie track was originally written last year, but was adjusted to reflect life during the coronavirus lockdown, according to the band's frontman, Mick Jagger.
"So the Stones were in the studio recording some new material before the lockdown and there was one song we thought would resonate through the times that we're living in right now," he said.
Or as Keith Richard tells it: "Then sh*t hit the fan, Mick and I decided this one really needed to go to work right now and so here you have it: Living in a Ghost Town. Stay safe!"
The band, which agrees the track with its haunting melody "captures a mood" then worked on the song in isolation. The lilting track has a strong singalong chorus and prominent harmonica detail by Mick Jagger. The lyrics include:
Life was so beautiful
Then we all got locked down
Feel like a ghost
Living in a ghost town
The band then added a video of London's now-barren streets.
The isolated band recently performed together You Can't Always Get What You Want via four separate video links for One World: Together at Home, a concert to benefit charities and the World Health Organisation, co-organised by Lady Gaga.
The Rolling Stones hasn't released an album of new material since 2005's A Bigger Bang.
They released a blues cover album in 2016 and have subsequently released a few albums of live recordings. The band had to postpone its coming No Filter tour due to the coronavirus outbreak.