Dreamy Skies

Composers: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Recording date: September 2022-March 2023          Recording locations: Electric Lady Studios, New York City, USA; Henson Recording Studios,
Los Angeles, USA; Metropolis Studios, London, England; Sanctuary Studios, Albany, Bahamas; & MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, USA
Producer: Andrew Watt          Chief engineers: Paul Lamalfa, Dave O'Donnell & Marco Sonzini
Mixer: Serban Ghenea            Never performed onstage




Probable line-up:

Drums: Steve Jordan
Bass: Keith Richards
Acoustic guitars: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Slide acoustic resonator (Dobro) guitar: Ron Wood
Electric guitar: Keith Richards
Lead vocals: Mick Jagger
Backing vocals: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Piano: Matt Clifford
Rhodes electric piano: Matt Clifford
Hammond organ: Benmont Tench
Harmonica: Mick Jagger
Percussion: Mick Jagger
 

Well I’ve got to take a break from it all
'Cause the wind and the wilderness calls
And I just need some peace from the storms
I’ve got to take a break from it all

And I’ve got to take a break for a while
Where there ain’t another human for a hundred miles
I hate being enclosed by the walls
And I’ve got to take a break from it all

I’ll be dancing on diamonds. I’ll be skating on glass
I’ll be chopping up wood, I’ll be splitting the halves
An old AM radio is all that I’ve got
It just plays Hank Williams and some bad honky-tonk

‘Cause I've got to take a break from it all

And I’ve got to break away from it all
From the city and the suburbs and sprawl
And the small town chatter and the know-it-alls
To a place where no one can call

And I won’t hear the sirens or the maddening crowds
Just the bark of a fox and the hoot of an owl
I ain’t got no connections or a satellite phone
I’m avoiding the pictures and the people back home

And I’ve just got to break free from it all

You see it it can’t last forever, I’ll be diving back in
It’s good for my soul, yes it’s saving my skin
'Cause I love the laughter, the women, the wine
I’ve just got to break free from it all

And I’m way off the grid, off the trail
I ain’t going to post and I ain’t going to mail
I just need some peace from the storm
And I’ve got to break away from it all

And I’ve got to break away from it all
And I’ve got to break away from it all
To a place where no one can call
And I’ve got to break away from it all

Yeah


 

TrackTalk
 

It’s sort of like Sweet Virginia, kind of, in the mood of it. It’s maybe not so rambunctious as Sweet Virginia. It’s obviously about wanting to be alone, maybe somebody from a lockdown experience (laughs). But it is sort of country. You know, I started off playing just on the slide guitar and Keith said to me What’s that? And I said Well actually so far that’s it (laughs). And he said You should keep going with it. So I did. And then Ronnie sort of took over my slide part and Ronnie made it a really pretty slide part.

- Mick Jagger, September 2023


Ronnie played the best slide he ever played in his freaking life. Once we cut it, I immediately said, That’s The Rolling Stones. That is what I signed up for. That thing that happened – that will never happen again. I was very vocal about it. And I was relieved.

- Steve Jordan, September 2023



When you’re tracking a band live, it’s awesome when everyone’s parts are perfect, like on a song like Dreamy Skies. Keith was playing bass on that one and then he overdubbed his electric guitar afterwards, but besides that, it was all on the floor.

- Andrew Watt, September 2023


I really like this one. It’s a beautiful ‘gimme a break’ song that Mick wrote: nicely done, nicely played, Mick singing it cool, taking his own advice and getting away from it all sometimes. It is world-weary without throwing in the towel.

- Keith RIchards, August 2023


I told Mick Why did you call it Dreamy Skies? I got to get it away from it all. I enjoyed singing that with him. Hey, we go back a while.

- Keith Richards, September 2023


Well it's Mick being stranded I think, trying to get away from it all, right? He says I want to get away and listen to a bit of old Hank Williams and some bad honky tonk.

- Ron Wood, September 2023


Dreamy Skies is kind of introspective.

- Mick Jagger, August-September 2023



You are never "away" now, wherever you go. Someone’s always texting you, aren’t they? When you have no connection, no phone, only the country music on the radio for company, then you have escaped. It's an anti-modernity thing. That’s the new luxury: to be unavailable to everyone.

- Mick Jagger, c. August 2023



That's the sound of a Stones record: a five-string with a six-string on top, and Ronnie. It always creates a beautiful blend. A great example is how it sounds with Ronnie's Dobro on Dreamy Skies. You always have to play around with the amps a bit, but guitars are amazing things. You can make an orchestra out of them with just a simple blend.

- Keith Richards, August-September 2023


Dreamy Skies is very sweet. It has a Sweet Virginia-type feel.

- Ron Wood, August-September 2023

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