How Keith Richards’ ‘Crosseyed Heart’ Ended a 23-Year Solo Drought

Keith Richards hadn’t put out a solo album since Main Offender (1992), and for most of those 23 years he didn’t plan to. The gap closed because the Rolling Stones were in a quiet patch after the A Bigger Bang tour (2005–07), and Richards had been stockpiling riffs and lyrics that didn’t fit the band. He described the album as something that “just happened” — a loose garage session at his home studio in Connecticut with long-time collaborators like drummer Steve Jordan. They didn’t overthink it; they cut most of the record live in a few weeks.

The title track’s chord progression is the key to its name. Richards was playing in open G tuning (his signature five-string setup) when he accidentally slid into a D major shape that sounded “crosseyed” — a dissonant, slightly off-kilter voicing that he kept because it felt like the song was looking at you from two different angles. The lyrics tackle aging head-on: “I’m a crosseyed heart / I’m an old fool / I’ve got a crosseyed heart / I’ve got a golden rule.” He admitted the song is about realizing you’re past your prime but still reckless, still