Almost Hear You Sigh Explained

Almost Hear You Sigh
Cover:	StonesAlmostHearYouSigh.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	the Rolling Stones
Album:	Steel Wheels
B-Side:	"Wish I'd Never Met You" "Mixed Emotions"
Length:	4:37
Label:	Rolling Stones
Producer:	Chris Kimsey the Glimmer Twins
Prev Title:	Rock and a Hard Place
Prev Year:	1989
Next Title:	Terrifying
Next Year:	1989

"Almost Hear You Sigh" is a song by English rock band 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 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart.

Release and reception

Released as the album's third single in January 1990, "Almost Hear You Sigh" made it to No. 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 for one week on the Billboard Album 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.^[1]

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."^[2] SF Weekly marks it as one of the Stones' best ballads recorded after 1971.^[3] However, Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel marked the track's Grammy nomination as that of a relatively uninspiring song.^[4]

Live performances

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,^[5] and on all shows of the 1990 tour.^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[7]	66
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[8]	13

Year-end charts

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Europe	31 January 1990	7-inch vinyl	Rolling Stones
Japan	21 February 1990	Mini-CD	CBS/Sony	^[10]

Notes and References

1. "Stones rattle the Dome". The Toronto Star: p. A1. 4 December 1989.
2. Gundersen, Edna (28 August 1989). "New Stones LP: Paint it pretty good". USA Today: p. 1D.
3. Keresman, Mark (20 August 2003). "Joe Ely: Streets of Sin". SF Weekly.
4. News: Gettelman. Parry . 17 February 1991 . Grammys? Try 'Blandies'. The Orlando Sentinel. F1.
5. Web site: 1989. Rolling Stones Database, The Complete Works. nzentgraf.de. February 2, 2021.
6. Web site: 1990. Rolling Stones Database, The Complete Works. nzentgraf.de. February 2, 2021.
7. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 7. 28. V. 14 July 1990. 19 June 2021.
8. Web site: Rolling Stones – Almost Hear You Sigh. Dutch Top 40. 22 June 2021.
9. The Year in Music 1990: Top Album Rock Tracks. Billboard. 102. 51. YE-47. 22 December 1990.
10. Web site: オールモスト・ヒア・ユー・サイ ザ・ローリング・ストーンズ. Almost Hear You Sigh The Rolling Stones. Oricon. ja. 26 February 2024.