The Rolling Stones stand as the epitome of longevity in the rock and roll world. Now into their seventh decade of making music together, the band has overcome all manner of drama and tragedy to sustain over the years.
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Like the rest of their peers from the classic era of rock, there came a time when the pop charts could no longer be their dominion. So what was the last time that they dented the U.S. charts? Well, it came during one of the Stones’ periodic comeback eras.
Wheels Up
The Rolling Stones have always seemed to teeter on the edge of implosion, what with personal and legal problems dogging their members, as well as the occasional impasse between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the band’s artistic juggernauts. It was the latter scenario that popped up in the mid-’80s and threatened to derail this rock institution.
Throughout the ’80s, Jagger and Richards disagreed about the artistic direction the band should be taking. Richards also became furious when Jagger mostly checked out of the band’s 1986 album Dirty Work to concentrate on his solo career. The Richards’ solo song “You Don’t Move Me” aired all the dirty laundry for the public to hear.
Thankfully, the two set aside their differences, at least for the time being, to record the 1989 album Steel Wheels. The LP was regarded as a return to rocking form for the band, and it was spurred by lead single “Mixed Emotions,” which subtly touched on the Jagger/Richards imbroglio and gave the band a Top-5 hit in the U.S.
“Hard” Truths
The third single from Steel Wheels was “Rock and a Hard Place,” and it would prove to be the final Rolling Stones to hit the U.S. Top 40 charts (at least barring any songs in the future that pull off the feat). It made it to No. 23 before fading back down the ladder.
The song, like most Stones originals throughout history, was penned by the Jagger/Richards songwriting team. In a way, it’s a throwback to tracks like “Undercover of the Night” and “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)” in that it tackles societal issues amidst a stout, rocking musical foundation.
There’s a guitar riff that sounds like a power drill. The rhythm section of Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts get chances to shine throughout, with Wyman, in particular, doing more alpha playing on bass than is typical of his style. Throw in a muscular horn section, and you have a big production that manages to sustain its potency quite well.
The Aftermath
The end of the ’80s was generally the cutoff point for heritage rockers like The Rolling Stones in terms of making a big impression on the charts. They did manage a few more close calls. The suave mid-tempo track “Almost Hear You Sigh,” which followed up “Rock and a Hard Place” from Steel Wheels, made it to No. 50.
“Highwire,” which the band used to promote a live album in 1991, was another close call at No. 57. Surprisingly, “Love Is Strong,” the lead single from the band’s 1994 album Voodoo Lounge, barely cracked the Top 100, despite a high-profile video where the Stones and some models towered Godzilla-like over their surroundings.
The Stones’ chances of returning to the Top 40 were also hampered by their album-making activity having slowed down drastically. Nonetheless, “Rock and a Hard Place” feels like a fitting last Top-40 track, as it shows off the strengths of one of the band’s most beloved lineups one final time.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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