Key Insights
- New Release: The Rolling Stones have released a new single titled “Jealous Lover” featuring Steve Winwood.
- Album Details: The upcoming album Foreign Tongues is set to be released on July 10.
- Collaboration History: Steve Winwood has a long-standing connection with the Rolling Stones dating back to his youth.
- Live Performances: Winwood will tour with John Fogerty in September, while the Rolling Stones may only perform a few scattered shows.
The Rolling Stones’ new song with Steve Winwood has arrived. Check out “Jealous Lover,” the next single from their forthcoming album Foreign Tongues, below.
The song was already available for pre-order. Winwood is featured on rootsy Rhodes piano and organ. He ended up appearing throughout Foreign Tongues, following a missed opportunity to collaborate on 2023’s preceding Hackney Diamonds.
“I think I was asked just to play on one song, then they said, ‘There’s another couple you can do,'” Winwood told Uncut. “I did a couple more and then they said, ‘Come next week and do some more.'”
How Did Steve Winwood Join the Rolling Stones’ Sessions?
Foreign Tongues is set to arrive on July 10. As with Hackney Diamonds, Andrew Watt served as producer. “Jealous Lover” follows the advance release of “In the Stars.”
Watt initially suggested that Mick Jagger play keyboard on “Jealous Lover,” but Jagger preferred to focus on the vocal. “I want to be able to perform the song in the studio, really perform it. I can’t do that sitting at the piano,” Jagger told Uncut. “So we thought, ‘Who’s a good soul piano player?’ I just thought of Steve.”
READ MORE: Everything We Know About the New Rolling Stones Album So Far
Winwood’s connection with the Rolling Stones runs back to performances they saw in his youth as a pre-Traffic member of the Spencer Davis Group.
“I first knew Stevie when he was about 15,” Keith Richards told Uncut. “How he managed to get on stage at that age, I don’t know. And the weird thing was that those Traffic records were produced by Jimmy Miller, who produced some great records for us soon after that. So in a way, I’ve known Stevie more than half his life.”
Foreign Tongues was largely recorded in London’s Metropolis Studios, rather than America. Ron Wood said the project was spearheaded by Jagger. “This album is Mick’s baby, really,” Wood told the BBC. “He’s kind of been working on these tracks for a long time, just in a demo way.”
Steve Winwood Connects His Presence to a Storied Past
Winwood said his turn on “Jealous Lover” recalls the Rolling Stones’ classic-era sound with Nicky Hopkins. Gone too soon at just 50, Hopkins appeared on a string of albums from 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties Request through 1981’s Tattoo You.
“Nicky Hopkins and I were on a similar journey, in a way,” Winwood told Uncut. “I think the Stones knew that and I suspect that they wanted that sort of feel. … Much of the album was done with everyone playing together, which is a rarity these days and adds some magic and temperament.”
Other special guests on Foreign Tongues include Paul McCartney (who was also on Hackney Diamonds), the Cure’s Robert Smith, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones’ late original drummer, also appears through an archival recording.
Winwood returns to the road in September for a series of shows with John Fogerty. But don’t look for a big supporting tour from the Rolling Stones. Richards has indicated that the band might not be ready for much more than a few scattered shows.
READ MORE: Top 10 Post-‘Some Girls’ Rolling Stones Songs
“I don’t know if tours are possible,” he admitted. “It’s the traveling that takes it out of you. But I do see the possibility of us doing a residency somewhere. Wherever it is, London, New York, Paris, anywhere.”
The most recent Rolling Stones shows were played in 2024. For what it’s worth, Jagger doesn’t share Richards’ trepidation: “I’d love to go on tour. I can’t wait,” he told the BBC. “I don’t think it’s going to be this year, but hopefully it’s going to be as soon as possible.”
Rolling Stones Live Albums Ranked
Many of the band’s concert records can seem like quick cash grabs or stop-gaps between studio LPs, but there are gems to uncover.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
