"Rock and a Hard Place" was released as the second single from "Steel Wheels" on 13 November 1989 in the UK. "Cook Cook Blues", a slow blues outtake from the 1983 album "Undercover", was the B-side. The single reached No. 63 in the UK, No. 23 in the U.S. and No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song has been performed by the Stones sporadically since its release, appearing on the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour, Voodoo Lounge Tour, Bridges to Babylon Tour, and Licks Tour.