The song was written in response "confusion and frustration with the times we live in" as said by Mick Jagger. The song lyrically reflects the post-Brexit environment in the UK as well as the political conflict caused by recent elections and issues including the refugee crisis, immigration, ISIS, terrorism, antisemitism, corporate greed, political corruption, and the "fake news" controversies.
Mick Jagger chose to release "Gotta Get a Grip" and "England Lost" rather than wait to create a new solo album, and took pleasure in being freed from the expectations of making a new music in a musical era where the album is considered less important that one-off singles. Jagger stated "It's always refreshing to get creative in a different fashion and I feel a slight throwback to a time when you could be a bit more free and easy by recording on the hoof and putting it out there immediately". Jagger also stated that he did not wait to release these songs as part of an album due to wanting to release the two songs as soon as possible.
Similar to previous solo efforts by Mick Jagger, the music experiments with more modern music trends including programmed drums, rhythmic grooves and clanging guitar sounds. This approach is a frequent exercise by Jagger, often to the harsh criticism of his Rolling Stones band-mate Keith Richards who is more musically conservative in his solo work and Rolling Stones contributions.
"Gotta Get a Grip" and "England Lost" were written by Mick Jagger in April 2017, and released on July 27, 2017 a day after his 74th birthday.
The single reached number 2 on Billboard's Singles Sales chart.