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Rolling Stones songs: This Place Is Empty
Come on, bare your breasts/ And make me feel at home/ You and me we’re just like all the rest/ And we don’t want to be alone…
Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: Ocean Way Recording Studios, Los Angeles, USA, June 6-28 2005 Guest musicians: Don Was (piano)
This Place Is Empty is a love song that Keith Richards wrote for his wife, Patti Hansen. One evening, while alone at their home in Weston, Connecticut, with Patti away, Richards found himself enveloped by a deep sense of loneliness. This melancholy mood led him to create the tender melody and heartfelt lyrics: “This place is empty without you”… “You and me, we’re just like all the rest/And we don’t want to be alone”
Richards may have drawn inspiration from the popular tunes of Broadway composers when crafting the delicate notes of this song. “I like to surprise people” he would later tell Alan Di Perna in an interview. “Hey, I grew up with that Hoagy Carmichael/Cole Porter thing, man! My mother played me jazz and all the standards. That stuff just drips off of me.” He originally composed This Place Is Empty on an acoustic guitar but later recorded it on the piano, adding another layer of richness to the song’s emotional depth.
The harmonies in this tender ballad by Keith Richards are quite distinctive, blending elements of blues, jazz, and country in a unique way. Richards’ voice carries a gritty, almost raw quality that evokes comparisons to Tom Waits, adding to the intimate, hushed atmosphere of the song. In this quiet, confessional tone, he expresses his love with heartfelt sincerity.
Mick Jagger provides vocal harmonies, layering his higher-pitched voice over Richards’, creating a striking contrast between the two. The song likely opens with Don Was on the piano, with Richards joining in occasionally on a second piano, subtly complementing the arrangement with his sporadic contributions. This understated collaboration between the two musicians adds depth to the track’s emotional landscape.
Keith Richards, the riff master, strums and plays intricate arpeggios along with melodic licks on an acoustic guitar, likely one of his Martin guitars. The song begins with Charlie Watts delicately accompanying the first two verses on the cymbals, before transitioning into a more sustained rhythm as Richards himself takes on bass duties, providing a solid foundation for the track.
After experimenting with electric slide guitar on Back of My Hand Mick Jagger couldn’t resist revisiting the slide technique, but this time on an acoustic guitar. Using a bottleneck slide, Jagger skillfully complements Keith’s melody, enhancing the song’s emotional depth and creating a beautifully textured sound that fits seamlessly with Richards’ composition. This interplay between the slide guitar and Keith’s playing adds a subtle yet effective layer to the overall arrangement.
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