The Backstory of 'Out of Tears' from Voodoo Lounge

Most people remember the Rolling Stones’ 1994 comeback Voodoo Lounge for the stomping single “Love Is Strong.” But the album’s quietest moment, “Out of Tears,” might be the most telling. Mick Jagger wrote the ballad as a plain-spoken admission of emotional exhaustion — a man who’s simply run out of tears to cry. It’s a world away from the swagger of “Start Me Up” or the cynicism of “Sympathy for the Devil.”

To capture that weary, almost spiritual resignation, the band recorded the song at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in London, a deconsecrated venue they’d used before. The natural reverb of the stone walls gave the track a hollow, cathedral-like ache. Jagger brought in the London Gospel Choir, whose voices don’t soar triumphantly but rather murmur and swell like a final, forgiving sigh. The result is a Stones song that sounds less like a rock band and more like a man in a pew.

The recording reflected a band that had, after decades of excess and dysfunction, finally settled into something resembling mutual respect. There were no blow-ups during the sessions — just seasoned musicians letting the song breathe. “Out of Tears” became a quiet anthem for anyone who’s ever felt wrung out. It proved the Stones could still break your heart without breaking a sweat.