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Just as you have touched my heart/ I wake up babe and we’re apart…
Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: Air Studios, Montserrat, March 29-Apr. 1989; Olympic Sound Studios, May 15-June 29 1989 Guest musicians: Chuck Leavell (organ and piano), Matt Clifford (electric piano), The Kick Horns (brass), Lisa Fischer, Sarah Dash and Bernard Fowler (backing vocals) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
Keith Richards may be the unsurpassed master of the rock ’n’ roll riff, but he is also a fine composer of ballads, a musical form in which he expressed himself more and more as one album followed the next. “I like ballads. Also, you learn about songwriting from slow songs. You get a better rock & roll song by writing it slow to start with, and seeing where it can go. Sometimes it’s obvious that it can’t go fast, whereas ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ started out as a Bob Dylan song and ended up as a samba.”
“Slipping Away” is a dream that disappears little by little, a love that gradually fades away. Happiness is ephemeral: such is the message Keith Richards seems to be conveying. Does it even exist other than in our imagination and fantasies? Drifting away… Slipping away, sings Keith Richards. Might he also have been thinking of the ultimate journey to the next world that we all have to make one day?
“Slipping Away” is the very last Stones album track on which Bill Wyman would play (with the exception of the two previously unreleased studio tracks on Flashpoint, 1991). The bassist was to bow out in 1993, but for the time being he provides solid support with the same skill and subtlety that he had been bringing to bear since 1963. Charlie responds to his bass line with feeling and a certain swing. This very beautiful Keith ballad provides an opportunity to hear Richards, who was gradually becoming a serious rival to Mick, singing with a certain patina to his voice. Meanwhile, Mick contents himself with singing backing vocals alongside the three talented backing singers who light up the entire track.
Chuck Leavell provides a fine accompaniment on organ as well as piano, playing with all the lyricism of Nicky Hopkins, while Matt Clifford plays electric piano and also produces string pads on the synthesizer (1:08). The Kick Horns make a discreet contribution, coloring the harmonies with some good arrangements. As for the guitars, Keith and Ronnie share the rhythm work, playing in a funky rock style. Keith also distinguishes himself by playing a short solo with excellent phrasing on his Sadowsky Nylon String guitar (2:30). Finally, a tambourine can be heard from 3:12. “Slipping Away” brings Steel Wheels to something of an unusual close.
