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Rolling Stones songs: Almost Hear You Sigh
I can feel your tongue on mine/ Silky smooth like wine…
Written by: Jagger/Richards/Jordan Recorded: Air Studios, Montserrat, March 29-April ; Olympic Sound Studios, May 15-June 29 1989 Guest musicians: Chuck Leavell and Matt Clifford (keyboards), Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler (backing vocals), Luis Jardin (percussion), The Kick Horns (brasses) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
Mick Jagger: vocals Keith Richards: acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals Bill Wyman: bass Charlie Watts: drums Ron Wood: rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals Guest musicians: Chuck Leavell (keyboards), Matt Clifford (keyboards), Luis Jardim (percussion), Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler (backing vocals)
Almost Hear You Sigh is one of The Rolling Stones’ most tender and intimate ballads, blending vulnerability with the signature Stones’ edge. Born from Keith Richards’ 1988 solo sessions for Talk Is Cheap and later shaped during the Steel Wheels sessions in Montserrat, the song showcases a rare collaboration between Keith, Mick Jagger, and Steve Jordan. Its heartfelt lyrics, paired with Mick’s expressive vocals and Keith’s delicate 1956 Velázquez guitar phrases, make it a standout track that captures both personal and artistic reconciliation.
The song’s story begins in Barbados, where Keith presented the idea to Mick, evoking the spirit of Beast of Burden. With contributions from Chuck Leavell and Matt Clifford, and minor lyrical adjustments, the composition remained largely intact, preserving its original emotional power.
Performed exclusively during the Urban Jungle Tour, and Grammy-nominated in 1991, Almost Hear You Sigh is a Stones classic that blends longing, reflection, and musical craftsmanship.
More about Almost Hear You Sigh by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
A Quiet Turning Point in Steel Wheels
Almost Hear You Sigh stands as one of the most tender moments in The Rolling Stones catalog, yet its roots trace back not to a grand band summit but to Keith Richards’ 1988 first solo album Talk Is Cheap. Crafted with Steve Jordan during those sessions, the song carried the cohesive and occasionally soulful atmosphere that defined that record—an atmosphere that, unexpectedly, helped reopen the door between Mick Jagger and Keith. As Keith began promoting Talk Is Cheap, Mick phoned with the idea of reassembling The Rolling Stones.
Keith’s amused reply—“What are you trying to screw me up for?”—captured both the tension and the lingering bond. Out of that exchange grew a ballad that would later become central to Steel Wheels, embodying reconciliation, vulnerability, and the subtle chemistry that only Jagger and Richards can conjure. Originally, Keith considered it for Talk Is Cheap but ultimately presented it to Mick and producer Chris Kimsey during the Steel Wheels sessions in Montserrat.
Collaboration and Creative Risks
Long before its official release, Almost Hear You Sigh represented a rare creative configuration. Mick and Keith had previously teamed up with an “outside artist” for songwriting only once before—with Chuck Leavell on Back to ZerofromDirty Work (often considered their weakest song) That earlier experiment made this new collaboration feel measured, deliberate.
On this ballad, however, the result was markedly different. Jagger delivers an outstanding performance, revealing the full breadth of his vocal control—moving from restrained intimacy to emotional lift without ever overselling the sentiment. The performance feels less like a stadium proclamation and more like a confession delivered at close range. With only minor lyrical changes by Jagger, the song preserved its original composition, demonstrating the strength of Richards and Jordan’s initial structure.
For Keith, the track offered a chance to introduce a new sonic treasure: a 1956 Velázquez guitar. Its tone adds a refined warmth to the arrangement. He slips in delicate solo phrases early in the song and again later, not as flamboyant statements but as emotional punctuation marks. The instrument’s classical resonance subtly reinforces the song’s reflective mood.
Keith Richards (1989): “There were a couple of songs that I’d started working on during my own album. They were embryonic at the time, and since I didn’t use them, I said to Mick, ‘Well, I think there’s something here you might like’. It was slight recall on Beast of Burden, and I know Mick likes singing that sort of thing. It suits him better than it does me”… “The other thing I did this year, I decided I was ready to buy a good classical guitar, a gut-string. I got this Velasquez, a beautiful instrument made in 1956. It’s just growing up; it’s just 33 (laughs) I started to use that onSteel Wheels. I played the solo with it on Almost Hear You Sigh. Yeah, we called him Guts.”
From Barbados to the Studio
The song’s earliest spark ignited in Barbados, where Keith Richards presented the idea to Mick Jagger. He described it as being in the spirit of Beast of Burden and insisted it would suit Mick’s voice perfectly. Keith initially played the part on a classical guitar, establishing the song’s soft architecture.
Matt Clifford and Chuck Leavell contributed on keyboards, with Chuck’s part added later to deepen the harmonic texture. The arrangement grew organically, never overwhelming the song’s core intimacy. As lyrics evolved, Mick made adjustments, shaping the emotional narrative. Keith expressed mild dissatisfaction with the line “feel your tongue on min,” preferring the less suggestive “lips.” The distinction may seem minor, yet it reveals how carefully tone and nuance were weighed.
Chris Jagger (Mick’s brother) served as the song’s literary editor, refining phrasing without disturbing its raw appeal. What began as a skeletal idea in Barbados gradually transformed into a fully realized Stones ballad—polished but never sterile. The composition maintained its original form through the Montserrat sessions, highlighting the enduring clarity of the initial vision.
Release, Performance and Recognition
When Almost Hear You Sigh emerged as the A-side of the third single from Steel Wheels in January 1990 it carried symbolic weight. The album itself marked a renewed unity within The Rolling Stones, and this track embodied that spirit of reconnection. On the B-side sat the jazzy, bluesy Break the Spell, offering contrast while reinforcing the album’s stylistic breadth.
The single saw staggered releases in 1990 across the USA and the UK, with the UK launch timed to coincide with the 1990 European Urban Jungle Tour. The promotional black-and-white video, directed by the rising filmmaker Jake Scott, emphasized mood over spectacle. Rather than grand theatrics, it leaned into shadow, contrast, and restrained performance—mirroring the song’s emotional tone.
Almost Hear You Sigh has a special place in live history. It was performed exclusively during the Urban Jungle Tour leg of the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour, appearing seven times on the 1989 tour and in every show of the 1990 tour. In 1991, the track earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Vocal Rock Performance by a Duo or Group,” a recognition that underlined the song’s careful craftsmanship and emotional resonance.
The Heart of the Song
At its core the narrator pleads for a lover’s return, struggling to accept her absence. He recalls kisses “smooth as wine,” a sensory detail that conveys longing without excess. The emotional perspective is neither bitter nor accusatory; instead, it lingers in the fragile space between regret and hope.
Unlike many of The Rolling Stones’ swaggering anthems Almost Hear You Sigh thrives on restraint. The vulnerability feels authentic, perhaps reflecting the band’s own journey at that moment—weathered, reflective, yet still capable of quiet intensity. The interplay between Mick’s expressive delivery and Keith’s understated guitar lines creates a dialogue of its own: voice and instrument circling the same ache from different angles.
In retrospect, the song operates on two levels. It is a love ballad about separation, but it also mirrors the delicate reconciliation between its creators. From Talk Is Cheap to Steel Wheels, from Barbados sketches to Montserrat sessions and Grammy recognition, Almost Hear You Sigh captures a band rediscovering its pulse—not through bombast, but through breath.
Keith Richards (1989): “When you’re playing something like that, the obvious thing you start hitting is the soul licks. When we first did Almost Hear You Sigh, I played it very much like Beast of Burden. In fact, it was too much like it, so I called it Cousin of Beast of Burden (laughs) I don’t know if it was going to get any further than a poor relative. But as we started to add the bridge part and it started to open up for me, then I thought to myself exactly what you said, Curtis Mayfield. It’s that style. Curtis is the king of that.”
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