If you like this please consider supporting the site. Stones Data is not affiliated to the band. Your donation helps to do what I do, pay for its maintenance costs and keep the page updated daily. Thank you! *Donate here

Rolling Stones songs: Stealing My Heart
*Click for MORE ROLLING STONES SONGS 1962-PRESENT

My cards are on the table, you can look up my sleeves…

Written by: Jagger/Richards
Recorded: Studio Guillaume Tell, Paris, France, May 13-June 8 2002
Guest musicians: Darryl Jones (bass), Chuck Leavell (keyboards)
*Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012

From the The Rolling Stones – All the Songs book:
What did Mick Jagger mean with the lyrics to “Stealing My Heart”? The
line Well I was out there, chaste as a nun, but it’s easier said than done
seems to be saying that it is difficult to resist love when it comes along. But
when Mick sings I can’t seem to stop it now, it grows and it grows, and it
grows, is he singing, as ever, of love? Or, on the contrary, of not being
loved? Is this another meditation on the nature of love and chance? Or a
reflection on a sudden passion that becomes all-consuming? An enigmatic
song in terms of its words, “Stealing My Heart” is nevertheless more or less
classic Stones in terms of its music, and Ron Wood seems to agree, judging
the number to be a “really good blended effort by Mick and Keith.” This is
another song that has never been performed live.

Although reasonably effective, on the basis of the evidence, “Stealing My
Heart” is not of sufficient stature to rub shoulders with numbers like “Start
Me Up” or “Tumbling Dice,” which follows it on the album. The idea of
offering fans some new tracks may have been fundamentally sound, but it is
a dangerous thing to attempt on a compilation a strong as Forty Licks. The
musical atmosphere of “Stealing My Heart” is dominated by electric guitar,
the three guitarists having a highly distorted, somewhat “garage band”
sound. Mick plays the first rhythm guitar, Keith responds with some licks,
and Ronnie reinforces the overall sound with a third rhythm guitar. He also
delivers a slide solo, most likely on his black Zemaitis, at 1:40, and his
playing in the instrumental bridge creates a very effective atmosphere that
is somewhat reminiscent of U2’s The Edge (between 1:57 and 2:14). He
also shares some acoustic guitar work with Keith. Chuck Leavell is on the
organ, which can be heard above all in the coda from 3:02. As for the
rhythm section, Darryl Jones’s bass line is a little too linear and ends up
becoming monotonous. Sir Mick’s vocal performance is reasonably good,
although one senses that, like Keith, he is no more than moderately invested
in the recording.