The Rolling Stones' 'Summer Romance': A Live-In-Studio Outtake from the Emotional Rescue Sessions

During the Emotional Rescue sessions in early 1979, the Stones cut a loose, mid-tempo rocker called “Summer Romance.” It didn’t make the album, but a year later it surfaced as the B-side to “She’s So Cold.” The track feels like a band jam that just happened to be recorded—no overdubs, no studio trickery, just Mick singing live with the band playing together in one room.

That live-in-studio approach was a conscious choice after the disco detour of Some Girls. Producer Chris Kimsey pushed for minimal separation, letting guitar amps bleed into vocal mics and drum sounds bounce off the walls. “Summer Romance” has that open, breathy reverb of a room where everyone can see each other. Charlie Watts’ hi-hat is almost too loud, Keith’s rhythm guitar crowds the left channel, and Jagger’s vocal wavers slightly off-mic—all signs of a take they committed to tape in maybe three or four passes. It’s a throwaway, but a revealing one: proof that even outtakes from this era were built to sound like a club show.