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Rolling Stones songs: Following the River
My cards are on the table/ But the drinks have all run out…
Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: Rolling Stones Mobile, Nellcote, France, Jun. 7-Dec. 19 1971; Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, USA, Jan. 10-March 28 1972; Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles, USA, March 24-25 1972 *Mixing, editing and overdubbing of original leftovers done in New York, Los Angeles and London studios, 2009 Guest musicians: Nicky Hopkins (piano), Lisa Fisher and Cindy Mizelle (backing vocals), David Campbell (strings arrangement) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
This piano-led ballad, initially an instrumental track, lay dormant in the Rolling Stones’ archives for years. It was finally revived, re-recorded with fresh lyrics, and included in the 2010 re-release of Exile on Main St.—their iconic 1972 album. Mick Jagger shared insights with The Sunday Times on May 9, 2010, about the original piano piece by Nicky Hopkins: “I’ve always liked it, but I never quite knew what was going to happen to it.”
More from Mick: “It’s a good feeling when it all comes together. There’s a track called ‘Following the River,’ which is a ballad. It’s a got beautiful piano on it, which I didn’t play. And I’d heard this before but it didn’t have any lyrics at all. I could hear different melodies but I didn’t know how I was going to get the melody to fit with this already existing track, which is very heavily piano…
…And when it came together, I was just singing onto it, I was putting it on the stereo and I was singing along, trying out different melody lines and trying out different words. And when it actually came together, it’s a very good moment, you know? There’s a moment – there’s a frustration, there’s a build-up of this [makes discouraged face], and then try, try, try, try, and there’s a moment when it really comes together for you.”
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