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Rolling Stones songs: Far Away Eyes
I had an arrangement to meet a girl, and I was kind of late/ And I thought by the time I got there she’d be off with the nearest truck driver she could find…
Original titles: Truckdriver Blues Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: EMI Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Oct. 10-Dec. 1977 / Jan. 5-March 2 1978 *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
In this 1978 unconventional track from the Some Girls album with lyrical nods to Bakersfield, California, the Rolling Stones deliver a credible take on the Bakersfield sound—a stripped-down, anti-Nashville style of country music typically combined with rock & roll, pioneered by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. The band captures this sound with Keith Richards’ soft acoustic strumming, his electric guitar’s twang, and Ron Wood’s steady pedal steel. Both Richards and Jagger contribute on piano—electric and acoustic, respectively.
The rhythm section, featuring Bill Wyman on bass and Charlie Watts with his cross-stick on the snare drum, along with harmonies from Wood, Richards, and Jagger, enhances the song’s authenticity. However, authenticity wavers when Jagger takes the lead vocals. He struggles to maintain a straight face while singing pure country, instead relying on the exaggerated American hick accent he’s used on Stones’ country-influenced tracks since 1968.
The Story Behind Far Away Eyes and Its Bakersfield Inspiration
In a 1978 interview with Jonathan Cott, Mick Jagger noted that the Some Girls album featured numerous references to New York and that there were connections between the songs, despite it not being a ‘concept’. The lone exception would be Far Away Eyes (originally released as the B-side of Miss You) Jagger explained that the song was inspired by his experience of driving through Bakersfield on a Sunday and hearing country music stations broadcasting live from Los Angeles black gospel services.
Far Away Eyes reflects this experience, focusing on the solitude of driving and listening to the radio. The song’s half-sung, half-spoken style underscores its theme of isolation, drawing inspiration from the preachers heard on the airwaves. The “girl with far away eyes” might symbolize someone deeply lost in her own world, disconnected from reality. Could salvation be waiting for the driver at the end of his journey, perhaps through finding love?
Keith Richards on Jagger’s Country Pantomime in Far Away Eyes
In the words of Keith Richards: “Mick feels the need to get into these caricatures. He’s slightly vaudeville in his approach. Far Away Eyes is like that. He did it great every time except for the final take. It’s good when he does it straight ’cause it’s funny enough without doing a pantomime…You expect Mick to walk out in his cowboy duds on an 18-wheeler set (laughs). Or sing it into his CB as part of his skit.”
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