Rolling Stones Drop ‘Jealous Lover’ and Robert Smith Collab Ahead of ‘Foreign Tongues’
Two new tracks from Foreign Tongues arrive July 10, with Anya Taylor-Joy starring in the ‘Jealous Lover' video and Robert Smith adding guitar to ‘Divine Intervention.'
The Rolling Stones released two new songs from their upcoming album Foreign Tongues on Wednesday: ‘Jealous Lover,' featuring a Mick Jagger falsetto performance over a funky R&B backdrop and a video starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Charles Melton, and ‘Divine Intervention,' a collaboration with the Cure's Robert Smith. The album arrives July 10.
‘Jealous Lover' Video Brings Anya Taylor-Joy Into the Mix
On ‘Jealous Lover,' Jagger reaches back to the upper-register falsetto he deployed on ‘Emotional Rescue,' riding a groove that leans hard into soul and R&B. The accompanying video, currently exclusive to Amazon Music, casts Anya Taylor-Joy as a woman convinced her boyfriend, played by Charles Melton, is cheating on her. The confrontation begins in a seedy motel parking lot and escalates from there, with Jagger's refrain ‘Hands off, jealous lover' threading through the chaos. The clip ends with a brief snippet of another unreleased Stones track, ‘Mr. Charm.'
Beyond the five core Stones, the track draws on a notable supporting cast. Steve Winwood plays Rhodes piano and organ, producer Andrew Watt contributes several instruments, and Matt Clifford handles synth. For listeners without Amazon Music, the song is available on YouTube and other streaming platforms.
Robert Smith's Surprise Session Produces ‘Divine Intervention'
The second release, ‘Divine Intervention,' carries a more upbeat energy as Jagger contemplates the end of the world, with Smith's additional guitar woven through the arrangement. Jagger recounted the unlikely collaboration at a press event in New York, describing the moment he walked into a London studio and found an unfamiliar figure waiting.
“I turned up one day to do my vocals in London, and there's this bloke standing there with his back to me with this long gown on,” Jagger said. “And when he turned around, he was covered in lipstick. And I said — I'd never met him before — You're Robert Smith of the Cure! He said, ‘Yeah!' And I said, Well, while you're here then, you better go and do something.”
The track also features Winwood on piano and organ, Watt on synths and background vocals, saxophonist James King, and trumpeter Ron Blake. The pairing of Smith's signature guitar texture with the Stones' rhythm section is the kind of cross-genre moment that tends to generate genuine curiosity rather than mere novelty.
Foreign Tongues: Guest List and Critical Reception
The two new songs join previously released singles ‘In the Stars' and ‘Rough and Twisted.' The full album features an extraordinary roster of collaborators, including Paul McCartney, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, and Bruno Mars. Perhaps most poignantly, original drummer Charlie Watts appears on the record, drawn from a session recorded shortly before his death.
Rolling Stone reviewed Foreign Tongues favorably, awarding it four stars out of five and describing it as an improvement on Hackney Diamonds in certain respects. The magazine noted that the new album feels ‘more guitar-centric and holistically Stones-y' compared to its predecessor, which it said ‘occasionally sounded a little too much like a Jagger solo record in its emphasis on vocal melodies.'
Podcast, Residency Talk, and What Comes Next
To accompany the album, the band has launched a podcast called Speaking in Tongues, hosted by Norah Jones. The first episode is available now and includes interviews with Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood.
Richards also addressed the band's touring future in a recent interview, casting doubt on traditional road commitments while leaving the door open to another format. “I don't know if tours are possible,” he said. “It's the traveling that takes it out of you. But I do see the possibility of us doing residency somewhere. Wherever it is, London, New York, Paris, anywhere. I'll play Rome!”
What we know
- The Rolling Stones released ‘Jealous Lover' and ‘Divine Intervention,' two new songs from their upcoming album Foreign Tongues.
- Foreign Tongues is scheduled for release on July 10.
- ‘Jealous Lover' features Steve Winwood on Rhodes piano and organ, Andrew Watt on several instruments, and Matt Clifford on synth.
- The ‘Jealous Lover' video stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Charles Melton and is currently exclusive to Amazon Music, though the song is available on YouTube and other streaming services.
- ‘Divine Intervention' features additional guitar by the Cure's Robert Smith, along with Winwood on piano and organ, Watt on synths and background vocals, saxophonist James King, and trumpeter Ron Blake.
- Other guests on Foreign Tongues include Paul McCartney, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bruno Mars, as well as Charlie Watts from a pre-death session.
- The band has launched a podcast, Speaking in Tongues, hosted by Norah Jones, with the first episode featuring interviews with Jagger, Richards, and Ron Wood.
- Keith Richards said he does not know if tours are possible but expressed openness to a residency in cities such as London, New York, or Paris.
The take
Foreign Tongues arrives at a moment when the Stones are navigating a genuinely complicated transition. Charlie Watts died in August 2021, and Hackney Diamonds in 2023 was widely read as a statement of intent: the band could still make a proper Stones record without him. The four-star reception for Foreign Tongues suggests they've consolidated that argument rather than rested on it. The guest list here is worth examining on its own terms. Paul McCartney and Bruno Mars represent two very different gravitational fields, and the fact that Robert Smith ended up on the record essentially by accident, walking into a London session already in progress, is the kind of origin story that tends to age well. Smith's guitar work has always carried a melodic weight that sits surprisingly close to Keith Richards' open-tuning approach, so the pairing on an apocalyptic Jagger vocal is less strange than it might initially sound. Richards' residency comments are also significant. Legacy acts have increasingly moved toward the residency model as a practical alternative to full tours, and for a band whose members are in their eighties, the calculus around travel and logistics has shifted considerably. If the Stones do anchor themselves in one city for an extended run, they would be following a path that ABBA's Voyage residency helped normalize for heritage acts at the highest level.
Why it matters
For Classic Rock fans, Foreign Tongues represents the Stones' second consecutive studio statement in the post-Watts era, and the critical response so far suggests the band is operating with genuine creative momentum rather than coasting. The Robert Smith collaboration in particular signals a willingness to reach outside the band's usual orbit, while Richards' residency comments may be the most consequential news here for anyone hoping to see the Stones live. How the band resolves the touring question will shape their legacy chapter as much as any album.
What's next
Foreign Tongues releases July 10. The Speaking in Tongues podcast, hosted by Norah Jones, has its first episode available now, featuring Jagger, Richards, and Wood. No tour or residency dates have been announced, though Richards has indicated a residency format is under consideration.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Rolling Stones' new album Foreign Tongues come out?
Foreign Tongues is scheduled for release on July 10.
Who is Robert Smith and why is he on the new Rolling Stones song?
Robert Smith is the frontman and guitarist of the Cure. According to Mick Jagger, Smith was already at a London studio when Jagger arrived to record vocals, and Jagger invited him to contribute on the spot. Smith plays additional guitar on ‘Divine Intervention.'
Who stars in the ‘Jealous Lover' music video?
Anya Taylor-Joy and Charles Melton star in the video, which depicts a jealous confrontation at a motel. The video is currently exclusive to Amazon Music.
Will the Rolling Stones tour in support of Foreign Tongues?
Keith Richards said he does not know if tours are possible, citing the physical toll of travel, but expressed openness to a residency in cities such as London, New York, or Paris. No dates have been announced.
What other artists appear on Foreign Tongues?
Confirmed guests include Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Steve Winwood, and Robert Smith of the Cure. Charlie Watts also appears from a session recorded before his death.