In The Rolling Stones' "Angie", what went up in smoke?

In The Rolling Stones’ "Angie," the dreams held close went up in smoke.

The line appears in a wistful verse about a relationship that is coming apart. Rather than celebrating romance, the song looks back at shared hopes and recognizes that affection alone may not be enough to keep two people together. That bittersweet perspective helped make the track one of the Stones’ best-known ballads.

"Angie" was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded in late 1972. It became the lead single from Goats Head Soup, the band’s eleventh studio album, released in 1973. The acoustic guitar, piano, and string arrangement give the recording a softer sound than the group’s harder blues-rock singles.

Listeners have often assumed that Angie was a specific woman, particularly Angela Bowie or Richards’ daughter. Richards later said the name was not meant to identify one particular person, although the song’s origins have been surrounded by competing stories. The song reached No. 1 in the United States, becoming one of the Stones’ signature tracks.