Rolling Stones songs: Baby Break It Down
*Click for MORE ROLLING STONES SONGS 1962-PRESENT

There’s no river running/ That we can’t cross/ Does one or the other of us/ Have to be the boss…

Written by: Jagger/Richards
Recorded: Ronnie Wood’s Sandymount Studios, Kildare, Ireland, July 9-Aug. 6 and Sept. 1993; Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland, Nov. 3-Dec. 10 1993 ; Don Was’ Studio and A&M Studios, Los Angeles, USA, Jan. 15-Apr. 1994
Guest musicians: Darryl Jones (bass), Ivan Neville (organ), Bernard Fowler and Ivan Neville (backing vocals)
*Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012

From the The Rolling Stones – All the Songs book:
You’re standing on your side, I’m standing on mine: this song by Keith
Richards tells of the difficulty of communication within a couple. This
should not be seen as alluding specifically to the stormy relationship
between Jagger and Richards, which lasted for a good part of the eighties,
but rather as a reflection on the difficulties of overcoming the adversities of
that long, long way to go that is life. It is also a message of hope. There’s no
river running that we can’t cross, sings Jagger, accompanied by the voices
of Keith Richards, Bernard Fowler, and Ivan Neville. “Baby Break It
Down” has never been performed live.

Mid-tempo rock tracks are few and far between on Rolling Stones albums,
but “Baby Break It Down,” with its moderate pace and insidious charm, is
one of them. Charlie’s drumming reins in the tempo, preventing any
unwarranted acceleration, and Darryl Jones’s very good bass is sufficiently
weighty to help him in this task. Keith opens the track with a riff in open G
that is accompanied by a second rhythm guitar. Although this example of
his playing holds no great surprises, it is always a pleasure to hear him on
the 5-string, presumably one of his Telecasters plugged into his 1957
Fender Twin. He can also be heard strumming two acoustic parts from 1:44,
as well as playing the piano, which can be made out in the intro. As a
multitasking Stone, Keith also contributes to the vocal harmonies, and his
voice, which was getting deeper around this time, emerges in a very
distinctive fashion during the verses. Ron Wood is on pedal steel, proving
his mastery of the instrument once again with a highly successful solo at
2:12. The Hammond B-3 organ is played by Ivan Neville, the style and
color of his work recalling those of Steve Winwood in places. Mick seems
to have left behind for good the strained voice, forever on a knife-edge, that
had characterized his singing for so long, especially on the last three
albums. His timbre is now lower, more assured, and less aggressive. Might
this be a sign of growing wisdom on the part of the Stones singer