"Sweet Sounds of Heaven" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, featuring American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on 28 September 2023 as the second single from their studio album Hackney Diamonds (2023). Musically, the song incorporates elements of gospel, rock and soul, building over seven minutes to an extended vocal interplay between Mick Jagger and Gaga. It also features Stevie Wonder on piano and other keyboards. Several journalists compared the song to the band's "Gimme Shelter" (1969), particularly likening Gaga's vocal performance to that of Merry Clayton on the earlier track. "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" received positive reviews from music critics, several of whom considered it a highlight of Hackney Diamonds.
Background and recording
During pre-production in Paris, Jagger played Andrew Watt an early version of "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" on piano. Watt described its chord structure as relatively simple and compared its gospel style to earlier Rolling Stones songs such as "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (1969) and "Shine a Light" (1972). He suggested inviting Stevie Wonder to play on the track, an idea Jagger immediately supported. Wonder had previously toured with the Rolling Stones as their support act in 1972 and occasionally joined them on stage to perform "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Wonder played piano, Fender Rhodes and Moog bass on the track, while its horn line was built around his bass line. During the session, Watt called out the chords and sections to Wonder, who devised a bass line by singing it to him. Watt worked out the part on bass; it subsequently became a recurring theme played by the guitars, while Wonder performed it on Moog bass. Mick Jagger said that Wonder's use of gospel chords helped bring the song "to another level". According to Jagger, the band recorded the song live while playing together in the same room. Watt similarly described Hackney Diamonds as a performance-based record whose live approach allowed the music to naturally speed up, slow down, and "push and pull".
Lady Gaga, who had previously joined the Rolling Stones on stage in Newark, New Jersey, in December 2012 to sing "Gimme Shelter" during their 50th-anniversary shows, became involved with the recording while working on music related to the jukebox musical film Joker: Folie à Deux in an adjacent studio. She met Watt for the first time during these sessions. After asking Jagger if she could stop by, she heard him singing and began joining in spontaneously. Watt recalled that Gaga entered while the band was recording takes with Wonder; Jagger invited her into the live room, where she sat on the floor with headphones and a microphone and joined the session without having planned to perform. According to Watt, she had heard the song only once beforehand. Jagger recalled giving her headphones and initially having her contribute "oohs and aahs", before asking her to sing the lyrics; he said the collaboration "came together very quickly". The band responded positively to her contribution, and Gaga later returned for another session to record the version included on Hackney Diamonds. Jagger recalled that Gaga gradually became more confident during the session; he and Gaga eventually recorded face-to-face, tightening their vocal parts before becoming "slightly competitive" as they traded increasingly forceful vocals. Producer Andrew Watt and the band subsequently refined the recording. Wonder praised her versatility and described her performance as having a soulful quality.
Composition "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" opens with a rolling piano riff and Jagger singing alone before Gaga joins him in the second verse, initially echoing his lines in a high, gospel-influenced register, while Wonder accompanies the band on keyboards and bass. As the song progresses, Gaga's vocals increasingly double Jagger's, before the arrangement builds after the five-minute mark with guitar, drums, saxophone and keyboards and culminates in the pair trading soul-inflected vocals.
The song incorporates elements of gospel, rock, soul and blues. Rolling Stone described it as having a "gospel vibe" and developing over approximately seven minutes into a "free-flowing soul journey", while American Songwriter characterized it as a fusion of rock and roll and soul music. The Financial Times classified the song as gospel rock, and Billboard as gospel blues. Paste additionally noted its R&B and stadium rock elements, describing the song as a convergence of "full-throated R&B and anthemic stadium rock" with the emotional qualities of classic soul music.
The lyrics address nationalism, poverty and mortality; according to Pitchfork, Jagger confronts the prospect of his own death while resisting continued excess. The Independent described the song as a seven-minute spiritual crescendo built on a "slow-burning Pentecostal groove", with Gaga contributing gospel-style vocal trills and Jagger delivering a sermon-like performance.
Several journalists compared the song to the Let It Bleed (1969) track "Gimme Shelter", particularly Gaga's vocal delivery, which was likened to Merry Clayton's performance on that song. Slant Magazine Jeremy Winograd similarly situated the song within the band's earlier work, characterizing it as a "full-blown gospel rave-up" reminiscent of the 1972 album Exile on Main St., while noting that despite evoking an earlier Stones era, it did not sound "overtly retro".
Release
The band teased "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" on Instagram on 25 September 2023, sharing a short excerpt and announcing that it would be released three days later. On 28 September, the day of the song's release, a lyric video for its radio edit was uploaded to the Rolling Stones' official YouTube channel, while Apple Music released an interview with Mick Jagger about the track.
The single's cover artwork followed the visual style of Hackney Diamonds, depicting an illustrated upturned hand emerging from a glittering pool of water alongside the song title and an adaptation of the band's tongue-and-lips logo.
Critical reception Upon release, "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" drew considerable praise from music critics, several of whom later considered it the standout song of Hackney Diamonds. Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times called it "magnificently melodramatic", while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic found it "a showstopping ballad" that "sounds stronger with each repeated listen". The Daily Telegraph rated "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" five out of five stars, stating that the band was in "exultant form" and calling the track "a thrilling, uplifting proto-gospel song that belongs in the very highest echelons of the Stones' starry catalogue". Terry Staunton of Record Collector considered it a potential enduring highlight of the album, describing the Stones as being at their "most passionate" and praising Gaga's "earthy vocal jousting" with Jagger. Matthew Mitchell of Paste regarded "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" potentially the Stones' best song since "Emotional Rescue" (1980) and praised the interplay between Jagger, Gaga and Wonder, calling the song an "instant classic". Robin Murray of Clash similarly deemed it "the album's pinnacle" and arguably the Stones' finest recording of the 21st century, praising Gaga as "one of her generation's finest vocal technicians" whose "wonderfully over-the-top performance lifts the entire song to another level".
Several critics focused on the vocal interplay between Jagger and Gaga. Jonah Krueger of Consequence described the "anthemic, surprisingly emotional cut" as "one of the best late-stage songs the Stones have to offer", with the pair's vocal interplay "[making] the extended track feel like it breezes by in an instant". John Murphy of musicOMH called the song the album's "most startling moment", characterizing Jagger and Gaga's performance as less a duet than "a battle for vocal supremacy". Tim Cumming of The Arts Desk called "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" a "freshly minted classic", praising its "thrilling and all-enveloping" live-in-the-room quality and describing Gaga's climactic falsetto battle with Jagger as "totally over the top and totally brilliant". Kristen S. Hé of Vulture found it "one of the Stones' most ambitious songs in decades" and praised the chemistry between the group and Gaga, saying "the magic is palpable".
Other reviewers highlighted the song's ambition and the individual performances. Writing for Spin, Al Shipley described it as a "triumphant big swing" at something the Stones had not done before, which he considered "a true rarity" for the band in the 21st century. Despite his negative assessment of Hackney Diamonds overall, Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork singled out "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" as a moment in which "actual feeling and fight" emerged in Jagger's voice, finding him most convincing when addressing mortality and other immediate concerns. The Independent Mark Beaumont called it a "statement song worthy of rounding off a career this monumental" and said that it revived the "gritty passions" of "Gimme Shelter". Ian Fortnam of Classic Rock called Jagger's performance a "master class" and praised Gaga as being "in fine voice", while noting that neither she nor Wonder drew attention away from the band. Alan Corr of RTÉ commended Gaga's vocals as "perhaps [her] finest-ever" and Wonder's keyboard playing as "astounding". John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute praised the song's energy and Gaga's performance, likening her vocals to Tina Turner and writing that the track "accurately captures the energy of a boozy bar evening".
In a more mixed assessment, Steve Shymanik of PopMatters considered the song "bloated, bombastic, overdone, and too long", but nevertheless praised its "sheer ambition" and said that Gaga and the Stones "certainly can't be faulted for effort". Jem Aswad of Variety similarly praised "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" as one of the Stones' "best-ever soulful ballads", but argued that Gaga's contribution dragged the song down, describing her performance as technically impressive yet lacking nuance and amounting to "a master class in over-singing".
Live performances The Stones performed the song live with Gaga for the first time as part of their set at the Racket club in New York on 19 October 2023. Gaga joined the band on stage wearing a shimmering black and red bodysuit before engaging in a "heavenly screaming match" with Jagger during the song. The audio of the performance was later released on digital and streaming services on 8 December.
The song was played often throughout the band's Hackney Diamonds Tour (2024), appearing in the encore.
Personnel Personnel adapted from Sweet Sounds of Heaven liner notes.
The Rolling Stones Mick Jagger – vocals, percussion Keith Richards – guitar Ronnie Wood – guitar
Additional musicians Lady Gaga – vocals Stevie Wonder – piano, Rhodes, Moog Steve Jordan – drums Matt Clifford – B3 organ Andrew Watt – bass, backing vocals James King – saxophone Ron Blake – trumpet
Technical personnel Andrew Watt – producer Serban Ghenea – mixer Bryce Bordone – mix assistant Matt Colton – mastering Paul LaMalfa – recording engineer Marco Sonzini – recording engineer Joe Dougherty – recording assistant Joe Brice – recording assistant Barnabas Poffley – recording assistant Kelsey Porter – recording assistant Tommy Turner – recording assistant Rich Evatt – recording assistant Pierre Beauport – studio assistant Marc Van Gool – studio assistant Brendan Morawski – studio assistant
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2023) Peakposition Canada Digital Songs (Billboard) 19 Croatia (HRT) 20 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan) 6 Netherlands (Tipparade) 18 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 23 UK Singles Sales (OCC) 2 UK Singles Downloads (OCC) 15
Year-end charts Chart (2023) Position UK Vinyl Singles (OCC) 20
Release history