THE SWEET SOUNDS OF HEAVEN
I have been listening to The Rolling Stones since I was a kid. The first time I heard them, something in me came alive. I still listen to them today. I am under no conviction about it, for I do not share or endorse every part of their lifestyle or the themes in some of their songs, but I do love their music—the good ones, the deep ones, the ones that stir the heart. And now, all these years later, there is a new song that feels almost like a hymn. It is called “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” from their latest album Hackney Diamonds. It is a gospel-infused song that features Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder, and it moves with a kind of reverence that you rarely hear in modern music. When I first listened, it caught my spirit off guard. It is soulful, powerful, and full of longing for the divine—one of the most beautiful things they have done since Angie back in 1973.
The Rolling Stones are an anomaly in the world of music. They are hard to understand—both gritty and graceful, both rebellious and reflective. They have produced songs that could never be recommended, filled with vulgarity and excess, yet every now and then they release something deeply spiritual, almost sacred. I do not recommend Brown Sugar or Honky Tonk Women or Start Me Up, even though they are among their most famous hits.
But I can gladly recommend As Tears Go By, Angie, Wild Horses, Waiting on a Friend, Moonlight Mile, Shine a Light, Let it Loose, Just Want to See His Face, She’s a Rainbow, You Can’t Always Get What You Want, No Expectations, Salt of the Earth, Blinded by Rainbows, Out of Tears, Till the Next Goodbye, Winter…and a hundred or so others. These songs touch on love, longing, friendship, and beauty rather than lust or vanity. If you are selective, you can find moments of light even in the music of a band known mostly for its edge. That is how life works too—light and shadow, good and evil, sometimes intertwined—and our task is to choose what lifts us higher.
In Sweet Sounds of Heaven, Mick Jagger sings about hearing heaven’s music descending upon the earth, like rain falling softly on a thirsty field. It is as if he is reaching upward, longing for a cleansing sound from another world. The song speaks of wanting to make the world a better place, of love and renewal, of joy that comes down like a melody from heaven itself. It is a song about grace whether he knows it or not. The imagery of rain, of instruments rising, of the earth being washed in heavenly sound—all of it reminds me of the Spirit of God moving upon the waters. It calls to mind the prophet Joel, who said, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28). God’s Spirit is always pouring, always descending, always bringing heaven’s music to our weary souls.
There is also something beautiful in seeing these men, now in their eighties, still singing, still searching. They have lived wild lives, seen the best and worst of fame, and yet here they are, still reaching for heaven. That tells me something about grace. It tells me that no one is too old for renewal, that it is never too late to sing a new song. Scripture says, “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:1) The music of heaven does not belong to the young or to the pure—it belongs to the redeemed, to those who have been touched by mercy. Even an aging rock band, scarred by decades of excess, can suddenly sound like a choir.
I recommend Sweet Sounds of Heaven not because it is perfect, but because it points upward. It invites the listener to look beyond this world’s noise and listen for something holy. It is as if heaven itself leans close and whispers through melody, “Come up higher.” When we listen with open hearts, we may find that God is speaking even through unexpected voices. He has always done that. He spoke through Balaam’s donkey, through Cyrus the king, through fishermen and tax collectors. He can surely speak through a song that longs for heaven.
So listen quietly. Let the sweet sounds of heaven rain down upon you. Let them cleanse your thoughts, soften your heart, and remind you that music can still lift us toward God when our souls are weary. The next time you hear that gospel refrain echoing through a song like this, imagine the angels joining in. Imagine heaven and earth blending for a moment, the way they will someday when Christ returns in glory. For now, we just hear the echoes—but someday, we will stand in the full sound.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
