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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