Slipping Away (Rolling Stones song)

"Slipping Away" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a ballad sung by Richards. It was included as the last track of the band's 1989 studio album Steel Wheels. The Stones have since performed "Slipping Away" during the 1995 leg of the Voodoo Lounge Tour, the 2002-2003 Licks Tour throughout the 2005-2007 A Bigger Bang Tour,[1] on the 14 On Fire tour with former guitarist Mick Taylor guesting, and on the No Filter Tour.[2][3][4]

"Slipping Away"
Song by the Rolling Stones
from the album Steel Wheels
Released29 August 1989
RecordedMarch - June 1989
GenreRock
Length4:30
LabelRolling Stones/Virgin
Songwriter(s)Jagger/Richards
Producer(s)Chris Kimsey
and The Glimmer Twins
Steel Wheels track listing
12 tracks
Side one
  1. "Sad Sad Sad"
  2. "Mixed Emotions"
  3. "Terrifying"
  4. "Hold On to Your Hat"
  5. "Hearts for Sale"
  6. "Blinded by Love"
Side two
  1. "Rock and a Hard Place"
  2. "Can't Be Seen"
  3. "Almost Hear You Sigh"
  4. "Continental Drift"
  5. "Break the Spell"
  6. "Slipping Away"

Music and lyrics

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards co-wrote "Slipping Away". The song was recorded by Christopher Marc Potter and Rupert Coulson at both AIR Studios, Montserrat and at Olympic Sound Studios, London. It was mixed by Michael H. Brauer.[5]

Musically, "Slipping Away" is a slow "dreamy"[6] ballad song that features Richards as its lead vocalist, with Jagger singing backing vocals alongside Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer, and Bernard Fowler. Richards and Ron Wood perform the song's rhythm guitar parts. Bill Wyman provides the prominent bass while Charlie Watts performs drums. The organ and piano are performed by Chuck Leavell and electric piano by Matt Clifford. The song's brass is provided by the Kick Horns.[5]

Richards recorded a re-worked acoustic version for the 1995 live album Stripped. Of the song he said at the time, "(When we recorded it for Stripped) we realized, 'Wow, that song kind of slipped away.' It just kind of tailed off at the end of Steel Wheels. We realized what potential it still had, and the band and especially the horn guys said, 'You've got to do that!' So in a way, I agreed to do it at gun point. But when I got into it, I really liked singing that song. It's got some depth."[2]

Critical reception

In a retrospective article looking over Richards' 20 greatest songs, Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan et al. ranked it number 5, writing that "Slipping Away" was a "moving" song and "somber closing track" for Steel Wheels.[7] In 2019, Jon Dolan wrote in Rolling Stone that "Slipping Away" was the "best song" of the album.[8] Vulture ranked "Slipping Away" in 2017 as the band's 320th best song of all time.[9] Billboard's Joe Lynch wrote that the quality of the song was "enough to prove that even without the Stones, [Richards] could have enjoyed a solo career of renown and relevance".[10]

References
  1. Kreps, Daniel (2021-05-07). "Rolling Stones Ready 'A Bigger Bang: Live on Copacabana Beach' Reissue". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  2. "Slipping Away". Time Is On Our Side. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
  3. Wallis, Adam (30 June 2019). "Canada Rocks with the Rolling Stones: Here's what happened at the show | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  4. Flood, Alex (2018-05-23). "Rolling Stones London Stadium review: 'it's like they've never been away'". NME. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  5. Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2016). The Rolling Stones All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. p. 590. ISBN 978-0-316-31773-3.
  6. Bliss, Karen (1 July 2019). "The Rolling Stones Wish Fans 'Happy Canada Day' at Lone Canadian Concert on No Filter Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Grow, Kory; Hermes, Will; Sheffield, Rob (2015-09-10). "Keith Richards' 20 Greatest Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  8. Dolan, Jon (2019-03-27). "Keith Richards' Great Solo Debut, 'Talk Is Cheap,' Turns 30". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  9. Marchese, David (2017-05-05). "Ranking All 374 Rolling Stones Songs". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  10. Lynch, Joe (2 August 2019). "The Rolling Stones Roar Into New Jersey On No Filter Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
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