Ronnie Wood has revealed that he has a tribute to Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson on the new Rolling Stones album, ‘Foreign Tongues’.
The rock icons dropped details of the upcoming album earlier this week – officially confirming the title and release date after weeks of dropping hints, and confirming that it will feature guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith and more.
They went on to host an album launch event in New York City, where they revealed that they wrote it while feeling determined to push their musicality after more than 60 years together.
Now, guitarist Ronnie Wood has shared more insight into the album, and revealed that it contains a tribute to late Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, who died of respiratory arrest in June last year.
Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Wood revealed that he learned of Wilson’s passing while in the studio working on ‘Foreign Tongues’, and wanted to play something from the heart that expressed how he felt after hearing the news.
“I was so moved that day, and disappointed and sad, I had so much feeling because Brian Wilson died. I’ll never forget,” he said, going on to reveal that he wrote a nine-minute guitar solo which helped him channel his emotions.
That solo was later cut down to around five-minutes, and now features in a song called ‘Back In Your Life’.
“That week Sly Stone died too, I thought, ‘Oh, no. It’s so sad’. It came out through my guitar, the feeling, in just one take. I didn’t do that, the guitar played itself,” he added.
So far, the only songs to be released from the new album are the lead single ‘Rough and Twisted’ – which the band dropped under the alias ‘The Cockroaches’ before confirming the album – and the charismatic ‘In The Stars’, which was released digitally on Tuesday (May 5) and will get a physical release on May 15.
The band have yet to confirm the full tracklist, although based on the Fallon interview, there is the track ‘Back In Your Life’ and apparently a cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘You Know I’m No Good’.
‘Foreign Tongues’ is set for release on July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music – visit here to pre-order – and will feature 14 songs in total.
Alongside Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Wood, the record also has one of the final recordings from late drummer Charlie Watts before his passing in 2021, as well as other guest appearances from Steve Winwood, and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The whole record was completed in less than one month at Metropolis Studios in West London, with production from Andrew Watt – who also worked with them on 2024’s ‘Hackney Diamonds’.
Mick Jagger and co. are unlikely to announce a full tour anytime soon, as late last year they confirmed that they scrapped plans for a UK and European stadium tour in 2026 because Keith Richards was unable to “commit” to it.
The group embarked on their North American ‘Hackney Diamonds’ tour in 2024, with the trek landing at Number Six on the list of the highest-grossing music world tours of that year.
They last played the UK in 2022, with two huge London BST Hyde Park gigs followed by a stadium concert in Liverpool.
