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Few Keith Richards songs feel as personal as How Can I Stop, and that’s probably why it doesn’t get mentioned nearly as often as it should. Buried near the end of The Rolling Stones’Bridges to Babylon, it’s the kind of track that quietly sneaks up on you instead of demanding attention. No stadium-sized swagger, no over-the-top guitar assault—just a beautifully understated performance that proves subtlety can hit harder than volume. Sometimes the songs that never become concert staples end up revealing the most about the people who wrote them. This is definitely one of those cases.
It’s too easy to lay here at your feet/ I couldn’t take the heat…
Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: Ocean Way Recording Studios, Hollywood, USA, March 13-July 1997
Keith Richards: vocals, guitar Ronnie Wood: guitar Charlie Watts: drums Guest musicians: Waddy Wachtel (guitar), Don Was (piano), Jeff Sarli (bass), Jim Keltner (percussion), Blondie Chaplin (piano and backing vocals), Wayne Shorter (saxophone), Bernard Fowler (backing vocals)
More about How Can I Stop by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
How Keith Richards Found Quiet Power in How Can I Stop
Unlike many Rolling Stones songs that grab attention with attitude and volume, How Can I Stop quietly earns its place among Keith Richards’ finest compositions. Released as the closing track on Bridges to Babylonin 1997, it reveals a more reflective side of Keith without abandoning the soulful groove that defines much of his solo writing. Although listeners have often searched for clues pointing to Anita Pallenberg or Patti Hansen, Keith later explained that most of his love songs are inspired by “imaginary loves”—a blend of different people and experiences rather than one specific relationship. He described How Can I Stop as “a real song from the heart”, suggesting that maturity may have shaped both its honesty and its tenderness. That emotional sincerity, combined with an elegant arrangement, makes the song one of the hidden treasures in the Rolling Stones’ catalog.
The Last Song Recorded for Bridges to Babylon
Ironically the final song completed for Bridges to Babylon became one of the album’s most relaxed recordings. As producer Don Was remembered, a car was already waiting outside the studio to take Charlie Watts straight to the airport, yet no one rushed the performance. Instead, the musicians allowed the song to develop naturally, giving it an unforced atmosphere that perfectly suited its reflective mood.
Rather than chasing contemporary production trends of the late 1990s, the arrangement leaned toward timeless musical influences. Its smooth vocal harmonies recall the gentle soul sound of The Chi-Lites, particularly the song A Lonely Man, while Keith’s understated vocal performance lets the lyrics carry the emotion instead of relying on dramatic delivery. The result is a graceful album closer that feels remarkably fresh decades later.
Don Was (1997): “This was the last thing recorded for the album. There was a car waiting for Charlie outside the studio and it took him to the airport immediately after we finished that take. Charlie did this really intense flourish with Wayne Shorter at the end that was almost like his farewell to the record. Then he got up and left and went back to England. It was maybe 5:30 in the morning and it was a really poignant moment that got captured. As for the song itself, it’s the most radical thing on the album. Keith really wrote a sophisticated piece of music.”
Don Was and an Unforgettable Recording Session
For Don Was recording How Can I Stop became much more than another day in the studio. During the session, he played a Wurlitzer electric piano with tremolo while Keith Richards repeated the song’s closing four chords on guitar over and over. What began as a simple musical passage slowly evolved into an almost meditative experience.
Was later explained that the moment completely changed his understanding of music, saying it was the first time he truly felt what it meant to perform alongside a master musician. When the take finally ended, he rushed into the control room expecting to hear only a few minutes of music. Instead, the engineers informed him that the band had remained locked into the groove for more than an hour without anyone noticing how much time had passed.
A Performance Built on Chemistry Instead of Overdubs
One reason How Can I Stop sounds so natural is because almost everything heard on the final recording was captured live. Rather than constructing the performance through multiple overdubs, around ten musicians played together in the same room until they achieved the version everyone wanted.
The interplay between Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Waddy Wachtel creates a rich guitar texture without unnecessary excess. Charlie Watts keeps the rhythm understated with his signature cross-stick approach, while Jeff Sarli provides a warm bass foundation. Jim Keltner contributes subtle percussion, including steel drums that emerge late in the track, and Blondie Chaplin adds tasteful piano alongside soulful backing vocals shared with Bernard Fowler. Every part serves the song instead of competing for attention.
Wayne Shorter Adds the Perfect Finishing Touch
The recording reaches another level when legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter enters with a soaring soprano sax solo near the conclusion. Best known for his groundbreaking work with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, and Weather Report, Shorter joined the session after being invited by producer Was.
Initially, he reportedly expected little more than a routine guest appearance. Instead, he became completely immersed in the music, later admitting that he thought he would simply “play duty music” before unexpectedly finding himself giving everything he had. His expressive solo provides the perfect ending to a song already rich in warmth and sincerity.
The Ending That Wasn’t Really the End
Because How Can I Stop was the last song recorded for Bridges to Babylon, Don Was became convinced he had just produced the Rolling Stones’ final studio recording. Fortunately, history proved him wrong. The band continued making albums and touring long after the session ended.
Even so, the track remains a fitting finale to the album. It captures Keith Richards at his most vulnerable without sacrificing musical sophistication, blending soul, rock and jazz influences into a performance that grows stronger with every listen. Rather than ending the Rolling Stones’ story, How Can I Stop became another reminder that some of the band’s greatest moments arrive not through spectacle, but through quiet confidence and genuine emotion.
Charlie Watts (1997): “And Keith always does that very poignant How Can I Stop? thing. Fantastic.”
Keith Richards (2003): “Bridges to Babylon is another album that has one of my time bombs tucked on the end: How Can I Stop, which I will let re-surface in due course. It’s got Wayne Shorter playing on it, for Christ’s sake. Some jazz musicicians look upon what I do as dudey music, and I’ll say to them, ‘That’s up to you, guys’, because I really hate jazz snobbery: Excuse me, if you play music, you want people to listen to it, right? There’s no point playing into a vacuum.”
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