Mixed Emotions (Rolling Stones song)

"Mixed Emotions"
Single by the Rolling Stones
from the album Steel Wheels
B-side	"Fancy Man Blues"
Released	21 August 1989 (1989-08-21)
Genre	Hard rock[1]
Length	4:39 (album version) 4:00 (7-inch version)
Label	Rolling Stones CBS
Songwriter(s)	Jagger/Richards
Producer(s)	Chris Kimsey the Glimmer Twins
The Rolling Stones singles chronology
"One Hit (To the Body)" (1986) "Mixed Emotions" (1989) "Rock and a Hard Place" (1989)
Steel Wheels track listing
12 tracks Side one "Sad Sad Sad" "Mixed Emotions" "Terrifying" "Hold On to Your Hat" "Hearts for Sale" "Blinded by Love" Side two "Rock and a Hard Place" "Can't Be Seen" "Almost Hear You Sigh" "Continental Drift" "Break the Spell" "Slipping Away"
Music video
"Mixed Emotions" on YouTube

"Mixed Emotions" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1989 album, Steel Wheels. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on vacation on Montserrat, "Mixed Emotions" was a collaborative effort between Jagger and Richards after a period of tension and estrangement. Richards brought his own music to the sessions along with most of the song's lyrics, the rest being filled in by Jagger in the studio. Released on 21 August 1989 in the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 5 in the United States while becoming a top-10 hit in Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway.

Recording

The song is an upfront rocker, with Richards, Jagger and Ronnie Wood sharing guitar duties. Piano and organ were provided by Chuck Leavell, the Stones' touring keyboardist since the 1980s. Backing vocals are provided by Jagger, Richards, Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer, and Bernard Fowler, the latter two longtime touring vocalists for the Stones. Brass was provided by the Kick Horns while Luis Jardim provided percussion. Charlie Watts handled drums while Bill Wyman played bass.

Music video

To match the upbeat nature of the song, the music video featured the Stones, playful and smiling, performing the song as well as recording it. This stands in stark contrast to the band's previous video, 1986's "One Hit (To the Body)," filmed during a time when relations between Jagger and Richards were at an all-time low, and which featured uncomfortable physical sparring between the two.

Release

Released as the album's first single on 21 August 1989,[2] "Mixed Emotions" made it into the top 10 in the US, going to number five, and was also a number-one hit on the Album Rock Tracks chart for five weeks and in Canada for one week. The song was the Stones' last top-ten hit in the United States to date, although they would go on to have more chart hits on the Album Rock Tracks (now Mainstream Rock) chart. The single's B-side was "Fancy Man Blues", a non-album track recorded during the Steel Wheels sessions.

The song was regularly performed during the 1989–1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour and is included on the live albums Live at The Tokyo Dome and Steel Wheels Live. "Mixed Emotions" appears on all compilation albums, including Jump Back, Forty Licks, and GRRR!. The 12-inch remix of "Mixed Emotions" by producer Chris Kimsey was rereleased on the Rarities 1971–2003 compilation, in 2005, along with "Fancy Man Blues."

Track listing

1. "Mixed Emotions" (7-inch version) – 4:00
2. "Mixed Emotions" (Chris Kimsey's 12-inch) – 6:10
3. "Fancy Man Blues" – 4:54

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[3] 25 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 14 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[7] 23 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 9 France (SNEP)[9] 41 Ireland (IRMA)[10] 17 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 10 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 9 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 9 Norway (VG-lista)[14] 9 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 24 UK Singles (OCC)[17] 36 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 5 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[19] 22 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20] 1 West Germany (GfK)[21] 20

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[22] 20 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 89 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 94

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	21 August 1989	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD	Rolling Stones CBS	[2]
	28 August 1989	Limited-edition CD1		[25]
	4 September 1989	Limited-edition CD2		[26]
Japan	7 September 1989	Mini-CD	CBS/Sony	[27]
United Kingdom	18 September 1989	Cassette	Rolling Stones CBS	[28]

References

1. Marchese, David (5 May 2017). "Ranking All 374 Rolling Stones Songs". Vulture. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
2. "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 August 1989. p. 39. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
3. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
4. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
5. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6562." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
7. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 39. 30 September 1989. p. V. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
8. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
9. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mixed Emotions". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 38, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
12. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
13. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
14. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions". VG-lista. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
15. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
16. "The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
18. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
19. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
20. "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
21. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
22. "Top 100 Singles of '89". RPM. Retrieved 12 April 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
23. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1989". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
24. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
25. "New Singles". Music Week. 26 August 1989. p. 38.
26. "New Singles". Music Week. 2 September 1989. p. 38.
27. "ミックスト・エモーションズ | ザ・ローリング・ストーンズ" [Mixed Emotions | The Rolling Stones] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
28. "New Singles". Music Week. 16 September 1989. p. 36.