"Almost Hear You Sigh"
Single by the Rolling Stones
from the album Steel Wheels
B-side
  • "Wish I'd Never Met You" / "Mixed Emotions" (UK)
  • "Break the Spell" (US)
ReleasedJanuary 1990 (US)[1]
June 1990 (UK)[2]
RecordedAugust 1987 – May 1988
March–June 1989
GenreRock, pop rock
Length4:37
LabelRolling Stones
Songwriter(s)Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Steve Jordan
Producer(s)Chris Kimsey
The Glimmer Twins
The Rolling Stones singles chronology
"Rock and a Hard Place"
(1989)		 "Almost Hear You Sigh"
(1990)		 "Terrifying"
(1989)
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"

"Almost Hear You Sigh" is a Grammy-nominated song by The Rolling Stones from their 1989 album Steel Wheels, written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Steve Jordan. The song was originally a contender for inclusion on Richards' first solo album, Talk Is Cheap, but he decided to play it for Jagger and Chris Kimsey the next year during recording sessions in Montserrat for the Steel Wheels album. With the exception of some lyrical alteration by Jagger, the composition was left in its original form. The single, which was released in January 1990 and was the third single released from Steel Wheels, reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 (US), reaching the slightly higher position of 31 in the UK, and placed No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week.

Release and reception

Released as the album's third single in January 1990, "Almost Hear You Sigh" made it to No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, going slightly higher in the UK, and No. 1 for one week on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Given that the Rolling Stones' comeback 1989 North American tour had finished in December, the song got limited radio airplay. A music video was shot in black and white during the band's 1989 visit to Toronto, for two shows at the Skydome.[3]

USA Today music critic Edna Gundersen noted that Jagger's vocals and Richards' guitar playing sounded best on slower Steel Wheels tracks such as "Almost Hear You Sigh."[4] SF Weekly marks it as one of the Stones' best ballads recorded after 1971.[5] However, Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel marked the track's Grammy nomination as that of a relatively uninspiring song.[6]

The song has been performed only on the Urban Jungle Tour leg of the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour. Since its release, the song has been performed 7 times on the 1989 tour,[7] and on all shows of the 1990 tour.[8]

Charts

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 27
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 66
Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 58
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 50

References

  1. ↑ "US release date".
  2. ↑ "Great Rock Discography". p. 696.
  3. ↑ "Stones rattle the Dome". The Toronto Star: p. A1. 4 December 1989.
  4. ↑ Gundersen, Edna (28 August 1989). "New Stones LP: Paint it pretty good". USA Today: p. 1D.
  5. ↑ Keresman, Mark (20 August 2003). "Joe Ely: Streets of Sin". SF Weekly.
  6. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (17 February 1991). "Grammys? Try 'Blandies'". The Orlando Sentinel. p. F1.
  7. ↑ "1989". Rolling Stones Database, The Complete Works. Retrieved 2 February 2021 – via nzentgraf.de.
  8. ↑ "1990". Rolling Stones Database, The Complete Works. Retrieved 2 February 2021 – via nzentgraf.de.
  9. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Almost Hear You Sigh" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 14 July 1990. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Almost Hear You Sigh" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Rolling Stones – Almost Hear You Sigh". Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "The Rolling Stones – Almost Hear You Sigh" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
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