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Almost Hear You Sigh

{{Short description|1990 song by The Rolling Stones}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Almost Hear You Sigh

| cover = StonesAlmostHearYouSigh.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = the Rolling Stones

| album = Steel Wheels

| B-side =

| released = {{start date|1990|1|31|df=y}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| length =

  • 4:37
  • 4:10 (single edit)

| label = Rolling Stones

| writer =

| producer =

| prev_title = Rock and a Hard Place

| prev_year = 1989

| next_title = Terrifying

| next_year = 1989

| misc = {{Extra track listing

| album = Steel Wheels

| type = studio

| tracks = {{Steel Wheels tracks}}

}}

}}

"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 {{abbr|No.|Number}} 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."Stones rattle the Dome". The Toronto Star: p. A1. 4 December 1989.

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."Gundersen, Edna (28 August 1989). "New Stones LP: Paint it pretty good". USA Today: p. 1D. SF Weekly marks it as one of the Stones' best ballads recorded after 1971.Keresman, Mark (20 August 2003). "Joe Ely: Streets of Sin". SF Weekly. However, Parry Gettelman of the Orlando Sentinel marked the track's Grammy nomination as that of a relatively uninspiring song.{{cite news| last= Gettelman| first= Parry |date= 17 February 1991 |title= Grammys? Try 'Blandies'| work= The Orlando Sentinel| page= F1}}

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 seven times on the 1989 tour,{{cite web| url= http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/1989.htm| title= 1989| work= Rolling Stones Database, The Complete Works| via= nzentgraf.de| access-date= February 2, 2021}} and on all shows of the 1990 tour.{{cite web| url= http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/1990.htm |title= 1990| work= Rolling Stones Database, The Complete Works| via= nzentgraf.de| publisher= | date= | access-date= February 2, 2021}}

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the Steel Wheels liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Steel Wheels |others= The Rolling Stones |year=1989 |type=CD booklet |publisher=Rolling Stones Records/CBS Records |id=465752-2}}

The Rolling Stones

Additional musicians

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

= Weekly charts =

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
Chart (1990)

! Peak
position

{{single chart|Flanders|27|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Almost Hear You Sigh|rowheader=true|access-date=18 June 2016}}
scope="row"| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-07-14.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=7|issue=28|page=V|date=14 July 1990|access-date=19 June 2021}}

| 66

scope="row"| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40){{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/rolling-stones-8/the-rolling-stones-almost-hear-you-sigh-4183|title=Rolling Stones – Almost Hear You Sigh|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=22 June 2021}}

| 13

{{single chart|Dutch100|11|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Almost Hear You Sigh|rowheader=true|access-date=18 June 2016|refname="d100"}}
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|31|artist=Rolling Stones|artistid=28195|rowheader=true|access-date=26 February 2024}}
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|50|artist=The Rolling Stones|rowheader=true|access-date=18 June 2016}}
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|1|artist=The Rolling Stones|rowheader=true|access-date=26 February 2024}}
{{single chart|West Germany|58|artist=The Rolling Stones|song=Almost Hear You Sigh|songid=158231|rowheader=true|access-date=18 June 2016}}

{{col-2}}

= Year-end charts =

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
Chart (1990)

! Position

scope="row"| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=The Year in Music 1990: Top Album Rock Tracks|magazine=Billboard|volume=102|issue=51|page=YE-47|date=22 December 1990}}

| 35

{{col-end}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row"|United States

|31 January 1990

|7-inch vinyl

|Rolling Stones

|

scope="row"|Japan

|21 February 1990

|Mini-CD

|CBS/Sony

|{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/185709/products/90100/1/|title=オールモスト・ヒア・ユー・サイ {{!}} ザ・ローリング・ストーンズ|trans-title=Almost Hear You Sigh {{!}} The Rolling Stones|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=26 February 2024}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{The Rolling Stones}}

{{The Rolling Stones singles}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1990 singles

Category:1990 songs

Category:Rolling Stones Records singles

Category:The Rolling Stones songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Kimsey

Category:Song recordings produced by Jagger–Richards

Category:Songs written by Jagger–Richards