A Closer Look at The Rolling Stones’ ‘We Had It All’ (1979)

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on October 29, 2024

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Rolling Stones songs: We Had It All

I know that we can never lives these times again/ So I’ll let these dreams take me back to where we’ve been…

Written by: Seals/Fritts
Recorded: Pathé Marconi Studios, Boulogne-Billancourt, France, June-Oct. 1979
Guest musicians: Sugar Blue (harmonica)

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From Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012:
We Had It All is a Troy Seals and Donnie Fritts composition. Green On Red covered it good effect on their 1986 album Here Come the Snakes wit Jim Dickinson of Muscle Shoals fame. With Keith Richards taking the piano and lead vocals, his gold-labelled voice glides competently over what is quite a sentimental song. There is some gentle harmonica work by Sugar Blue. The song was included within The New Barbarians’ set list of whom Sugar Blue had played with at Knebworth, Ron Wood plays an excellent pedal steel guitar butthe moment is Keith’s.

This heartfelt song reflects on the memories of two former lovers reminiscing about their happier days together. Written by Troy Seals and Donnie Fritts, it was first recorded by Waylon Jennings and stands out as the sole track on the Honky Tonk Heroes album not authored by Billy Joe Shaver. The song achieved notable success, reaching #28 on the country charts. Over the years, it has been covered by numerous artists, including Dobie Gray, Rita Coolidge, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones. In 2013, studio musician Norbert Putnam revealed that Elvis Presley also recorded a version, but it was left unfinished. Putnam, who played bass on 122 Elvis tracks, recalls that Presley was drawn to the song; however, it served as a painful reminder of his recent divorce from Priscilla Presley. This led to a surprisingly difficult recording session at Stax in 1973, showcasing the emotional weight of the song.

In the late ’70s, The Rolling Stones recorded a cover of this song, and their rendition, featuring Keith Richards as the lead vocalist, was included in the 2011 Deluxe edition of Some Girls. Keith Richards elaborated: “It’s a Dobie Gray song that we’ve always loved, and I actually had forgotten we had recorded it. I had also forgotten how good it was and how much I like it…. It’s a perennial, you know what I mean? One of those songs you sort of warm up in the loins with, you know?”

In Mick Jagger’s words: “Keith sings this one. It’s an old-time country song written by Donnie Fritts and Troy Seals. I know this because I was mixing it and I said to Don Was, Did Keith write this song? I didn’t know ’cause I’m not on it. Don said, No, it’s an old cover tune. Waylon Jennings did a version, which is where I think Keith got it from.”

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