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Far Away Eyes
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Pathé Marconi Studios (EMI Studios), Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France,
January 5 - March 2, 1978

Mick Jagger - lead vocals, backing vocals, piano
Keith Richards - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, backing vocals
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass
Ron Wood - pedal steel guitar, backing vocals

I was driving home early Sunday morning through Bakersfield
Listening to gospel music on the colored radio station
And the preacher said: You know you always have the Lord by your side
And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran twenty red lights in his honor
Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord

I had an arrangement to meet a girl and I was kind of late
And I thought by the time I got there she'd be off
She'd be off with the nearest truck driver she could find
Much to my surprise, there she was sittin’ in the corner
A little bleary, worse for wear and tear, was a girl with far away eyes, I’ll tell ya

So if you're down on your luck and you can't harmonize
Find a girl with far away eyes
And if you're downright disgusted and life ain't worth a dime
Get a girl with far away eyes
Well

Well, the preacher kept right on saying that all I had to do was
Send 10 dollars to the church of the sacred bleeding heart of Jesus
Located somewhere in Los Angeles, California
And next week they'd say my prayer on the radio
And all my dreams would come true
So I did, the next week, I got a prayer with a girl
Well, you know what kind of eyes she got, well, I’ll tell ya

So if you're down on your luck, I know you all sympathize
Find a girl with far away eyes
And if you're downright disgusted and life ain't worth a dime
Get a girl with far away eyes
So if you're down on your luck, I know you all sympathize
Get a girl with far away eyes

Produced by The Glimmer Twins

First released on:
The Rolling Stones - “Miss You / Far Away Eyes” 7” single
(Rolling Stones Records EMI 2802) UK, May 19, 1978

Stones No 1 ballad imo..>>>



Mr Hanky Panky

Great Country ballad with a tuch of rap-speeching. This song was killed in a public ejecution during SAL film

And the preacher said: You know you always have the Lord by your side
And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran twenty red lights in his honor
Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord


These are without doubt Jagger's best lyrics ever!

C

Great song. Beautiful as well. The pedal steel is sublime, and the harmonies are like angelic chorals. I love the video with Jagger on the piano. Great song, and vastly underrated.

I COMPLETELY agree with you, the songs was killed at down!!! worst version of them
Carlitos
Tenerife

Quote
KeithNacho
Great Country ballad with a tuch of rap-speeching. This song was killed in a public ejecution during SAL film

and for me best Stones´s country song.
I love funny faces in the video song and Watts as well
Wood at the pedal is great!!
Carlitos
Tenerife

During the three weeks between its release as the B-side of Miss You, and its appearance on Some Girls, I had a lot of fun singing it to my friends, who hadn't heard it yet, not telling them what it was, and letting them think I had written it. They thought it was funny as hell and cracked up every time. When the album came out, they were amazed. They were like, "How could you possibly have already known that song three weeks ago?" They were Led Zeppelin fans. They didn't know anything about singles.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-04-06 16:47 by tatters.

Very good song. Great harmonies and steel guitar.

one of my all time favorite stone songs .this tune shows the "bakersfield "influence .real country music done right by the glimmers .i was lucky to have the opportunity to hear the glimmers perform this live at giants stadium 9/27/06 during the bang tour .

cute tongue-in-cheeker - but best lyrics ever? please.....

Why can't Mick bring himself to take a country song seriously?

I suppose it's part of his emotional detachment (there aren't many suggestions when anybody starts a thread about "Mick's most emotional/passionate/committed vocal performance" ). On any video of Far Away Eyes Mick's obviously enjoying doing his mocking, tongue-in-cheek vocal (and don't get me wrong, it's fun and I enjoy it too) - but whereas Keith can sing country straight from the heart, Mick always has to distance himself by exaggerating the country style - a pastiche, not the real thing.

True, except for Evening Gown

René

i think dead flowers is an honest country vocal

Far Away Eyes... another fine one from Some Girls, and a refreshing change of pace on that disc. Love how Mick is telling a story from verse to verse in the lyrics, and what inspired lyrics they are! Lovely Keith harmonies too. A keeper.

Drew

One of my favorites of the boys.

h



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-09-23 13:10 by MILKYWAY.

Quote
Green Lady
Why can't Mick bring himself to take a country song seriously?

I suppose it's part of his emotional detachment (there aren't many suggestions when anybody starts a thread about "Mick's most emotional/passionate/committed vocal performance" ). On any video of Far Away Eyes Mick's obviously enjoying doing his mocking, tongue-in-cheek vocal (and don't get me wrong, it's fun and I enjoy it too) - but whereas Keith can sing country straight from the heart, Mick always has to distance himself by exaggerating the country style - a pastiche, not the real thing.

yes he does have detatchment... but I think the success of Some Girls..the commercial success... is the pastiche nature of the songs....Mick was pretty witty on this one...Some Girls was good commercial calculation....

Stones best number in the seventies...

@ Milkyway...

What does Ozzy's Wizard lyric have to do with Faw Away Eyes and Stones playing country? Just curious.

I think the Stones could have made it in Nashville easily, as I think the Black Crowes can also if they'd just go ahead and convert.

The best bit of the video is Ronnie when he has a smirk on his face and suddenly joins in with the background vocal in a half-mocking kind of way, arms outstretched.

Although Mick's country parody voice got old quickly, it worked perfectly on this record and at this point in the band's career. great to hear the steel guitar on this record too. and what's the deal with the piano "players"? did mick and keith really both play piano on it?

As camp as a row of tents. Lurv it!

Quote
Green Lady
Why can't Mick bring himself to take a country song seriously?

I suppose it's part of his emotional detachment (there aren't many suggestions when anybody starts a thread about "Mick's most emotional/passionate/committed vocal performance" ). On any video of Far Away Eyes Mick's obviously enjoying doing his mocking, tongue-in-cheek vocal (and don't get me wrong, it's fun and I enjoy it too) - but whereas Keith can sing country straight from the heart, Mick always has to distance himself by exaggerating the country style - a pastiche, not the real thing.

When this thread has been lifted up, if I may be allowed to, I would like to make a comment:

Myself I think that "Far Away Eyes" is so beautifully double edged. Where does one find such deep sympathy as in the refrain of this seemingly tongue-in-cheek song? That aspect then instead for this listener saves the song from ending up as pathetic. It is the song I would have recommended for a deep down depressed person, telling him or her to listen to the refrain and how it is sung, making "Far Away Eyes" instead of "best" in some meaning, a uniquely moving and comforting song. As such without its equal, apart perhaps from "Do You Know How It Is to Be Lonesome" by Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band. However, I prefer "Far Away Eyes".

Quote
Witness

Quote
Green Lady
Why can't Mick bring himself to take a country song seriously?

I suppose it's part of his emotional detachment (there aren't many suggestions when anybody starts a thread about "Mick's most emotional/passionate/committed vocal performance" ). On any video of Far Away Eyes Mick's obviously enjoying doing his mocking, tongue-in-cheek vocal (and don't get me wrong, it's fun and I enjoy it too) - but whereas Keith can sing country straight from the heart, Mick always has to distance himself by exaggerating the country style - a pastiche, not the real thing.

When this thread has been lifted up, if I may be allowed to, I would like to make a comment:

Myself I think that "Far Away Eyes" is so beautifully double edged. Where does one find such deep sympathy as in the refrain of this seemingly tongue-in-cheek song? That aspect then instead for this listener saves the song from ending up as pathetic. It is the song I would have recommended for a deep down depressed person, telling him or her to listen to the refrain and how it is sung, making "Far Away Eyes" instead of "best" in some meaning, a uniquely moving and comforting song. As such without its equal, apart perhaps from "Do You Know How It Is to Be Lonesome" by Gram Parsons' International Submarine Band. However, I prefer "Far Away Eyes".

While the verses are sung a tiny bit over the top the choruses are friggin' perfect. The Stones have always done those country harmonies so well that I love it every time we get a glimpse of them. One of the things that made Exile so great.

And as far as Mick doing pastiche country vocals, I find myself preferring them to the way he sometimes tries to imitate himself with that over annunciated drawl style.

A song I am sure that I am meant to like, but just don't. It's a little too tongue-in-cheek for my personal taste. I prefer the authenticity of a track like Sweet Virginia.

The official version from 1978 tour is brilliant.

Lovely tune, but the lyrics are just stupendous. Fantastic song.

Rod

A stupid joke. The one really bad song on Some Girls. Actually, when I think about Some Girls, I tend to even forget this song is on it. Mick is doing such a great job on that album, but he ruined this one with his over-the-top intent to try to be funny, hillbilly accent and all. He should have saved this for the yearly Christmas party at the Rolling Stones office with everybody to drunk to notice.

I love the song but I must admit Mick's "faux accent" gets on my nerves. Are there any unreleased versions with regular vocals? I remember reading that Keith Richards said they recorded it a bunch of times and all with "normal vocals" except for the last take.